Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. DXXXVIII--Beck: True Love Will Find You in the End

Once again, it's the (really) late great John Garfield blues....

My introduction to this week's tune is, for what seems like the millionth time, my darling daughter, who ever so kindly sent me a burned CD of this week's album, which I instantly fell in love with.  Of the nineteen songs on the album, I counted nine that have made it onto my favorites playlist...which for an album that probably sold four copies is pretty impressive....

I wrote about Beck in Vol. CXXXIX, and in the eight years since I wrote that post his career has been surprisingly quiet.  He's released two more albums, won three more Grammy Awards (nominated for six), and appears to have mostly collaborated with numerous other artists on one off projects.  A list of his releases is here, and a list of his awards (the guy must literally have spent half his life at awards ceremonies) is here.

A brief note about Daniel Johnston, the man behind this week's tune and album:  despite suffering from bipolar disorder and spending parts of his life in mental institutions, Johnston carved out a career in the music industry (big assist from Kurt Cobain) that spanned over forty years.  He got his start by recording his own cassettes and handing them out to people to listen to, even when he worked at a McDonalds. He also created visual art that was displayed in galleries around the world.  For his career, Johnston released twenty studio albums, twelve of which were cassettes he recorded himself.  Sadly, he passed away in 2019 from a heart attack.

Fun Fact:  Among the numerous awards won by Beck was a Hungarian Music Award in 2015 for the International Alternative Music of the Year.  And you know just how big your career has become when you're getting awards from Hungary....

"True Love Will Find You in the End" was the tenth song on the rather ascertained entitled 2004 compilation The Late Great Daniel Johnston:  Discovered Covered [Ed. Note:  Despite the use of the world "Late" in the title, Johnston was very much alive when it was released].  The song was not released as a single, and near as I can tell, the album did not chart.

A harmonica.  Acoustic guitar.  Bongos (heard them while doing my half-assed research!).  Beck's vocals.  Three minutes, twenty-three seconds.  And it is a work of sheer brilliance, because Beck manages to convey all the hope and wisdom that that seven little words can muster:  true love will find you in the end (whether or not that's actually the case, on the other hand....).  I've noted a time or two before how well simplicity can play in music, and this is a shining example of it.  I also noticed as I listened this week how much it sounded like it could have been on Bob Dylan's debut album--there's a starkness coupled with hopeful hubris that reminds me of the youthful Dylan.  In the end, it's another reminder of the legacy of folk music in America, a legacy that will continue as long as folks are making music.

Lyric Sheet:  "This is a promise with a catch/Only if you're looking will it find you..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CXXXIX--Beck: Loser

If anyone ever compiled a top ten list of lines you'd never guess would be in a pop single, I'm pretty sure "Get crazy with the cheese whiz" would have made it--though in all honesty, pretty much every line from this week's tune probably would have made the imaginary list.

If I had to describe the music of Beck Hansen (heretofore simply Beck), I think I'd say it was commonly eclectic (if ever there was an oxymoron...)--he somehow manages to be creative and experimental while fusing multiple musical styles and still make it sound catchy for simple folk like me who grew up on Top 40 radio.  And while I haven't followed him every step of the way on his musical journey (Rolling Stone put his Odelay album in their list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and I hated it), he's certainly been worth the effort.  He's also made quite a career of it--he's released 12 albums (with a thirteenth to be released later this year), been a critical darling since time immemorial, won five Grammy Awards (including album of the year for Morning Phase), numerous other awards (too many to mention), sold millions of records and concert tickets, and still found time to produce other artists as well as collaborate with a who's who of popular music.  Not too bad for a guy who for all intents and purposes was homeless when his first single became a surprise hit.

Originally released by Bong Load Records (now there's a name) in 1993, "Loser" originally garnered airplay in Los Angeles (so many cool kids in California), moved on to Seattle (more cool kids), and by the time radio stations in New York (even more cool kids) started requesting it, Bong Load couldn't keep up with the demand.  A bidding war ensued for Beck among major record labels, Geffen won, and re-released the single and put it on his Mellow Gold LP.  It would reach #10 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 and launch Beck's musical odyssey.  

Beck freely admits that the lyrics to "Loser" are gibberish (he's even stated that if he'd known it was going to be such a big hit he would have made the lyrics more substantial), so it'll spare you my half-assed attempt at figuring out the song's "meaning," but I will say this:  gibberish or not, the lyrics are unforgettable.  And when you add in a wicked slide guitar, funky drums, and a touch of sitar (hello, George Harrison!), you end up with a brilliant slice of pop music pie--and that's even before I mention the We Share the Sentiment sing along chorus, and especially its first incarnation, which Beck beckons (such wordplay!) with a wondrous "Yo...cut it!"  Even though it's been almost twenty-five years since it's release, I've spent the last two days singing it over and over, enjoying it as much as when it was still brand new, and my youngest son finally asked, "Dad, what the heck is cheese whiz?"  Beautiful...

Fun Fact:  Beck came up with the "Loser" part of it because he thought his rapping of the song's lyrics sucked and he was a loser because he couldn't rap better.  I know--fascinating, my God...

Rap Sheet:  "And my time is a piece of wax/Falling on a termite/Who's choking on the splinters..."

Enjoy (and get crazy with the cheese whiz!):

Fuck Donald Trump,

emaycee