After Releasing Weezer’s Iconic Debut Album in 1994, Rivers Cuomo Grew a Beard and Went to Harvard

On May 10, 1994, Weezer released their iconic debut album. Often referred to as the Blue Album, given its simplistic album cover featuring a blue background, the album generated three defining 90s alternative hits. Their debut single, “Undone – The Sweater Song”, peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 6 on the Alternative Airplay chart. Their follow-up, “Buddy Holly”, peaked at No. 2 on the Alternative Airplay chart, and a third single, “Say It Ain’t So”, peaked at No. 7 on the chart.

To promote this debut release, the band toured extensively, playing around 150 shows in 1994 and into 1995. In August 1995, frontman Rivers Cuomo enrolled at Harvard University. That same month, the band made their major late-night television appearance, performing “Say It Ain’t So” on Late Night With David Letterman. He had visited Harvard’s campus while on tour in 1994. He obtained an application and eventually submitted an essay about his newfound fame in Weezer. Subsequently, Cuomo was accepted as a second-semester sophomore.

Rivers Goes To Harvard

Initially, Cuomo went to Harvard to study classical composition. He later switched to English literature, specifically American literature and language. As mentioned before, he was enrolled for the fall semester, starting in August 1995. While attending Harvard, the frontman sported a beard and walked with a cane following a leg-lengthening procedure. Therefore, many students didn’t recognize the Weezer frontman. On the last day of his first year at Harvard, he revealed his identity to a classmate while discussing an upcoming tour with No Doubt.

During his time at Harvard, Cuomo wrote songs for Weezer in his free time, living in a dorm on campus. He mostly penned tracks for a rock opera titled Songs From The Black Hole, to follow up the success of their debut, but these plans were later abandoned. Instead, the band used some of the tracks and new ones to record Pinkerton. Recording for this cult classic follow-up began in August 1995 and lasted until July 1996.

In the fall semester of 1996, Cuomo dropped out of Harvard two semesters before graduating. He did this to focus entirely on recording Pinkerton, putting his education on hold. Following the album’s release, which was considered a commercial flop, Cuomo returned to Harvard in the spring of 1997, completing that semester. In 2004, he returned once more, completing another semester.

Finally, in 2006, he re-enrolled for the spring semester. Rivers Cuomo graduated in June 2006, over ten years after he first enrolled, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. He was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society while attending the prestigious and historic university.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc

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