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Beck — Loser
Album: Mellow Gold
Avg rating:
7.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2719









Released: 1994
Length: 3:43
Plays (last 30 days): 0
In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey
Butane in my veins so I'm out to cut the junkie
With the plastic eyeballs, spray paint the vegetables
Dog food stalls with the beefcake pantyhose
Kill the headlights and put it in neutral
Stock car flamin' with a loser and the cruise control
Baby's in Reno with the vitamin D
Got a couple of couches sleep on the love seat
Someone keeps sayin I'm insane to complain
About a shotgun wedding and a stain on my shirt
Don't believe everything that you breathe
You get a parking violation and a maggot on your sleeve
So shave your face with some mace in the dark
Savin' all your food stamps and burnin' down the trailer park

Yo, cut it.

Soy un perdedor
I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?
(Double-barrel buckshot)
Soy un perdidor
I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?

Forces of evil in a bozo nightmare
Banned all the music with a phony gas chamber
'Cause one's got a weasel and the other's got a flag
One's got on the pole shove the other in a bag
With the rerun shows and the cocaine nose job
The daytime crap of a folksinger slob
He hung himself with a guitar string

Slap the turkey neck and it's hangin from a pigeon wing
You can't write if you can't relate
Trade the cash for the beef for the body for the hate
And my time is a piece of wax, fallin' on a termite
That's chokin on the splinters

Soy un perdedor
I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?
(Get crazy with the Cheeze Whiz)
Soy un perdidor
I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?
(Drive-by body pierce)

Yo bring it on down
Sooooooy...
(Soy un perdedor I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?)
(I'm a driver, I'm a winner; things are gonna change, I can feel it.)

Soy un perdidor

I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?
(I can't believe you)
Soy un perdidor
I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?
Soy un perdidor
I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?
(Sprechen sie Deutches, baby)
Soy un perdidor
I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?
(Know what I'm sayin?)
Comments (268)add comment
 neotrogg wrote:

He gots to be on something..whodoes this...stringing random words together...i can dig it !



David Byrne - Burning Down the House
 joejennings wrote:
Thank You for the lyrics! ...I never had the slightest clue. as to what the heck they are!  ...Nor, do I understand them now!  LOL!!  



PS:   NOT to be understood!!  I guess.   eh?  Still,  a  GOOD TUNE!  Thanx RP!   l
Spoken delivery bears a passing resemblance to It's Allright, Ma, I'm Only Bleeding. "Darkness at the break of noon..."
Thank You for the lyrics! ...I never had the slightest clue. as to what the heck they are!  ...Nor, do I understand them now!  LOL!!  
 zinzarin wrote:


Boo to you, and boo to the person you're responding to.

I come here to talk about music, not politics.  This song has nothing to do with politics, so you don't even have that as grounds to bring up any of this other BS.


F-Off I didn't bring the politics into this.
 Alastair wrote:

Always loved this even though I have no effin' idea what it's about.


It's not about anything. It's intentionally nonsensical. I believe he was inspired by Burning Down the House by the Talking Heads which is equally about nothing.
The prerelease hype about this track on commercial alternative radio in the 90's was completely over the top...he was going to be the next disrupter like Nirvana...and then the big reveal...and we got this.  The hype ruined this one for me...its like I hear the giant box of disappointment...and not the musical saviour I was told to expect...damn you Becky, damn you to your Scientologist's hell for the sadness you left me with....
 Alastair wrote:

Always loved this even though I have no effin' idea what it's about.




Same here!!
Now why would anyone want to kill a luger?
Great Tune!  Thank You for the lyrics! I never had any idea of what the heck he was singing!
From Bizet to Beck and never missed a beat yo this RP thing is for real y'all and real real chill we be Time Travelin' along this stream CRANK IT
Always loved this even though I have no effin' idea what it's about.
 tm67 wrote:

Yes, yes! That's what I thought the lyrics were for years. But the song still works with that mondegreen in place, doesn't it?!!?!

Great crazy with the Cheez Wiz!
All I hear.. 

