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.
Death Is Coming to Get You
Beck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eternal nothingness. I offer myself so that you might
Cast your inscrutable dear silence upon me. o monstrous
Hall, symbol of the greater glory of absence, darkness and
Mystery beyond the realm of human thought. let me ask
For your grace and forgiveness in the knowledge that i
Shall serve you all the days of my meaningless life.)
With a hand full of cocaine and a long white limosine
He's got rings on his fingers and knives all up his sleeves
Suckin' all the air up 'til there's nothin left to breathe
He don't care you're not ready he don't care if you're not dressed
You beg, he won't listen, you can't bribe him with blank checks
'cause he's lookin in the phonebook for your number and your name
And he's comin to your house when you're watchin' a football game
Well he's pullin' up the driveway with the windows rolled up tight
And his eyes are goin' blind and his hair is turnin' white
He's crawlin' up the stairs with the can of mace
He's breakin' all the windows with your neighbor's face
He sets your clothes on fire and brings you to your knees
He fills up the room with fashion and disease...well
He bread(? ) smashes the TV, decapitates your mom
Raids the refrigerator, throws vermin on the lawn
Throws frisbees with your records pours blood on the walls
Uses your telephone to make long-distance calls
He's laughin' at your diary, he's pukin' on your suits
He's dancin' on your forehead in your hikin' boots
He's crawlin' up the chimney, he's fallin' through the roof
He ties you up with vipers, takes all your drugs and booze
He's coverin' you with bacon and fills your mouth with raid
He's sendin' back all the bills that you've thought you paid
He's got eveything you own out on the patio
And he's givin' it away to people you don't even know
Well you don't even care, your mind has been destroyed
You're mutilated, molested and unemployed
The introductory part of the song that sounds like Darth Vader is a monologue that speaks of embracing death, the eternal nothingness, and offering oneself to it. The voice speaks of a hall that represents the ultimate emptiness, darkness, and mystery that goes beyond human comprehension. It humbly asks for forgiveness and grace, accepting that it will serve death all its days.
The main part of the song speaks about death in a sarcastic tone. Death is depicted as a pimp-like figure riding a long white limousine, carrying cocaine, knives, and rings on his fingers. He is ruthless and does not care if someone is not ready for him, and even if they bribe him with blank checks, it does not matter. Death is coming for them, whether they like it or not.
The lyrics then proceed to describe death's action as he arrives at the singer's house. He destroys everything, from smashing the TV to decapitating the mother, raiding the fridge, and using the telephone to make long-distance calls. The description is vivid and playful, but overall, the message is clear; death comes for everyone and does not discriminate.
Line by Line Meaning
Death is comin' to get you, it's mighty plain to see
Death is inevitable and will come for you no matter what.
With a hand full of cocaine and a long white limosine
Death is personified as an addict in a glamorous vehicle.
He's got rings on his fingers and knives all up his sleeves
Death is menacing and dangerous.
Suckin' all the air up 'til there's nothin left to breathe
Death is all-consuming and inevitable.
He don't care you're not ready he don't care if you're not dressed
Death does not wait for anyone, regardless of their preparedness or appearance.
You beg, he won't listen, you can't bribe him with blank checks
Death is an unstoppable force and cannot be negotiated with.
'cause he's lookin in the phonebook for your number and your name
Death will come for everyone eventually.
And he's comin to your house when you're watchin' a football game
Death can come at any moment, even when one is distracted or enjoying life.
Well he's pullin' up the driveway with the windows rolled up tight
Death arrives in a closed-off, mysterious manner.
And his eyes are goin' blind and his hair is turnin' white
Death is often associated with aging and decay.
He's crawlin' up the stairs with the can of mace
Death can be violent and threatening.
He's breakin' all the windows with your neighbor's face
Death can cause destruction and chaos.
He sets your clothes on fire and brings you to your knees
Death can be painful and destructive.
He fills up the room with fashion and disease...well
Death brings illness and decay.
He bread(? ) smashes the TV, decapitates your mom
Death can cause irreparable damage and tragedy.
Raids the refrigerator, throws vermin on the lawn
Death can cause chaos and destruction even in the mundane aspects of life.
Throws frisbees with your records pours blood on the walls
Death can desecrate and destroy cherished possessions and spaces.
Uses your telephone to make long-distance calls
Death no longer has any need for earthly possessions or communication.
He's laughin' at your diary, he's pukin' on your suits
Death does not care about your personal belongings or memories.
He's dancin' on your forehead in your hikin' boots
Death can be disturbing and unsettling in its disregard for the sanctity of human life.
He's crawlin' up the chimney, he's fallin' through the roof
Death can come from unexpected places and in unexpected ways.
He ties you up with vipers, takes all your drugs and booze
Death can bring addiction and self-destructive behavior to an end.
He's coverin' you with bacon and fills your mouth with raid
Death can defile and destroy the physical body.
He's sendin' back all the bills that you've thought you paid
Death is the ultimate end to all earthly responsibilities and obligations.
He's got eveything you own out on the patio
Death strips away all earthly possessions and material wealth.
And he's givin' it away to people you don't even know
Death can render one's life and legacy meaningless.
Well you don't even care, your mind has been destroyed
Death can have a profound impact on one's mental and emotional state.
You're mutilated, molested and unemployed
Death takes away everything, even one's physical wellbeing and occupation.
Contributed by Muhammad N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@KilroyWasHere73
Hes got everything you own out on the patio, and hes givin it all away to people you don't know! Classic
@soulsuckeddry
Thank you for uploading these kind of rare old songs! Even though this versions isn´t the best one. There´s an version (maybe from kcrw) where he´s playing on his banjo, can´t find it anywhere! Also a song called "feel the strain of sorrow never ceasing" great feeling in that song, anyone who know where to find those old kcrw recordings? Think it´s from 93-94-95 something. Thanks again!
@soulsuckeddry
Included on: Beck Unplugged, KCRW '93 & '94 / The Morning Becomes Eclectic, The Lo-Fi Collection
@boozerverif
Super awesome origins on this one. I won't get into it, just search it on Whiskeyclone
@soulsuckeddry
I have uploaded the song "feel the strain of sorrow never ceasing" now if anyone wanna hear it. Search on "feel the strain", it should be the first video that comes up.
@boozerverif
I've never heard of this one on the kcrw takes. Hmm, sounds interesting.
@Dreed122
i just did. It really is!
@Thestealthplatypus
Thanks.
@Cacciatorpedignere
@0:57