Beck was born in Los Angeles, California, to David Campbell (a musician and son of a Presbyterian minister) and Bibbe Hansen (a former dancer for The Velvet Underground, founding member of the satirical band Black Fag, and visual artist). When his parents separated, Beck stayed with his mother and brother in Los Angeles, where he was influenced by that city's diverse musical offerings—everything from hip-hop to latin music—and his mother's art scene – all of which would later reappear in his recorded and published work.
Although Beck's work defies easy description, his eclecticism and genre experiments have sparked comparisons with Prince, though Beck was undoubtedly a less prolific artist, and drew on an absurdist, free-flowing lyrical style totally original when first exposed to mainstream audiences (indeed, some critics labeled him and his breakthrough single Loser as novelties - see below). Despite this individualism, Beck's music was very much a product of the 90s and the media age in general, with hip hop, indie/underground rock, electronic music and genre-benders like the Beastie Boys as notable touchstones; in addition, some critics could not resist likening his head-spinning lyrical aesthetic to a post-modern Bob Dylan sensibility.
After dropping out of high school in the mid-1980s, Beck educated himself and traveled widely. In Germany, he spent time with his grandfather, fluxus artist Al Hansen. His artistic relationship with his grandfather may have influenced both his album art and sense of musical collage. He began the musical activity in 1988. The late-80's found him in New York City as part of the punk-influenced anti-folk music movement.
Beck returned to Los Angeles at the turn of the decade, destitute but motivated. During this time, Beck sought out (or snuck onto) stages at venues all over Los Angeles, from punk clubs to coffee shops. Some of his earliest and most thought-provoking recordings were achieved by working with Tom Grimley at Poop Alley Studios, a part of WIN Records.
In this atmosphere of heady creativity the founders of Bong Load Custom Records discovered Beck. Their 1993 12" vinyl Loser, from an initial run of 530 copies, created a sensation on college and alternative radio that led to a furious bidding war between labels to sign Beck. Eventually, he chose Geffen Records, who offered him terms that included an allowance for the release of independent albums while under contract (he may have owed Bong Load another album or two).
In 1994, Geffen's official debut release of Mellow Gold made Beck a mainstream smash success; it also led to his iconic status as the "slacker" representative of the alternative rock scene, although the title of the song had been ironic.
At the same time, he released Stereopathetic Soulmanure on Flipside Records and One Foot in the Grave on independent K Records. Beck took his act on the road with the 1995 Lollapalooza tour. Still, some critics panned him as a one-hit wonder. Audiences' (especially at Lollapalooza) familiarity with Loser only, and their general disinterest in his other work only reinforced his image as a one-hit wonder. It's been said said that Beck released Stereopathetic Soulmanure and One Foot in the Grave to shake the Gen X-ers that associated themselves with him and made "Loser" their slacker anthem.
The one-hit wonder label was put to rest with the release of 1996's Odelay, a collaborative effort with The Dust Brothers, producers of Paul's Boutique. The lead single, "Where It's At", received heavy airplay and its video was in constant rotation on MTV. Within the year, Odelay had received perfect reviews in Rolling Stone and Spin magazines, having been listed on countless "Best of" lists (it topped the Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 'Album of the Year'), receiving double-platinum status, and earning an impressive number of industry awards, including two Grammys.
Odelay was followed in 1998 by Mutations. Produced by Nigel Godrich of Radiohead fame, it was intended as a stopgap measure before the next album proper. Recorded over two weeks, during which Beck recorded one song a day, the sessions produced 14 songs. Mutations was a departure from the electronic density of Odelay, and was filled with folk and blues influences. Songs on the album consisted of older tracks, some even dating back as far as 1994.
In 1999, Geffen released the much-anticipated Midnite Vultures, an orgy of sexual and culinary innuendo supported by a world tour. For Beck, it was a return to the high-energy performances that had been his trademark as far back as Lollapalooza.
After Midnite Vultures came Sea Change in 2002, another airy and emotional album with producer Nigel Godrich, which became Beck's first U.S. Top 10 album, reaching # 8. Sea Change was conceptualized as an album with one unifying theme—the stages following the end of a relationship. The album also featured string arrangements by Beck's father and a sonically dense mix reminiscient of Mutations. The Sea Change tour featured The Flaming Lips as Beck's opening and backing band.
In September 2003, Beck returned to the studio to work on his sixth major-label album. Guero was produced by the Dust Brothers and Tony Hoffer and features a collaboration with Jack White of The White Stripes; it marked a return to Odelay-era sound. The album was released in March of 2005 and despite critical acclaim, the album received a more lackluster response from Beck's indie-oriented fanbase.
Beck married Marissa Ribisi in April 2004, shortly before the birth of their son, Cosimo Henri Hansen. 2004 also saw the release of "10 Years of Mellow Gold," a short documentary about Beck's first album.
Beck's next album, The Information was released on October 3, 2006. It is a largely electronic and ambient, filled with blips and beeps. It was produced by Nigel Godrich, who worked on "Sea Change" and a longtime Radiohead and Thom Yorke producer. The first single was Nausea, an acoustic rock hip hop song. The next single was Cellphone's Dead, and the third single was Think I'm In Love.
