Beck’s probably one of the most eccentric singers to ever have huge radio hits. Maybe Prince is in the same category, but not too many other people come to mind.
I love this quote from Johnny Cash from Beck’s Wiki page:
Johnny Cash would later record “Rowboat” and include it on his 1996 album Unchained. Cash later said that the song “sounded like something I might have written or might have done in the [1960s, when] I was kinda going through some weird times.”
“Unchained” also contained the “fan favorite” called “Satan Gave Me a Taco,” which I’ve never heard but probably need to check out.
Most people know Beck from the perennial “Loser” and “Where It’s At,” but those were played way too often on the radio for my taste. I adored “Beercan,” a song that apparently peaked at number 27 on the modern rock chart in 1994. I remember transcribing the lyrics so I could memorize them and try to figure out what the hell he was talking about.
Sixteen years later, I still have no idea.
Interestingly, Beck seems to channel Mr. Purple Rain himself with this deliciously faux-sleazy song, another one of my favorites, which has lyrics that don’t need any figuring out. Once you hear the twinkly beginning, you’ll know you have to find a place for it on your iPod.
See also: Idiot Boyfriend by Jimmy Fallon
i met you
at JC Penney
i think your nametag
said “Jenny”
i coldstep to you
with a fresh pack of gum
somehow i knew
you were lookin’ for some
like a fruit that”s ripe for a pickin’
i wanna do you like that Zankou Chicken
‘cos only you’ve got a thing
that i just got to get with
i just got to get with you
and you know what we’re gonna do
i wanna get with you
and your sister
i think her name’s Debra
i wanna get with you
and your sister
i think her name’s Debra
i pick you up late at night after work
i said “lady, step inside my Hyundai”
i’m gonna take you up to Glendale
gonna take you for a real good meal
cos when our eyes did meet
girl you know i was packin’ heat
ain’t no use in wastin’ no time gettin’ to know each other
cos only you got a thing
that i just got to get with
i wanna get with you
and your sister
i think her name’s Debra
i wanna get with you
and your sister
i think her name’s Debra
lovely lady
girl you drive me crazy
Tags: beck, debra, ipod, itunes, johnny cash
