Today's Not-So-Random Song Accompanied By Minimal Commentary: Weezer - "Say It Ain't So"

By now, I'm sure a lot of you two have been exposed to "I Love College", the lead single from Asher Roth's debut album, Asleep In The Bread Aisle. What some of you may not be aware of is the origin of the first version of the track, which swiped elements from Weezer's "Say It Ain't So", a 1990s rock staple that, oddly, makes me want to play the first Rock Band game again. But I digress.



Since "I Love College" is slowly becoming a moderate hit, you may have noticed that the song itself sounds nothing like the Weezer track. As the story goes, Asher Roth offered up all of the publishing rights to Rivers Cuomo in an effort to clear the sample, but the Weezer frontman told him to fuck off (maybe not using those exact words, but it is fun to imagine), forcing Roth and his producers to re-tool the beat for public consumption. Here's the original version of "I Love College".



I'm not surprised that this song is popular, mainly because, as I continue to argue, there are a lot of people out there that like really shitty music. (This bit of frat-boy douchebaggery sounds like something L.F.O. might have recorded a few years ago.) However, I'm not down on Asher Paul Roth himself (yeah, I brought out the middle name) as a rapper: he's simply doing what is taught in all writer's workshops and writing what he knows. (Besides, I can't recall hearing about beer pong, keg stands, and pizza slices for a buck in a mainstream rap song since...well, ever.) The man has actually impressed me with his freestyles (and his mixtape, The Greenhouse Effect, alongside Don Cannon and DJ Drama). "I Love College" simply comes off as the radio single meant to attract a wider audience, one that may be shocked to find actual lyricism when they steal purchase Asleep In The Bread Aisle on April 21, 2009, provided that they haven't smoked themselves stupid.

Here's the retail version of the song in question.



And, for no reason, here's Weezer's "Buddy Holly", one of director Spike Jonze's finest moments.



-Max