Sodium pentothal | drug | Britannica
Bizet to Beck. Nice.
I alway liked . But rading the lyric wow
 SmackDaddy wrote:

The American people are now the loser.




Boo to you, and boo to the person you're responding to.

I come here to talk about music, not politics.  This song has nothing to do with politics, so you don't even have that as grounds to bring up any of this other BS.
Heard this song on the radio on the way to work today... here it is again.... what a throwback, both to the awkward teenage years AND a couple hours ago!  Love it. 
".....chokin' on the splinters..."

Always love that for some strange reason.
Always amazes me how far he has come. Interesting to see him go from this to who he is today. Incredibly talented!
 neotrogg wrote:
He gots to be on something..whodoes this...stringing random words together...i can dig it !
 
Talking Heads: Burning Down the House
 SmackDaddy wrote:
The American people are now the loser.


 

He gots to be on something..whodoes this...stringing random words together...i can dig it !
I just bumped this up to a "9" and my volume to 150%. I'd love to do this in karaoke if I could do the rap.
Go crazy with the Cheesewiz!
 poetdancer wrote:
Beck is great live. If you have a chance to see him, I recommend it.
 

So do I!
Without Beck there would be no Cake.
Just realised the guitar backing is used in Rebel Galaxy  (PC and PS4 game)
Beck is great live. If you have a chance to see him, I recommend it.
Nice to have something with some rap influence.  Beck is unique and excellent.
I only know Beck from the Morning Phase album (2014) and so I am shocked to find this one dates from 1997. His voice sure is different now - more mellow and less growling - which suits my ears better. Religious affiliation? Hmmm - does not really concern me too much and a quick Wikipedia check informs me that he has a lovely actress wife and children and his brother-in-law is Giovanni Ribisi (who even I have seen on the silver screen). An all round talented and lucky guy.
 kcar wrote:

I thought for years it was Poppy Bush, but sadly no. It's a clip from film called "Kill the Moonlight", directed by a friend of Beck's. 

https://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1731

You can find the relevant clip on YouTube but it's a waste of three minutes. 

The funny thing is that GHW Bush was saying weird stuff like the above quote during the '92 campaign. Apparently he was suffering from a thyroid condition (Graves Disease) and there was speculation that the condition or treatment was making him loopy. Some of the stuff he said in speeches while campaigning was so nonsensical that "Doonesbury" devoted a few strips to it. 

Still cannot quite believe that he went from around 90% approval rating at the end of the Gulf War in early '91 to losing the Presidential election to Ross Perot (who was saying some crazy shit of his own at the time) and a major philanderer from a small, impoverished southern state. Not a natural politician but at least he had far more brains, common sense and restraint than his clueless son. 

 
I guess you're completely unaware of the recession that GHWB led us into. HW's term was pretty much just a Reagan third term. He got in riding Ronnie's coattails. The fact is that the policies of Reagan and Bush led us into a recession. The policies of Bush Jr. led us into a great recession and damn near to a depression. Both Clinton and Obama led the country to prosperity/positive economic growth (and the latter did it despite absolute obstructionism by the GOP). See a fucking trend yet?
 treatment_bound wrote:
 kcar wrote:


head shots of 2016 GOP presidential candidates 

Ahh, the good old days of just 9 months ago when Donny T. was just another face in the crowd... 


  The American people are now the loser.


 kcar wrote:


head shots of 2016 GOP presidential candidates 

Ahh, the good old days of just 9 months ago when Donny T. was just another face in the crowd... 

 Wilfrue wrote:
"So shave your face with some mace in the dark; Savin' all your food stamps for burnin' down the trailer park..." 
There is a certain genius to this song, and to Beck in general. 

 
Beck is not only a talented musician and performer, but he's a brilliant poet. He creates very vivid and surreal images and scenes with his words. Love him!
get crazy with the cheez whiz {#Yes}
"So shave your face with some mace in the dark; Savin' all your food stamps for burnin' down the trailer park..." 
There is a certain genius to this song, and to Beck in general. 
 Steely_D wrote:
FORCES OF EVIL IN A BOZO NIGHTMARE!


