Exactly adarpino1. I don't know why our bro here needs everything to have a "message" or to be well-defined. Just go with the words and imagery he's throwing up for us. It's like poetry, steam-of-consciousness, and a hell of a song.
Absurdist poetry, basically. You can make it mean as much or as little as you want to. He's an amazing musician. I like Where It's At from that time period.
Well put! A great example and great tune is Earthquake Weather. The whole album Guero is great! He was and is ahead of his time to this day imo. Don't try so hard listening to what he is saying just listen and feel what you want each time you listen to the same song. It's great.
It was meant almost as a joke--he was still a teenager i think, and he bet somebody he could write a song with completely nonsensical words and still make it a hit--and he was SO right. He's a living legend. Beck is like the Beastie Boys and David Bowie made a love baby. Anything from Odelay, Guero, or the Information--EVERY track is a mind-blower, and YOU will really like it I think. :)
@@Samhalta OMG I just watched an "I Am the Walrus" reaction video today, and I had the exact same thought! I'd never thought to connect it before, but yeah, basically! :)
He was 23 when he made this. I was 17 in high-school when I first heard it on the radio in art class. I'll never forget that day ever. Been a fan ever since.
Alright Jay! Beck is borderline genius & the fact that he doesn’t care what people think or try to impress anyone just makes it so much better! Love it 💯
lol same. And I wonder what it means that us teens back when this came out we're not phased by how weird and random this song and video was. What do you think that means? lol
My first language is spanish and it took me 15 years to find out he was singing 'Soy un perdedor'......... but no criticism!! even some spanish speaking singers I dont undrstand what they're singing heheee
@@christinechin1909 rofl - that's almost as good as "Secret Asian or Aging Man". (Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers? I think that's who sang it and it's a really good rocking tune) But you did better than me because I had no idea what he was saying XD. -
Beck is one of my favorite artists. "The New Polution", "Guess I Am Doing Fine", "Sexx Laws", "E-Pro", "Tropicalia", "Heart Is A Drum", "Stormbringer", "Modern Guilt", "Looking For A Sign", "True Love Will Find You In The End", "Cellphone's Dead", "Threshold", "Defriended", "Colors", "I Just Started Hating Some People Today"... the guy's musical library so diverse in genres.. he is one of a kind with a wry sense of humor.
@@deesee3622 I didn't include that one because many other people suggested it, but that one is definitely a staple... same with Hotwax, Lord Only Knows, Devil's Haircut, Deadweight and Sissyneck.... the whole Odelay album is up there as one of the best of the 90's for a reason. The dude has so many great songs... hard to believe he has been making music for almost 30 years now.
True Love Will Find You in the End is a cover of Daniel Johnston....an outsider folk artist like none other! He’d be another interesting listen for this channel....I recommend the original version of that song as well as speedy motorcycle!
I was thinking the exact same. Same goes for 'birdhouse in your soul'... Know every word, but can't find the car keys that were in my hands two minutes ago.
Beck is one of the first Abstract Rappers, the lyrics are meant to be poetic unlike mainstream rap. Look up abstract rappers, it's a thing in the underground.
@@fucker661 lol yup. Q-Tip from Tribe Called Quest is also known as “The Abstract”, or “The Abstract Poet”. They had mainstream success in the early 90s, still one of the most beloved hip hop groups of all time. Other people like Aesop Rock, and to a degree Atmosphere early in their careers, would fit into the “abstract” category too. Aesop is probably the most complex rapper I’ve ever heard...listening to him for 20 years and still trying to figure shit out lol.
"A piece of wax falling on a termite who's chokin on the splinters" LOL Real twisted lyrics but so catchy. I really enjoy your videos and choice in music bro, keep it coming.
@@saintsataniko2116 "one letter off" yeah, right, and your and you're mean the same. It doesn't sound the same for us that speak Spanish and if you write it like that somewhere else, you are going to be mock, I'm making you a favor.
It's a lyrical technique: you basically write down phrases on a deck of cards and then slap down a few cards in random order, and that's your lyric. Leads to some interesting stuff....
@@lynnhamps7052 and Bowie borrowed it from William Burroughs who used to write like that. Typing a page on a typewriter, cutting it up, then placing the fragments together to create interesting phrases/new words.
