Make Believe

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Make Believe took almost three years. During the recording the band put dozens of demos online, but eventually decided to start completely afresh, with producer Rick Rubin. Rivers Cuomo discovered meditation in that period, which influenced his lyrics. Pardon Me came about after a ten-day course, and Haunt You Every Day was the first song he wrote entirely on piano, at Rubin's request. Personal lyrics returned after two records on which he had kept more distance.

Beverly Hills was the big hit and brought the group their first Grammy nomination. The album entered at number two on the Billboard 200. The reviews varied widely. AllMusic and Rolling Stone were positive and compared it with Pinkerton, while Pitchfork rated it 0.4. Even so, the album kept selling steadily. According to Cuomo, the title came to him while meditating.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Beverly Hills3:16Apple Music ↗
2. 2Perfect Situation4:14Apple Music ↗
3. 3This Is Such a Pity3:25Apple Music ↗
4. 4Hold Me4:23Apple Music ↗
5. 5Peace3:54Apple Music ↗
6. 6We Are All On Drugs3:34Apple Music ↗
7. 7The Damage in Your Heart4:03Apple Music ↗
8. 8Pardon Me4:16Apple Music ↗
9. 9My Best Friend2:48Apple Music ↗
10. 10The Other Way3:17Apple Music ↗
11. 11Freak Me Out3:26Apple Music ↗
12. 12Haunt You Every Day4:37Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