Rivers Cuomo teases new Weezer single with AI-generated lyrics

Rivers Cuomo teases new Weezer single with AI-generated lyrics
ABC/Randy Holmes

Rivers Cuomo is teasing a new Weezer song, as well as something that certainly could be a new Weezer song.

In announcing the track, which is called “I Want a Dog,” Cuomo has shared the lyrics to the tune, as well as a set of lyrics generated by AI system GPT-3 based on the same title.

“Weezer has a new song coming out in a few days called ‘I Want a Dog,'” Cuomo says. “I asked GPT-3 to write a song by the same title to see how they compare. Can you tell which is which?”

Both versions feature some pretty classic reasons for wanting a dog — sample lyrics include “A loyal companion to bark and play” and “I want a dog to curl up beside me” — though one takes a strange left turn with the lyrics “I made the wrong choice/Now I must pay the price/Trapped in my body/And my own mind,” which suggests it was written by a human, or perhaps a sentient AI.

“I Want a Dog” is presumably the lead single off Weezer’s upcoming Winter EP, the fourth and final installment of the band’s SZNZ project. The three previous EPs — Spring, Summer and Autumn — were all released on the first day of their respective seasons.

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