This was his first commercial hit, and yeah he's a pretty unique and artistic guy, but he gets that naturally. His Mom was an artist and part of Andy Warhol's Factory scene and his Dad is one of Hollywood's biggest composer/arranger/conductors. His next album, Odelay, exploded. You've probably heard the big hit from it "Where' It's At" or "Devil's Haircut" or "New Pollution". He won two Grammy's for that album, which was produced with the Dust Brothers, fresh off of working with the Beastie Boys. Go for "Where It's At" next. Thanks! Peace from SF
The song "Hook" by Blues Traveler is about that: "It doesn't matter what I say So long as I sing with inflection That makes you feel I'll convey Some inner truth or vast reflection But I've said nothing so far And I can keep it up for as long as it takes And it don't matter who you are If I'm doing my job then it's your resolve that breaks Because the Hook brings you back I ain't tellin' you no lie The Hook brings you back On that you can rely"
I remember the first time I heard The Distance. I was already in my old-fart 40s so I was WTF? First opinion.... "not my piece of cake". Awhile later for whatever reason it finally clicked. Love them, and I've been luckily enough to see them live.
The song wasn't supposed to make any sense. If I remember right, he wrote the song as sort of a protest against people who just listen to music for entertainment, but don't pay attention to the content. His point was that catchy music would be popular even if it was stupid...he never said it, but I wonder if the chorus is meant to lull you into a sing-along, and then you end up being the "loser" who doesn't appreciate art....who knows.
Beck has had an amazing 25-year career, from folk ballads like 'Lost Cause' to funky jams like 'Sex Laws'. He's collaborated with everyone from Pharrell to Paul McCartney, and had one his songs covered by Johnny Cash.
I was just looking over a list of awards Beck has won and it amused me to see he was the College Artist Of The Year in 2018 at the age of 48. A great artist that's always followed his own path.
Back around 17 years ago I was working at a dead end job with a bunch of other dumb-but-saveable lost souls. When this song would come on the radio we all would sing the chorus in unison. We might have had differing thoughts on specific lines, but the vibe spoke to us emotionally.
Beck’s musical library is so ridiculously diverse and wonderful! The man is truly a musical genius! Long time Beck fan here! Some other great songs by Beck are, Chemtrails, Lost Cause, and Devil’s Haircut! Each a uniquely thrilling experience! He was into genre bending/ending before it was cool 😉! Great reaction as always! Much ❤️
Listening today, I can see how this would be weird in 2021, but back in 1994 it was new and ultra cool. Very GenX. Jay is the best because he doesn't dismiss the old obscure stuff, he totally gets it. So thoughtful.
I love his song Sexx Laws. It's so good. Oh, and my favorite part of the song is when he says "Drive by body piercing." I just always giggle trying to figure out how that would work.
Beck was wearing a Star Wars Stormtrooper maak. Due to copywrite infringement it had to be blurred. Beck said people don't listen to lyrics and could still make a hit from a catchy beat. ✌
@Randall Ozmun according to Wiki it was of the Butthole Surfers seven album, but I cant say I ever heard another one of their songs, I remember the album Electiclarryland, but in those days we couldn't afford to buy many albums, so I never owned it. I may check it out though, now I have had a "flash back" lol
Beercan, Where It’s At, Devil’s Haircut, Sexx Laws, Sissyneck, Jack-Ass, Ramshackle, Mixed Bizness, Black Tamburine, Deadweight, Tropicalia, E-Pro, Heart Is A Drum, Colors. The man’s a total genius.
Beck is like that weird friend you have, who does and says quirky stuff that nobody ever understands. Yet somehow, you love him for it. And I loooooooove Beck. He's weird, in the best possible meaning of the word.
Yes! All the Beastie boy reactions before me find the source of things I've been saying (or a way of saying) for decades, but had forgotten where it came from!
BTW, Beck linked to this video on his facebook page. He must like your reaction, maybe because "WHAT?!?" was the reaction he really wanted from this song. Nailed it!
I have to say. As someone who was a teenager in the 90's. All this type of thing trained us to interpret symbolism. In this song Beck is talking about what it's like to live wherever he is in America. I had never seen reality based footage or anything o wherever he is.Awesome. Took me years to realise he was saying'I am a loser' in Spanish. When he chants in the background. So he's probably near Mexico!
Not everything has to have a clear meaning. The song is mostly just wordplay, creating images that are sometimes funny, sometimes dark. He's not telling a story. When this track first came out it had people all over the world singing the chorus "I'm a loser, baby, why don't you kill me?". That's a darkly funny achievement in itself, and the groove is terrific.
I had to laugh so hard at that first pause 🤣 that was a priceless reaction, because we all felt that way when this song came out. But it was a HUGE hit because it was so different and good. Definitely do Where It's At, such a great song!
