Loser Beck song WikipediaLoser is a song by American musician Beck. It was written by Beck and record producer Karl Stephenson, who both produced the song with Tom Rothrock. Loser was initially released as Becks second single by independent record label. Bong Load Custom Records on 1. BL5 on March 8, 1. When it was first released independently, Loser began receiving airplay on various modern rock stations, and the songs popularity eventually led to a major label record deal with Geffen Records subsidiary DGC Records. After the songs re release under DGC, the song peaked at number 1. United States Billboard Hot 1. April 1. 99. 4, becoming Becks first single to hit a major chart. Can You Smoke Crack From A Bong Slide' title='Can You Smoke Crack From A Bong Slide' />The song was subsequently released on the 1. Mellow Gold. Conception and recordingeditIn the late 1. Beck was a homeless musician in the New York Cityanti folk scene. He returned to his hometown of Los Angeles in early 1. Described by biographer Julian Palacios as having no opportunities whatsoever, Beck worked low wage jobs to survive, but still found time to perform his songs at local coffeehouses and clubs. In order to keep indifferent audiences engaged in his music, Beck would play in a spontaneous, joking manner. Id be banging away on a Son House tune and the whole audience would be talking, so maybe out of desperation or boredom, or the audiences boredom, Id make up these ridiculous songs just to see if people were listening. Loser was an extension of that. Tom Rothrock, co owner of independent record label. Bong Load, expressed interest in Becks music and introduced him to Karl Stephenson, a record producer for Rap A Lot Records. Loser was written and recorded by Beck while he was visiting Stephensons home. Although the song was created spontaneously, Beck has claimed to have had the idea for the song since the late 1. I dont think I would have been able to go in and do Loser in a six hour shot without having been somewhat prepared. It was accidental, but it was something that Id been working toward for a long time. Beck played some of his songs for Stephenson Stephenson enjoyed the songs, but was unimpressed by Becks rapping. Stephenson recorded a brief guitar part from one of Becks songs onto an 8 track, looped it, and added a drum track to it. Stephenson then added his own sitar playing and other samples. At that point, Beck began writing and improvising lyrics for the recording. For the songs vocals, Beck attempted to emulate the rapping style of Public Enemys Chuck D. According to Beck, the line that became the songs chorus originated because When Stephenson played it back, I thought, Man, Im the worst rapper in the world, Im just a loser. So I started singing Im a loser baby, so why dont you kill me. According to Rothrock, the song was largely finished in six and a half hours, with two minor overdubs several months later. Composition and lyricseditA 2. Loser from Becks 1. Mellow Gold, from the middle of the songs first verse to the chorus. Problems playing this file See media help. Beck acknowledged the impact of folk on the song, saying Id realized that a lot of what folk music is about taking a tradition and reflecting your own time. I knew my folk music would take off, if I put hip hop beats behind it. He had also perceived similarities between Delta blues and hip hop, which helped to inspire the song. The A. V. Clubs Annie Zaleski opines that the song imitates abstract hip hop,1. James Reed from The Boston Globe called it an alternative rock anthem,1. Veronica Chambers for Vibe magazine described the song as a folk based hip hop song. Loser revolves around several recurring musical elements a slide guitarriff, Stephensons sitar, the bassline, and a tremolo guitar part. The songs drum track is sampled from a Johnny Jenkinscover of Dr. Johns I Walk on Gilded Splinters from the 1. Ton Ton Macoute1. Now, 999 can get you a car, no question, but that car is very likely to be full of questions. Questions like What happened to the key and How have you had. MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack 1993 Loser 1993 Pay No Mind Snoozer 1994. During the songs break, there is a sample of a line of dialogue from the 1. Steve Hanft directed film Kill the Moonlight, which goes Im a driverIm a winnerThings are gonna change, I can feel it. Hanft and Beck were friends, and Hanft would go on to direct several music videos for Beck, including the video for Loser. Referred to as a stoner rap by Allmusics Stephen Thomas Erlewine,1. The songs chorus, in which Beck sings the lines Soy un perdedorIm a loser baby, so why dont you kill me, is often interpreted as a parody of Generation Xs slacker culture. Beck has denied the validity of this meaning, instead saying that the chorus is simply about his lack of skill as a rapper. Jon Pareles wrote in The New York Times that The sentiment of Loser. Becks offhand vocal tone and free associative lyrics and comparing his vocals to Bob Dylan talk singing. Can You Smoke Crack From A Bong Slide' title='Can You Smoke Crack From A Bong Slide' />After its recording, Beck thought that the song was interesting but unimpressive. He later said, The raps and vocals are all first takes. If Id known the impact it was going to make, I would have put something a little more substantial in it. Life Time Anti Viru Microsoft Works. The relationship between Beck and Stephenson soured after the release of Loser as a single. Stephenson regretted his involvement in creating the song, in particular the negative lyrics, saying I feel bad about it. Its not Beck the person, its the words. I just wish I could have been more of a positive influence. Release and receptioneditLoser was first released in March 1. Bong Load, with only 5. Beck felt that Loser was mediocre, and only agreed to its release at Rothrocks insistence. Loser unexpectedly received radio airplay, starting in Los Angeles, where college radio station KXLU was the first to play it, followed by modern rock station KROQ FM. The song then spread to Seattle through KNDD, and KROQ FM began playing the song on an almost hourly basis. By the time stations in New York were requesting copies of Loser, Bong Load had already run out. Beck was soon beset with offers to sign with major labels. Convinced that the song was a potential hit, Rothrock gave a vinyl pressing of the single to his friend Tony Berg, who had been working in the A R department for Geffen Records. Berg said, I just lost my mind when I heard it. He left my office, and I swear, by the time he got home, I had left a message asking him to introduce me to Beck. Beck, in spite of his hesitance to be on any major label, signed with Geffen subsidiary DGC. He explained, I wasnt going to do anything for a long time, but Bong Load didnt have the means to make as many copies as people wanted. Geffen were involved and they wanted to make it to more of an organized place, one with a bigger budget and better distribution. In January 1. 99. DGC reissued Loser on CD and cassette, and Geffen began heavily promoting the single. Bong Load, having retained the rights to release Becks songs on vinyl due to the nature of Becks contract with DGC, re pressed the 1. Loser quickly ascended the charts in the US, reaching a peak of number ten on the Billboard Hot 1. Modern Rock Tracks chart. It was certified gold by the RIAA and sold 6. The song also charted in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Europe. Losers worldwide success shot Beck into a position of attention, and the media dubbed him the center of the new so called slacker movement. Beck refuted this characterization of himself, saying, Slacker my ass. I never had any slack. I was working a 4 an hour job trying to stay alive. That slacker stuff is for people who have the time to be depressed about everything. The single ranked first place in the 1. Village Voice. Pazz Jop critics poll. In 2. 00. 4, this song was ranked number 2. Rolling Stones The 5. Greatest Songs of All Time. In September 2. 01. Pitchfork Media included the song at number 9 on their Top 2.