Chemtrails is a 2008 single by American musician Beck. The song, taken from his eighth studio album Modern Guilt, was released digitally on June 22, 2008. The artwork for the single uses a design based on Houndstooth patterning.
"Chemtrails" was premiered by Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 on May 19, 2008. The song was made available to stream from Beck's official website and his MySpace. The song was available to download on June 22, 2008, or a day later in the United States, as well as a pre-order of Modern Guilt. The song's title refers to the chemtrail conspiracy theory, as do the lyrics: "I can't believe/What we've seen outside/You and me/Watching the jets go by".
The critical reception for "Chemtrails" was generally positive. The Observer compared the "beautiful" song to a clash between The Beatles and My Bloody Valentine. USA Today featured the song on its weekly playlist, complimenting Beck's "eerie falsetto over slow-building industrialized Radiohead-like ambience." Billboard said that "Beck's falsetto singing rides along a bouncing bassline and crashing drums, with Danger Mouse's trademark production touches filing the crannies." The song was described as "trippy" by MTV News. "Chemtrails" received high praise for "its woozy textures ... with Beck's distracted vocal and a busy drum track complementing each other perfectly." James Lawrenson, writing for ClickMusic, said the song was "like a more electrified Sea Change, ambient and slightly sombre, but beautiful nonetheless." The review described the song's "synth washes and sparse instrumentation" as creating "an airy, atmospheric feel."
The song was inspired by the song "The Four Horsemen" by Aphrodite's Child.
As promotion for the album, limited edition copies of a "Chemtrails" 7" were distributed to independent record stores and were given to customers upon purchase of the album. The b-side is a song entitled "Vampire Voltage No. 6." Copies made in the UK were pressed on glow-in-the-dark white vinyl, while copies made for the US were pressed on standard black vinyl.
Chemtrails
Beck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What we've
Seen outside
You and me
Watching the jets
Go by
Oh, ooh, oh
Oh, ooh, oh
Just what I've seen
So many people
Falling in love
You and me
Watching the sea
Full of people
Try not to drown
So many people
So many people
Where do they go?
You and me
Watching the sky
In the future
That's where
We can go
All I can take
From these skies
Is fog
And all I can see
In this light
A boat sinking
Oh, oooh
Oh, oooh, oh
Somebody's sea
Swallowed by evil
Already gone
You and me
Watching the sea
Full of people
Already drowning
So many people
So many people
Where did they go?
You and me
Hit by a cloud
From an eagle
Watching the jets
Pass go by
You and me watching
You and me watching
Capture have swept me behind
That's what I mean
When we talk
In this jet stream
We're climbing
A hole in the sky
"Chemtrails" by Beck is open to interpretation, as many of the songwriter's works often are. It seems to explore a range of metaphysical and political themes. The title of the song itself references a pop culture conspiracy theory that claims the formation of the contrails left by planes in the sky contains chemicals used for various purposes like depopulation, weather control, or mind control. The lyrics capture a sense of awe and wonderment when thinking about all that exists in the world - both natural and man-made, and how it all comes together. The first two lines of the opening verse "I can't believe What we've Seen outside" suggest that the artist is contemplating the beauteous things surrounding him, the jets, and the sea full of people, but in the succeeding two lines "Oh, ooh, oh/Oh, ooh, oh" he embraces the freedom of thought and action that such a spectacle can inspire.
The second verse of the song works to validate this perspective by observing how life itself is often shaped by unseen forces. The sea has become a metaphor of timelessness; it may appear differently from day to day, but beneath the surface, it remains constant. While the human life that is associated with it appears to be unpredictable, subject to chance events and vulnerable to the mysteries of existence. During the chorus, Beck seems to be commenting on how easy it is to lose track of the people we care about. With the simile, "Watching the sky In the future, That's where We can go" he shows the potential of the future, where people can aspire to pursue their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't believe
The singer is in disbelief
What we've
Referring to something that the singer and someone else have seen/experienced together
Seen outside
Referring to something they've seen outdoors
You and me
Referring to the artist and someone else
Watching the jets
The artist and someone else are looking at planes flying in the sky
Go by
The planes continue to fly past the singer and someone else's view
Oh, ooh, oh
Vocalization/sound effect expressing wonderment or awe
So many people
A lot of individuals
Falling in love
People becoming romantically involved
Watching the sea
An activity the artist and someone else are doing together, observing the ocean
Full of people
The ocean/future is depicted as having many individuals/possibilities
Try not to drown
People trying to survive/adapt to their environment
Where do they go?
A question asking where individuals disappear to
In the future
Referring to upcoming events or opportunities
That's where
Indicating that the future is a promising/positive place
We can go
The artist and someone else can join or participate in the future
All I can take
The artist can only handle or tolerate so much
From these skies
Referring to something the singer has seen/experienced in the sky
Is fog
The singer can only see fog in the sky
And all I can see
The artist's limited perspective
In this light
The environment is not well-illuminated or is obscured
A boat sinking
There is a sinking ship / people failing or faltering
Somebody's sea
Referring to a person's life/existence
Swallowed by evil
A negative force/power enveloping someone/something
Already gone
Someone has already disappeared, failed, or died
Already drowning
People are already in peril in the water
Hit by a cloud
The singer and someone else are affected by an obstacle in the sky
From an eagle
An eagle is the entity exuding an obstacle in the sky
Capture have swept me behind
The artist has been captured by something and left behind
That's what I mean
Clarifying a previous idea/statement
When we talk
Discussion is being had between the singer and someone else
In this jet stream
Referring to the high altitude airflow created by jet engines
We're climbing
The artist and someone else are ascending
A hole in the sky
Possibly referring to a tear/opening in the ozone or the destruction of the atmosphere
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Beck Hansen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind