Raditude is Weezer's seventh album, released in 2009. It was the band's final studio album on Geffen Records, and teased on lead vocalist and frontman Rivers Cuomo's YouTube channel in November of 2008.
The album marked a major departure from their previous sound, more so than Weezer (The Green Album). Responsibilities among the band members were shuffled a bit, with session musician Josh Freese playing drums, Pat playing guitar, and Cuomo relegating himself to the role of frontman, a move that was later referenced in the song "Back to the Shack".
The album marked a period when the band dipped their toe into mainstream pop, best exemplified in the synth-heavy, guitar-less "Can't Stop Partying". It was also the first Weezer album where Cuomo brought in outside co-writers, a trend that would continue until OK Human (though Rivers would still bring in collaborators to work on lead singles).
The album spawned four singles: "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To", "I'm Your Daddy", "Tripping Down the Freeway", and "The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World". The latter two were only released on iTunes. Like its predecessor, the album received a deluxe edition with four additional songs.
Tracklist:
- "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" (3:28)
- "I'm Your Daddy" (3:08)
- "The Girl Got Hot" (3:14)
- "Can't Stop Partying" (4:22)
- "Put Me Back Together" (3:15)
- "Tripping Down the Freeway" (3:40)
- "Love Is the Answer" (3:43)
- "Let It All Hang Out" (3:17)
- "In the Mall" (2:39)
- "I Don't Want to Let You Go" (3:48)
Deluxe Edition bonus tracks:
- "Get Me Some" (3:36)
- "Run Over by a Truck" (3:33)
- "The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World" (4:00)
- "The Underdogs" (4:40)
Principal Members:
- Rivers Cuomo – lead vocals
- Brian Bell – guitar, backing vocals
- Scott Shriner – bass, backing vocals
- Patrick Wilson – guitar, backing vocals
Tropin' Down the Freeway:
- Bros Before Hoes: The video for "I Want You To" features Rivers rejecting a hot girl because the rest of the band's attempts to impress her got them injured.
- Downer Ending: The album ends with another somber break-up song, "I Don’t Want to Let You Go".
- Genre Shift: "Can't Stop Partying", an electronic dance song with a rap bridge.
- Looped Lyrics: "Let It All Hang Out" features Rivers repeating the last word of a line during the verses.
- New Sound Album: A radical departure from their previous efforts, moreso than the Green Album and Make Believe. Though their signature power pop sound is still present, this places a heavier emphasis on the pop. Until the release of Pacific Daydream, it was their poppiest album.
- Ode to Intoxication: "Can't Stop Partying":Just follow the smoke, they're bringing bottles of the goose
And all the girls in the corner getting loose
Screw rehab, I love my addiction
No sleep, no sleep, I am always on a mission - Out-of-Genre Experience: "Love is the Answer", an out of nowhere Bollywood-type Hindu song, with hindu verses in-between. It's so out of place with the rest of the album because it was originally intended for Make Believe (which, while not having any Hindu songs, has Hindi influences).
- She Is All Grown Up: "The Girl Got Hot"
- Shout-Out: To Super Mario Bros., of all things."I will ape the goomba, if you tire"
- Totally Radical: The title.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: "I Want You To" was reportedly based on a date that Rivers had with his wife Kyoko Ito before they married.
- A Wild Rapper Appears!: Lil Wayne provides a guest verse on "Can't Stop Partying".