You mean like this?

head shots of 2016 GOP presidential candidates 
There are so many to choose from. We're gonna need a bigger klown kar...

 
2012 GOP presidential candidates in clown car near "Welcome To South Carolina" sign

It's deja vu all over again. 

 
I heard that he'd just bring a boombox out on the stage and leave it playing this song in front of the microphone and walk off the stage. 
FORCES OF EVIL IN A BOZO NIGHTMARE!

man I love this song 
For some reason I always think of something he said when he won a Grammy, I think '97. His voice was very humble sounding and shy as he stood on the stage and then he said something like "Well, there really wasn't much competition this year". Harsh, but I agreed and it made me laugh.
Yeaaah!!!
Turn it UP! 
Simple song, samples and a hook.     Very mid 90s and at the time a welcome change from the beautiful south and Simply red.    Sat well along with Eels and Fun Lovin Criminals.    Beck has matured since.   8.
https://goo.gl/nacsnr
 Hannio wrote:

Being left handed, my favorite factoid concerning the '92 election is that all three candidates were southpaws.  As is the current POTUS.  Yeah, not much into politics.

 
Being left-handed myself, I tend to notice other southpaws as well. That was a very unusual coincidence that year...or was it?  1,000 points of light indeed.
{#Dancingbanana_2}  Slowly climbed all the way to Godlike. Quintessential, in Becks ascension, and to my anti-conformity agenda, in my youth, and creep past 40. I have always had a fun fan connection with Beck, as I was living in Olympia, when he cut one of his first records with K.
"...Don't believe everything you breath..."
 kcar wrote:

Apologies. My thinking when I posted was that Perot had split the Republican vote so much that it prevented Bush from beating Clinton. But this guy makes a persuasive case that Clinton would have beaten Bush all his own. At one point, Ross had better polling numbers than all candidates. But he made some big goofs—like quitting the race in the middle of July '92, finally getting back in September and then claiming that he'd quit because Bush was trying to disrupt his daughter's wedding.

That was a weird election. Again, Bush went from a masterly handling of the Gulf War and unheard-of approval numbers in late winter '91 to not getting a second term. He had no domestic agenda, and was saying and doing weird things on the campaign trail due perhaps to Graves disease . He seemed bored and out of touch. Then you had Perot who seemed bulletproof for a while before his political inexperience and paranoia caught up to him. And then Clinton took the lead from a crowded Democratic primary field, only to run into trouble when rumors of his infidelities spread. Bill had to go on "60 Minutes" immediately the Super Bowl in '92 to admit to "causing pain in my marriage." His entire campaign could have slowly unraveled as the press chased down the rumors of his many infidelities but that one interview pretty much put the issue to bed (ahem). 

 

 
Being left handed, my favorite factoid concerning the '92 election is that all three candidates were southpaws.  As is the current POTUS.  Yeah, not much into politics.
 Proclivities wrote:

What?  In the 1992 election, Ross Perot finished a distant third with less than 18% of the popular vote (and zero electoral votes).  Bush received about 37% and Clinton received about 43%.

 
Apologies. My thinking when I posted was that Perot had split the Republican vote so much that it prevented Bush from beating Clinton. But this guy makes a persuasive case that Clinton would have beaten Bush all his own. At one point, Ross had better polling numbers than all candidates. But he made some big goofs—like quitting the race in the middle of July '92, finally getting back in September and then claiming that he'd quit because Bush was trying to disrupt his daughter's wedding.

That was a weird election. Again, Bush went from a masterly handling of the Gulf War and unheard-of approval numbers in late winter '91 to not getting a second term. He had no domestic agenda, and was saying and doing weird things on the campaign trail due perhaps to Graves disease . He seemed bored and out of touch. Then you had Perot who seemed bulletproof for a while before his political inexperience and paranoia caught up to him. And then Clinton took the lead from a crowded Democratic primary field, only to run into trouble when rumors of his infidelities spread. Bill had to go on "60 Minutes" immediately the Super Bowl in '92 to admit to "causing pain in my marriage." His entire campaign could have slowly unraveled as the press chased down the rumors of his many infidelities but that one interview pretty much put the issue to bed (ahem). 

 
 kcar wrote:
...Still cannot quite believe that he went from around 90% approval rating at the end of the Gulf War in early '91 to losing the Presidential election to Ross Perot (who was saying some crazy shit of his own at the time) and a major philanderer from a small, impoverished southern state. Not a natural politician but at least he had far more brains, common sense and restraint than his clueless son. 
 
