In an interview with KROQ, Rivers Cuomo talked extensively about the concept behind the song. The song was originally titled "The Ballad of Oswaldo Sánchez," inspired by him playing in the World Cup after the death of his father. He mentioned the influence for each section. The final 'Bach' & 'Beethoven' sections are considered to be like the Baroque counterpoint vocal style. In order, the themes are:[5]
1. Rap 0:35
2. Slipknot 1:00
3. Jeff Buckley 1:26
4. Choral 1:51
5. Aerosmith 2:17
6. Nirvana 2:43
7. Andrews Sisters 3:08
8. Green Day 3:33
9. Spoken word (heavily inspired by Elvis' "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"😉 4:06
10. Bach 4:37
11. Beethoven 4:54
12. Weezer 5:10