Watch Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo Cover Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” On Zoom
Rivers Cuomo is no stranger to covers. As you might recall, one of Weezer’s biggest moments of mainstream attention in recent years came from their cover of Toto’s “Africa,” which was then followed by a full Weezer covers album. The man loves playing other people’s songs in plenty of other contexts, too, like when he tried out ’90s hits from the likes of Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, and R.E.M. And as musicians keep churning out quarantine content, covers have become more and more commonplace, a fun thing that feels a little unique for a moment.
So, perhaps this almost makes too much sense: Rivers Cuomo has uploaded a grainy Zoom video of him covering an iconic song from the ’90s. (The clip is originally from one of his Zoom sessions, from last week.) This time around, he took on Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” which is of course one of the major songs from In Utero. He turned it into a solo piano ballad, but even without the scorching, overdriven choruses, he still performed it as raw and wounded as the original demands. Perhaps while we wait for Van Weezer Cuomo will come up with a whole album of ’90s alternative covers.
Check it out below.