What?  In the 1992 election, Ross Perot finished a distant third with less than 18% of the popular vote (and zero electoral votes).  Bush received about 37% and Clinton received about 43%.
"And my time is a piece of wax falling on a termite that's choking on a splinter"

Can't say the lyrics add much to my life, but I still like the song. 
This song and Beck still hold up.   
 hayduke2 wrote:
doesn't that sound like G.H.W. Bush (I'm a driver, I'm a winner; things are gonna change, I can feel it.) towards the end? 

 
I thought for years it was Poppy Bush, but sadly no. It's a clip from film called "Kill the Moonlight", directed by a friend of Beck's. 

https://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1731

You can find the relevant clip on YouTube but it's a waste of three minutes. 

The funny thing is that GHW Bush was saying weird stuff like the above quote during the '92 campaign. Apparently he was suffering from a thyroid condition (Graves Disease) and there was speculation that the condition or treatment was making him loopy. Some of the stuff he said in speeches while campaigning was so nonsensical that "Doonesbury" devoted a few strips to it. 

Still cannot quite believe that he went from around 90% approval rating at the end of the Gulf War in early '91 to losing the Presidential election to Ross Perot (who was saying some crazy shit of his own at the time) and a major philanderer from a small, impoverished southern state. Not a natural politician but at least he had far more brains, common sense and restraint than his clueless son. 




doesn't that sound like G.H.W. Bush (I'm a driver, I'm a winner; things are gonna change, I can feel it.) towards the end? 
 johnjconn wrote:
I like how Beck ends with:
  "Sprechen ze Deutsch Baby"

 
He must have known in advance that he'd have a quite vocal German critic in the future.
crazy with the Cheeze Whiz.....gotta love it!
 Dosequis wrote:
NOOOOOOOOO !!!!!
                                 NOT THIS GUY AGAIN !?!
                                                                         WOW !!!!
                                                                                        THIS IS LAME !!!!!!
 
That's what I think every time I see another one of your whiny posts.
NOOOOOOOOO !!!!!
                                 NOT THIS GUY AGAIN !?!
                                                                         WOW !!!!
                                                                                        THIS IS LAME !!!!!! 
I'm a winner; things are gonna change, I can feel it.               <------ Scary, ain't it?
just shoot this ahole , yuk foo{#Arrowl} annoying drone clone cra..........
 WonderLizard wrote:

You think you're clever, but you're simply a sad, little bigot.

 
True
"I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?"

Fucking attention seeker, why don't you (censored) yourself.
 aspicer wrote:
Who knew when this first came just how brilliant his career would become?!  He is SO underrated - a brilliant muscian!

 

You can say that again.
Who knew when this first came just how brilliant his career would become?!  He is SO underrated - a brilliant muscian!
8->9
 Stingray wrote:
SCIENTOLOGIST LOSER!
 
You think you're clever, but you're simply a sad, little bigot.
Everyone in my sewing room is loving this....ps nobody but me here really..oh well I suppose you can count my friend Harvey the giant rabbit.{#Motor}

has anyone seen this thing? are there any real instruments used? just wondering, or you can kill it.

Everybody in my churches be dancing...  love it...
 

Ditto.  Bouncin.

Ericocean wrote:
Muddy Waters then Beck, perfect.  Great song.
 


Always loved this semi-anthem.....It defines an entire generation.{#Yell}
What a shame that he had to go and ruin a great backbeat by going and singing.
 (former member) wrote:


There is just no pleasure in life for you other than meanness, loser...

love this song...

