Beercan (song)
"Beercan" is a single by Beck, taken from his first major record label release, Mellow Gold. It peaked at number 27 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks charts.
"Beercan" | ||||
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Single by Beck | ||||
from the album Mellow Gold | ||||
Released | 1994 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:01 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Beck Hansen | |||
Producer(s) | Carl Stephenson | |||
Beck singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Beercan" on YouTube |
Conception and recording
"Beercan" was produced by Carl Stephenson and featured his characteristic layers of sound and bizarre samples: this song in particular prominently features samples from a Care Bears album. In addition the song also samples a small part of the Melvins song "Hog Leg" heard around the 2:30 minute mark.
As mentioned in the song, Beck once had a job blowing leaves. Beck once reminisced, "There's a leaf-blower contingent. There's no union that I know of so far, but there's certainly a spiritual brotherhood. They are the originators of noise music. It's like a cross between a Kramer guitar and a jet pack."[1][2][3]
Music video
Like Beck's earlier single "Loser", the experimental video for "Beercan" was directed by friend and director Steve Hanft. The video features a group of homeless people destroying a house. A recurring theme throughout the video is the presence of a rainbow, possibly a reference to the Care Bears album sampled in the song. Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne also makes an appearance.
Track listing
- "Beercan" - 4:01
- "Got No Mind" - 4:22
- "Asskiss Powergrudge (Payback! '94)" - 3:06
- "Totally Confused" - 3:28
- "Spanking Room" - 9:07
- Contains "Loser" (Pseudo-Muzak Version) as a hidden track at 5:41.
Chart positions
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA)[4][5] | 98 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks[6] | 27 |
References
- "Beercan Information". Whiskeyclone.net. Archived from the original on 25 December 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
- Hansen, Beck (July 1994). "Spin Magazine July 1994 Issue". Spin Magazine.
- Martell, Nevin (October 2001). Beck: The Art of Mutation. Pocket Books. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-7434-2448-6.
- "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – 09 Oct 1994". ARIA. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- "Beck—Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2008.