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Cover of Pinkerton by Weezer
Cover: Pinkerton

Song · Weezer

“El Scorcho” by Weezer

From the album Pinkerton (1996)

“El Scorcho” by Weezer appears on 31 radio countdowns from 17 stations between 1996 and 2023. It was first released in 1996 on the album Pinkerton. Its best result is #9 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 1996. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #56 alternative song of 1996 and #1,801 alternative song of all time.

31countdowns
17stations
#9best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1996–2023years charted

Watch

Weezer - El Scorcho (Director's Cut)

Video from YouTube (WeezerVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"El Scorcho" led the charge for Pinkerton, Weezer's second album, in 1996, and it's Rivers Cuomo at his most gawky and exposed: a lopsided, stop-start rocker that lurches from half-spoken verses into a chorus hollered like a dare. The title supposedly came off a Del Taco hot sauce packet marked "Del Scorcho". Cuomo wrote it alone and is credited as producer, and the video set the band up in an old Los Angeles ballroom under a mismatched jumble of light fixtures blinking along with the beat.

Radio wasn't ready. Several stations wouldn't touch it, MTV passed on the video, and the flop is seen as one reason Pinkerton stumbled out of the gate. Australia heard it differently: Triple J's listeners voted it to No. 9 in the Hottest 100 of 1996.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1996 70 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1996 91
1996 90 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1996 101
1996 35 107.7 The End Seattle, WA The End Top 107 Songs of 1996 107
1996 26 WBER Rochester, NY WBER Listener Countdown 1996 100
1996 90 WBCN Boston, MA WBCN Top 104 Songs of 1996 104
1996 9 Triple J Australia (national) Triple J Hottest 100 of 1996 100

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
2001 1615 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2004 109 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 225 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2005 737 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2005 68 The Edge KEDJ Top 103 on Independent Radio 103
2007 1576 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 1561 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1549 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 196 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010) 200
2010 1580 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 1648 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 1613 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 1659 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2016 354 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913
2018 292 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 939 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 939 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2020 364 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2021 517 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 147 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 189 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 1005 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 603
2022 145 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2023 442 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 167 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420

Charting alongside it in 1996

Best songs of 1996 →
  1. 1Down311
  2. 2PepperButthole Surfers
  3. 3Where It's AtBeck
  4. 4SpiderwebsNo Doubt
  5. 5What I GotSublime
  6. 6MachineheadBush

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