 
 
Former Member, you da man. If you ever see Romeo give him my best.
Muddy Waters then Beck, perfect.  Great song.
 romeotuma wrote:


There is just no pleasure in life for you other than meanness, loser...

love this song...

 
 
thank you! 
back to dancin 
SCIENTO-LOSER!
 romeotuma wrote:


bingo...  love this song...

 
 
If HITLER had sung it - you'd love it too?
SCIENTOLOGIST LOSER!
 kcar wrote:

Anteater sucking Cheeze Whizz straight from the can
Insomnia's a bitch, folks. Apologies. 
 
Choking on the Snofrisk.
 drewd wrote:
Gettin crazy with the Cheeze Whiz !!!!!! Woo Hoo
 
Anteater sucking Cheeze Whizz straight from the can
Insomnia's a bitch, folks. Apologies. 
When I first heard this song I thought it had about as much staying power as Denis Leary's a-hole. Glad Beck proved me wrong.
The random absurdity of life. Nothing like this before and nothing like it since.
dare ya' to hear this and NOT tap your toe
One of the most stupid songs ever written. Love it.
It's getting harder and harder for me to hear a song from Beck that I DON"T like!
 Lumpy13 wrote:
Is he saying "Drive-by body pierce?"
 
Yep:
Soy un perdedor
I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?
(Get crazy with the Cheeze Whiz)
Soy un perdidor
I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?
(Drive-by body pierce)  
R-RATED COMMENT!

Great song.  Really.  But to nitpick here: if you hung yourself with a guitar string, you'd either be garrotted or perhaps (if you used an Ernie Ball Super Slinky E-string) decapitated.

Needless to say, this version is much, much better, but I thought the rendition of the song on Glee was very cute.  Perfect lyrics for losers.  "So why don't you kill me."
Can we make the hour playlist all green?
Beck classic that I haven't heard in heard in a while. Thank you radio paradise!
Gettin crazy with the Cheeze Whiz !!!!!! Woo Hoo
Is he saying "Drive-by body pierce?"
 kcar wrote:
"I'm a driver. I'm a winner. Things are gonna change soon, I can feel it."

Jack_Jefferson wrote:
Is that George H.W. Bush talking in the middle of this song?
 
 
The truth is much smaller and dingier, as is often the case. It's a line lifted from a Very Bad Movie, "Kill The Moonlight."  https://www.plexifilm.com/media.php?id=15 

Apparently Beck was in a band with the movie's director, and is on the soundtrack.
 
Thanks for the info — I had always thought it was George (and when I hear this song I usually picture Dana Carvey doing his impersonation of George....)

Hostia: soy un perdedor! Y he tenido que googlear la letra para descubrirlo. Vaya acento!

 lophrequa wrote:

it's ain't just the lyrics... Becksy owes the Buttholes some money 
 

I agree although overall body of work says that Beck is very talented and the Buttholes are meh.
I like Beck, but I like this song less than I used to...which isn't saying too much I suppose.
Bill's on a serious roll!
 lophrequa wrote:

it's ain't just the lyrics... Becksy owes the Buttholes some money 
 
Except this came out in '90 and Electriclarryland (the album Pepper is on) came out in '96... unless there's some older BS song that this sounds remarkably like?  Anyway, BS weren't on a major before '91, so if Beck ripped them off, he certainly did pick an obscure band to rip off.

Soundtrack of my youth....
 manzanitafire wrote:

Saw a great show a few years back that was Beck with a ridiculously talented band of uber art geeks, one of who came out and break-danced in 80's knee-socks and metallic shorts before picking up his instrument. When it came to the point in the show when it was time for Beck to go solo acoustic and do some of the stuff on Sea Change, the band sat down at a table and ate dinner onstage, with the whole thing beamed via video from above. They broke it up by having a jam session at the dinner table with the silverware that led into the second set. The whole thing was abso-freakin-brilliant.


 
the man's a performance artist in the purest sense of the word.  he's an installation piece.

i remember the first few times i listened to this debut album, cover to cover, in the dank darkness of my DC basement apartment many moons ago.  i really and truly believe that this in one of the most important, seminal debut albums of the last two decades...so completely raw and unrestrained...and oh how he has evolved through the balance of his work to date...one of the most engagingly diverse catalogs that i can readily think of.  

a real and true gem, this guy. 

