Weezer's "Beverly Hills"

(hat tip to Wikipedia for the picture)

It is unusual to hear music speak of celebrity and wealth with respect. Weezer's 2005 hit Beverly Hills is the rare song which does exactly that:

While it may seem to be a sarcastic take on wealth and celebrity, that wasn't the intention behind it. Per Rivers Cuomo, the song's writer (and lead vocalist and guitarist of Weezer), from the Weezer recording history page on the Wayback Machine:

"I was at the opening of the new Hollywood Bowl and I flipped through the program and I saw a picture of Wilson Phillips. And for some reason I just thought how nice it would be to marry, like, an “established” celebrity and live in Beverly Hills and be part of that world. And it was a totally sincere desire. And then I wrote that song, Beverly Hills. For some reason, by the time it came out—and the video came out—it got twisted around into something that seemed sarcastic. But originally it wasn’t meant to be sarcastic at all."

While the song contains a lot of imagery which could have been used to bash wealth/celebrity, Cuomo comes clean in the song's bridge (lyrics from Genius.com):

The truth is I don't stand a chance
It's something that you're born into
And I just don't belong

But Cuomo has no regrets about this:

No I don't
I'm just a no class, beat down fool
And I will always be that way
I might as well enjoy my life
And watch the stars play 

If it is possible to turn envy into a vicarious thrill, then Beverly Hills recommends it.