I cannot express how completely sure I was that Beck was a one-hit wonder when this broke through in the early 90s. Many bands that were popular at that juncture were, but I couldn’t have been more wrong about Beck and his “novelty song”. Nearing 30 years later and he’s still producing amazing work!
this song is essentially a time machine to the 90s, so if it's a little weird, it's just from a very different time. a reaction to the song "Colors" would be awesome. it's a very, very different sound than this one. maybe get a collab between Beck and Chemical Brothers with the incredible video for the song "wide open."
Beck is amazing- so quirky and super funky. He IS super creative.. Allow the lyrics to just be - songs don't always need stories. Thoughts are all over the place, disconnected, crazed snippets - music is the best place to mimic that. Two Turntables and a Microphone is bomb. Beck took the Beasties creative energy and jazz/funked the hell out of it.
Everyone in the chat had great things to say about the weirdness that is Beck. For me it is also about the time period. It was a product of the culture of the young people at the time. Older people called us “slackers” and if I remember this song became the hero of the “slacker” vibe.
I'm SO glad you finally had a Beck song. "Loser" is from 1993 and he hasn't slowed down yet! Please listen to "Where It's At", "Think I'm in Love" and "Lost Cause." ... or really anything he's done!
It’s the 90s. Nothing makes sense. We’re losers. It’s Whatever. Why don’t you kill me? Tupac, Biggie, Cobain, Easy E, Hoon, Cornell, Staley, Weiland. This song captures the artistic ethos of the decade.
He's a rapper/singer, and was on heavy rotation on MTV. Back when grunge and alternative music was pop music 🎶 along with r&b. His videos were always cool and his was enjoyable. I listen to all types of music.
Looove this vid so much! Beck's all about the vibe 💯. You picked that up immediately and vibed right along with him! Maybe that's why Beck linked this video to his subscribers 🥰
He was basically Homeless when this track came out, and it catapulted him to stardom. Dust Brothers made the beat. He wrote and spit it in one take. They also produced most the music on the Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique album
He is still around makin' music. Hyperspace is the fourteenth studio album by American musician . It was released through Capitol Records on November 22, 2019. The album was primarily produced by and Williams, as well as Cole M.G.N., Greg Kurstin and Paul Epworth. He was so honored to collaborate with Pharell.
So beck uses all types of instruments and effects to create an audio collage of sounds... his lyrics in songs like this are just another layer of sound. He does have extremely serious songs with deep lyrics but this is just something fun for him
His face is blurred-out in the beginning because he was wearing an old-school STAR WARS stormtrooper helmet... when the video first came out, you could see it, but at some point when new STAR WARS movies started coming out in the late 90s & early 2000s, it got censored... can't find the original video of this ANYWHERE!!! 😢 ...same thing with WEEZER's say it ain't so video ( when the band is in the backyard playing hackey-sack.. one of the guys has a stormtrooper helmet printed on his shirt, but not anymore.............
This song was great, I always laughed when he said "Getting crazy with the cheeze whiz" and "Drive by bikers" it's fantastic! Beck is very respected in the industry. He's won many awards, one quite controversial grammy, I think he beat out Beyonce for album of the year a few years back.
Ok, Beck was a folk singer in East LA doing serious Son House and other tunes. People in the cafe just ignored him, didn't clap and the end and kept talking. He came up with joke songs like this for his friends and for seeing if anyone the audience was paying attention. It was formally written and recorded in 6hrs and became as an experiment with beats with producer playing the sitar. Then somehow it hit the radio and became a 90s slacker anthem.
“WHAT????” Perfect reaction to Beck. I will never know why this song got so popular when it came out, I didn’t like it BUT it did get stuck in my head and over time I’d find myself singing it randomly. There’s just something about it you can’t resist. Definitely check out Where It’s At.
So actually, when Beck finished his verses for this song and his producer played it back, he thought it was so bad that he was like "I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me?" and that was the hook. He actually thought the song was mediocre, only released it at the insistence of Tom Rothrock, the other producer involved. I think much like some of R.E.M.'s tracks, there isn't a point to them. Definitely recommend checking Where It's At, it's just as if not more fun than this
Might be helpful to know that his father is a well-known collage artist. It's all about assembling interesting images and the juxtapositions between them.
My friend and I used to randomly shout "Get crazy with the cheese whiz!" One of his more emotional songs is "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" off the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack. It's honestly one of my favorite songs ever.
The confusion on your face as you started processing the lyrics was priceless! 😂 Yeah, Beck’s entire schtick revolves around nonsense lyrics and tossing playfully tossing all kinds of unlikely genres into a blender. He is actually an incredibly talented guy. This song was everywhere during the 90s; I was a student at the time and it got played at all the student nights in clubs here in the UK back in the day. As for the chorus hook, Beck was of course being “ironic” as was the vogue in the 90s. ;)