{"id":1955699,"date":"2026-05-26T12:08:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1955699"},"modified":"2026-05-26T12:08:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:08:01","slug":"weezers-rivers-cuomo-uploads-unplugged-covers-of-michael-jackson-whitney-houston-nirvana-guns-n-roses-outkast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1955699","title":{"rendered":"Weezer\u2019s Rivers Cuomo Uploads Unplugged Covers of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Nirvana, Guns N\u2019 Roses, Outkast"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tWhat would Outkast\u2019s \u201cHey Ya\u201d sound like if it were played solo acoustic by Weezer singer Rivers Cuomo? How about Nirvana\u2019s \u201cDrain You\u201d or Whitney Houston\u2019s \u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)\u201d as a sad boy emo ballad?<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tRivers Cuomo\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tWeezer\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tOver the weekend, Cuomo uploaded more than a dozen stripped-down covers to YouTube labeled \u201cPrivate upload for playlist: randum cuverz,\u201d most of which appeared to have been recorded in 2018 and 2019. The list opens with an emotional cover of Radiohead\u2019s breakthrough 1992 single \u201cCreep,\u201d rendered even more fragile in Cuomo\u2019s unadorned version.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tDemi Lovato Celebrates First Wedding Anniversary With Jordan Lutes\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tKurt Cobain’s ‘Foxes’ T-Shirt Being Auctioned by Hole’s Patty Schemel\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tDiplo Says DJ Set at Son’s Kindergarten Graduation Was One of His ‘Most Important Sets’ of Career\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tIt then dives into a quick-strummed take on Andr\u00e9 3000\u2019s \u201cHey Ya,\u201d from Outkast\u2019s landmark 2003 Speakerboxxx\/The Love Below<\/em> double album, with the song getting an indie rock makeover thanks to Cuomo\u2019s multi-layered vocals and suburban dad breakdown on the \u201clend me some sugar\u201d bit.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe also includes nearly a minute of a sweet cover of Green Day\u2019s \u201cWhen I Come Around,\u201d a few urgent minutes of Nirvana\u2019s \u201cDrain You\u201d (and a choppy, shouty \u201cLithium\u201c) as well as a beat-assisted swing through Dolly Parton\u2019s signature hit \u201cJolene,\u201d with the appropriate amount of yearning in Cuomo\u2019s voice on the most fleshed-out arrangement in the bunch.<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong the most unexpected covers are a strummy, straightforward run through Michael Jackson\u2019s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 \u201cBillie Jean,\u201d complete with an MJ-style yelp and keening falsetto and a heartbreaking, rainy day \u201cWithout You,\u201d by Harry Nilsson. Cuomo also dips into his dance pop bag with a charming, twee cover of Whitney Houston\u2019s Hot 100 No. 1 \u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),\u201d offers up an angsty minute of Post Malone and Quavo\u2019s \u201cCongratulations\u201d and swerves into the country lane again with Sam Hunt\u2019s \u201cBody Like a Back Road.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSome of Cuomo\u2019s Voice Memo-like covers are kind of expected \u2014\u00a0such as a minute of the Eagles\u2019 \u201cHotel California\u201d \u2014\u00a0and the reformed hair metal thrasher\u2019s unplugged rambles through Metallica\u2019s \u201cEnter Sandman\u201d and Guns N\u2019 Roses\u2019 \u201cSweet Child O\u2019 Mine.\u201d But he also offers up his energetic take on Morgan Evans\u2019 \u201cCountry Outta My Girl\u201d and ends with a 2021 snippet of a piano sonata by Schumann.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt press time, Cuomo had not commented on the songs and a spokesperson for Weezer had not returned Billboard<\/em>\u2018s request for further comment.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s unclear if the songs will ever be officially released in any form, but Cuomo has unleashed his home demos before in the form of 2007\u2019s Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo<\/em>, a compilation covering demos recorded from 1992-2007, as well as 2008\u2019s Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo<\/em>; a third collection, Alone III: The Pinkerton Years<\/em>, came out in 2010.<\/p>\n

\n\tWeezer will hit the road with The Gathering tour in the fall, playing the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento with the Shins and Silversun Pickups beginning on Sept. 8.<\/p>\n

\"Billboard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/rock\/rivers-cuomo-unplugged-covers-michael-jackson-nirvana-outkast-1236256741\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/P1019B2S-e1779794150723.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard What would Outkast\u2019s \u201cHey Ya\u201d sound like if it were played solo acoustic by Weezer singer Rivers Cuomo? How about Nirvana\u2019s \u201cDrain You\u201d or Whitney Houston\u2019s \u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)\u201d as a sad boy emo ballad? Explore Rivers Cuomo Weezer See latest videos, charts and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-1955699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1955699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955699\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1955699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1955699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1955699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}