His next single, Timebomb, was released on iTunes on August 21, 2007, and the limited edition vinyl 12" was released on November 2, 2007, with an instrumental version of the song on the B-side. In December, 2007, it was announced that Timebomb had been nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance.
Modern Guilt was the eighth studio album by Beck. It was released on July 8, 2008. The album fulfilled Beck's recording contract with Interscope Records. Outside of North America, the record was released by XL Recordings. Its three singles were Chemtrails, Gamma Ray, and Youthless.
Modern Guilt features two contributions by Cat Power and was produced by Beck and Danger Mouse.
The album entered both the Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart at number four, and gave Beck his first ever Top 10 placing on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number nine. The album has also been Beck's best charting album in Australia, reaching 13. It sold 84,000 copies in its first week. Although successful, this does not match the first week sales of The Information, which were 99,000. In December 2008, Modern Guilt was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 51st Grammy Awards.
Song Reader, a project Beck released in December 2012, is 20 songs presented only as sheet music, in the hopes that enterprising musicians will record their own versions. The idea of Song Reader came about nearly fifteen years prior, shortly after the release of Odelay. When sent a book of transcribed sheet music for that album, Beck decided to play through it and grew interested in the world before recorded sound. He aimed to keep the arrangements as open as possible, to re-create the simplicity of the standards, and became preoccupied with creating only pieces that could fit within the Great American Songbook. In 2013 Beck began playing special Song Reader concerts with a variety of guests and announced he was working on a record of Song Reader material with other musicians as well as possibly a compilation of fan versions.
In the summer of 2013, Beck was reported to be working on two new studio albums: one a more self-contained acoustic disc in the vein of One Foot in the Grave and another described as a "proper follow-up" to Modern Guilt. Beck expects to release both albums independently. He released two standalone singles over the course of the summer: the electro ballad Defriended and the chorus-heavy I Won't Be Long. A third single, Gimme, appeared on September 17.
In October 2013, it was announced that Beck signed to Capitol Records. Beck released his twelfth studio album entitled Morning Phase on 21 February 2014. For the recording of Morning Phase, Beck reunited with many of the same musicians with whom he had worked on the critically acclaimed 2002 album Sea Change. On January 20, 2014, the album's first single Blue Moon was released. Beck released the second single, Waking Light, on February 4, 2014.
4 years later, on October 13th, 2017, Beck released the second album that was supposed to come out alongside Morning Phase. This album was called Colors. Colors is very different from Beck's previous albums, in which he takes a stab at pop music. Beck's expertise, mixing genres, works in this album when he mixes Alternative Rock, hip hop, and a lot of Pop. The album's earliest single, "Dreams", was released in June 2015, and three more ("Wow", "Dear Life", "Up All Night") were released between June 2016 and September 2017. The title track was released as a single in April 2018. The album won the Best Alternative Music Album and Best Engineered Album (Non-Classic) at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
After a short wait, Beck released Hyperspace on November 22, 2019. There was little marketing for this album. The whole album is a collaboration with Pharrell Williams, as he produced almost every song on the album. The album's first single was "Saw Lightning" released on April 15, 2019, and had a folk-pop sound to it. It doesn't fit with the rest of the album's synth lo-fi sound. Other singles were "Hyperlife" and "Uneventful Days" on October 17, 2019, and "Dark Places" on November 7, 2019.
2) BECK can refer to a fictional rock band from the Japanese Anime series BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad. The fictional BECK's songs feature in the BECK Original Sound Track. BECK's style and members are highly influenced by various different artists. From vocals in the style of Zack De La Rocha from Rage Against the Machine, guitar influenced by Tom Morello of the same band, the band is highly influenced by rap-rock.
As the series develops, other influence appear, including guitar in the style of Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, and Red Hot Chili Peppers John Frusciante. During the series, the band covers a famous The Beatles song, 'I've got a Feeling'. The name BECK could have possibly been influenced by the first artist Beck, mentioned above. Harold Sakushi, the original author of the series, has confirmed that BECK is generally based around the Red Hot Chili Peppers, being his favourite band.
Country Down
Beck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where I found my proving ground
All along the floodline
Wheels are turning around
The hills roll out like centuries
Pass by without a sound
Just a mile outside of town
Where the limit to your sky fell down
A plot against your will
Is furrowed into your brow
Against your better judgment
It's all behind you now
Just a mile outside of town
What's the use of being found?