{#Yes} lophrequa wrote:

it's ain't just the lyrics... Becksy owes the Buttholes some money 
 


 lophrequa wrote:
... Becksy owes the Buttholes some money 
 
From the "sentences that have never been spoken before" file.

If  he just could rap with a tiny bit of melody ,,,,#5

 jpfueler wrote:


silly nonsense that work well. I'm just over 40, and I to think it is rather good (not near 10, but on my high end.
Silly lyrics like a Butthole Surfers tune, and "Drive By Body Piercing" makes the song (~_^)
 
it's ain't just the lyrics... Becksy owes the Buttholes some money 
Beck, youth, LSD, pot.....what can i say I'm a loser baby so why don't you love me?

I know its not the right lyric but i don't really want you to kill me.
 

"I'm a driver. I'm a winner. Things are gonna change soon, I can feel it."

Jack_Jefferson wrote:
Is that George H.W. Bush talking in the middle of this song?
 
ArbiterOfGoodTaste wrote:

Someone here posted that it is Jack Nicholson.
 
The truth is much smaller and dingier, as is often the case. It's a line lifted from a Very Bad Movie, "Kill The Moonlight."

https://www.plexifilm.com/media.php?id=15

The link above has a 3:52 clip from the movie. You really don't need to watch any more after the guy in the boat gives the line in the first 10 seconds. Really. It's that bad. 

Apparently Beck was in a band with the movie's director, and is on the soundtrack. 

Edit: Oh snap. Someone posted this two years ago. Soy un perdedor. 


Just another of the many songs that made up the soundtrack of the 90s-and my high school career.

Te amo, Beck!  {#Yes}

Get crazy with the Cheez Whiz!

Saw a great show a few years back that was Beck with a ridiculously talented band of uber art geeks, one of who came out and break-danced in 80's knee-socks and metallic shorts before picking up his instrument. When it came to the point in the show when it was time for Beck to go solo acoustic and do some of the stuff on Sea Change, the band sat down at a table and ate dinner onstage, with the whole thing beamed via video from above. They broke it up by having a jam session at the dinner table with the silverware that led into the second set. The whole thing was abso-freakin-brilliant.


"Things are gonna change, I can feel it".

Amen to that brother!

I like this tune but have heard it a bit too much.  He has so much other stuff to play, like something from Sea Change.  I guess this fit better into the set.
nigelr wrote:
Damn near a 10, and this from an >50's male.
Very interesting piece of art.........



silly nonsense that work well. I'm just over 40, and I to think it is rather good (not near 10, but on my high end.
Silly lyrics like a Butthole Surfers tune, and "Drive By Body Piercing" makes the song (~_^)

Glockman45 wrote:
nothing in spanish means anything

What do you mean with that ? Maybe you that because you CAN'T Spanish ...

I must say that it's ignorant to say something like that .Spanish is one of the richest languages all over the world and I'm not who is saying this but the experts .


 hcaudill wrote:
I only now realized he was saying "Soy un perdedor." I like this song, but I should point out that while literally a correct translation of "I'm a loser", "Soy un perdedor" doesn't really mean anything in Spanish.

So, THAT's what he's saying.  Wow, the things we learn from Radio Paradise. 

Nice set Bill.  However, I have to go to the bathroom and you keep playing one good song after the other.  Could you please play some Cure, Morissey, Smiths or something so I can walk away and take a potty break?
Beck stands out without blatantly trying to. Wouldn't be surprised if many felt just the opposite. Like his music a ton and find him entertaining and engaging.
Yah this one owns its own unique niche in my collection.  Quite the mix
RadioDoc wrote:

Maybe a break through the ice on the sewage treatment pond.

A 5 and that's being generous.


            ouch

S {#Jump} o y u n p e r d e d o r



brilliant!!