In '93 I had spent a lot of time listening to Jesus Christ Superstar. In '94, on the road with Weezer, I listened to Les Miserables, Verdi's Aida and Puccini's Tosca and Madama Butterfly. I loved how these works married music and drama, how the different characters would sing to each other instead of talk and how the story unfolded through song. I realized that musical-drama could be the larger scale composition I wanted to write for Weezer's second record: a new-wave influenced rock musical in which I could explore my feelings about relationships, stardom, and my life in Weezer. I would call the musical, Songs from the Black Hole. I purchased an Electro-Harmonix keyboard and a Korg keyboard from Center Music in Newington, Connecticut on January 3, 1995, to add a sci-fi tone to Weezer's guitar crunch. I got excited, now knowing what I wanted to do. I started planning and writing out sketches, music, and songs. To stand for my relationship with Chiba, I imagined a character named Maria (a role which I hoped to be sung by Joan WassermanTemplate:Sic of the Dambuilders, though I abandoned the project before asking her.) In the liner notes to Alone I, I quoted the opening scene of The Black Hole in which Maria lets the guys known how she feels about being called a "b***h". Next Maria opens up to Jonas in private.
The Black Hole synopsis Act I 10 May 2126 Scene I (The Main Deck)...Jonas tries to calm Maria, taking her into the hall. Maria says she loves him.
"Oh Jonas" was written by Rivers Cuomo and likely first demoed in February of 1995, at a studio in Hamburg, Germany, where Weezer had to stay for a week to allow bassist Matt Sharp to fly back to the United States after his father suffered a stroke. The song was intended as an interstitial track for the unrealized concept album Songs from the Black Hole. Cuomo pitch-shifted his vocals to sing the character of Maria. Early drafts of Songs from the Black Hole suggest that the song (referred to as "Maria's Theme") was considered as a recurring leitmotif for the character.[1] Prior to its release, the song was covered numerous times by fans using sheet music that Cuomo published online. "Oh Jonas" was released as part of the compilation album Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo in 2008.