You can lose yourself in some good ground
In the weeds hiding down river right next door
There's no frame around your picture
Just a view through my back door
Time evermore
You just found what you're looking for
A tiger rose growing through your prison door
Reaching for sunlight, can't see it anymore
Just a mile from my back door
You could wake up on a lifeboat 'neath the sun
On a ladder up to the sky
You're standing on the lowest rung
Holding a lifeline, using my best defense
Riding in the undertow my heart couldn't fight against
Oh lay me down
Where we found my proving ground
All along the floodline
Waves are turning around
The hills roll out like centuries
Pass by without a sound
Just a mile outside of town
In the song "Country Down," Beck describes a rural area where he had found himself and his “proving ground.” The place is filled with hills that look like they have been there for centuries and the sound of the wheels turning is constant. All this is located just outside the town that he has left behind. Beck’s character feels free and at home in the country, where he can "lose himself in some good ground." He also alludes to someone who has become a prisoner of their own life and is "reaching for sunlight, can't see it anymore." The song is filled with rich metaphorical language and can be interpreted in different ways depending on the listener's perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh country down
Referring to a rural area where the author found their grounding
Where I found my proving ground
A place where the author developed and tested themselves
All along the floodline
Referring to a location near a river that often floods
Wheels are turning around
Referring to the motion of the wheels on a vehicle traveling through the area
The hills roll out like centuries
The landscape appears ancient and unchanging
Pass by without a sound
The environment is serene and peaceful
Just a mile outside of town
The location is close to civilization
Down river bound
Traveling south along the river
Where the limit to your sky fell down
A location where the sky appears limitless
A plot against your will
Something that happened against the author's wishes or desires
Is furrowed into your brow
The author carries the burden of this event on their face (a furrowed brow is a sign of worry or stress)
Against your better judgment
The author did something despite knowing it was unwise
It's all behind you now
The event is in the past and no longer has power over the author
What's the use of being found?
Questioning the benefits of being discovered or found
You can lose yourself in some good ground
Finding oneself through connection to the land
In the weeds hiding down river right next door
Referring to a nearby location that is out of view or difficult to notice
There's no frame around your picture
The author's view or understanding of the situation is not limited or contained
Just a view through my back door
The author's perspective is limited to what they can see nearby
Time evermore
Time will continue indefinitely
You just found what you're looking for
The author has discovered what they were seeking
A tiger rose growing through your prison door
A symbolic image of new life and growth in the midst of confinement or restriction
Reaching for sunlight, can't see it anymore
Striving for something that is no longer visible or attainable
Just a mile from my back door
The newfound growth is nearby and accessible
You could wake up on a lifeboat 'neath the sun
Imagery of a peaceful and idyllic existence
On a ladder up to the sky
A metaphor for reaching great heights and achieving success
You're standing on the lowest rung
The author has not yet achieved their desired level of success
Holding a lifeline, using my best defense
The author has a plan to protect themselves from harm
Riding in the undertow my heart couldn't fight against
Struggling with powerful emotions or forces that are beyond their control
Oh lay me down
The author wishes to rest
Where we found my proving ground
Referring to a location where the author and someone else developed and tested themselves
Waves are turning around
Referring to the motion of waves in a nearby body of water
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Beck Hansen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheDaemonarch
Oh country down
Where I found my proving ground
All along the flood-line
Wheels are turning around
The hills roll out like centuries
Pass by without a sound
Just a mile outside of town
Down-river bound
Where the lemon-tea-sky fell down
A plot against your will
Is furrowed into your brow
Against your better judgment
It's all behind you now
Just a mile outside of town
What's the use
Of being found?
You can lose yourself
In some good ground
In the weeds hiding
Down the river right next door
There's no frame around your picture
Just a view through my back door
Time evermore
You just found what you're looking for:
A tiger rose
Growing through your prison door
Reaching for sunlight
Can't see it anymore
Just a mile from my back door
You could wake up on a lifeboat 'neath the sun
On a ladder up to the sky
You're standing on the lowest rung
Holding a lifeline
Using my best defense
Running in the undertow
I couldn't fight against
Oh lay me down
Where we found my proving ground
All along the floodline
Waves are turning around
The hills roll out like centuries
Pass by without a sound
Just a mile outside of town
@rylalu
When I sing this song to my daughter she gets relaxed and falls asleep. Thanks Beck for making us a little happier today!
@johnhardesty3167
Beck is a genius, neglected by many, praised by all! I wish he would visit Louisville, Kentucky! God, what a lifetime of talent he bestows!
@muffintop420
Saw him in Colorado and yes it was the best show ever!!
@agunsux
Thanks to Kanye for introducing me to Beck.
@MayaSequeira
He's finally good for something lol
@jdanielgirard9413
+agun wiriadisasra I have my oldest brother to thank, he played Beck all the time. I've been a fan for almost 20 years now, and I say welcome to the party. I recommend you listen to Sea Change you'll love it, its very Melancholy and indefinitely linked to Morning Phase. The very first song I heard was Crystal Clear Beer and then once I heard E-pro I was hooked ever since. As for Kanye... Everybody's got 'a learn sometime. teehee XD ( fans..,they get it.)
@MsGrapeNehi
"Morning Phase" kind of reminds me of "Sea Change"; slow, mellow, great for road trips to the beach. Can't wait for his next album, which he's said will be funky and upbeat.
@charlie50201
That first song on this album reminds me of stay = pink floyd
@hecatelove9667
Can I love Beck any more than I already do? Apparently, yes. I love you Beck. Your such a gift. From Mellow Gold to this... Love you so much! Thank you ♥️
@niteclydn
I discovered Beck in 1994. And I've been a HUGE fan ever since. Hands down beck is a GENUIS! TOTAL MUSICAL GENIUS. man what a songwriter!!!