February 10, 2026
Ctrl+Fonz to continue
How did Windows 95 get permission to put the Weezer video Buddy Holly on the CD?
Microsoft snuck Weezer onto your PC — nostalgia vs “eww” corporate vibes
TLDR: Microsoft put Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” video on the Windows 95 CD by securing song rights and permission from Happy Days actors. Commenters clash between warm nostalgia and corporate cringe, with comparisons to Apple’s U2 album drop and shoutouts to Apple bundling a Barenaked Ladies video back in the day.
The internet is split over Microsoft’s most ‘90s flex: shipping a Weezer music video on the Windows 95 CD. The article says Geffen approved the song without telling the band, then a lawyer went on a star-studded scavenger hunt to get the Happy Days cast’s sign-off for the video mash-up. Cue the comments: one deadpan voice opens with “Licensing?” like it’s a meme, while another drags up the U2-on-your-iPhone fiasco as the modern version of corporate content you didn’t ask for. Nostalgia punches back hard—fans gush about clicking through folders and discovering “Buddy Holly,” kicking off lifelong love of Weezer’s early albums. Meanwhile, a cynic admits these corporate stories make them “throw up in [their] mouth,” sparking a mini food-fight over whether this was harmless fun or a boardroom overreach. There’s also a nerdy trivia drop: Apple did it too, bundling Barenaked Ladies’ “The Old Apartment” on the Mac OS 8 CD. The funniest riffs? People imagining the lawyer dialing up The Fonz, hitting “Ctrl+Fonz,” and right-clicking the jukebox. Whether you’re team awww, memories or team ew, marketing, the community agrees on one thing: this was a wild, very ‘90s rights puzzle that somehow made your PC cooler. Watch it here: Buddy Holly video
Key Points
- •Windows 95’s CD included multimedia extras to showcase its multimedia capabilities.
- •Microsoft secured the song rights to Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” by negotiating with Geffen Records.
- •The band reportedly was not consulted initially and was upset, but later viewed the inclusion positively.
- •The video used reconstructed Happy Days settings and spliced clips, necessitating actor permissions.
- •A lawyer contacted all Happy Days actors to secure the video rights; it’s unspecified whether via agents or directly.