Photo: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Our Top 10 Beck Songs list looks back at one of the great rock and roll artist to come out of the decade of the 1990s with much success. Beck Hansen would celebrate a career in which the multi talented musician and singer songwriter would blend all elements of music into a style that was bold and unique. Beck redefined the meaning of alternative music in the 1990s.Throughout the course of his career so far Beck has released fourteen studio albums since his debut Golden Feelings in 1993. His outstanding 1994 album Mellow Gold earned him high praise from critics and fans as an artist to both celebrate in the moment and keep an eye on in the future. We are still watching as he continues to just release amazing music.
# 10 – Saw Lightning
We open up our Beck songs list with the great song “Saw Lightning.” The song was released on Beck’s album Hyperspace. The album was released in 2019. “Saw Lightning,” was released as the first single from the album. The song hit number 25 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay songs list. This rhythmic grooving song that balances the lines between blues, rock and r&b was written by Beck and Pharrell Williams.
# 9 – I Just Started Hating Some People Today
Continuing with our Beck’s songs list, we turn to the song “I Just Started Hating Some People Today.” The song was released as a non album single. The song was produced by Jack White. “I Just Started Hating Some People Today,” is a song done in a very heavy old school country feel that is done intentionally to make a point based on social issues of hate and racism. It’s absolutely brilliant. The song was released in 2012.
# 8 – Lost Cause
In the number eight spot on our Beck songs list we go back 10 years earlier to the year 2002 in presenting the song “Lost Cause.” The song was released on the album Sea Change. Lost Cause,” was issued as a single in the United States where it was a top 40 hit on the United States Billboard Alternative AirPlay charts. The song was written by Beck Hansen. With the song’s soft acoustic feel, there’s a good amount of melancholy in this one that we just really dig.
# 7 -Deadweight
As we move along on our Beck Songs list, we take a listen to a great Beck song called “Deadweight.” The song was released on the soundtrack to the motion picture A Life Less Ordinary. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award. This is just a free sounding slightly techno grooving song that was just perfect for the movie but yet still stands alone as just as a great song. It was very original sounding like so much of Beck’s fantastic material. The song was released in 1997.
# 6 – E-Pro
Beck is a chameleon when it comes to songwriting and music production. All his songs just sound so different depending when they were released and on what albums. The song here entitled “E-Pro,” is a little heavier sounding but yet still has that unique Beck feel. “E-Pro,” was released on the album entitled Guero. The album was released in 2005. “E-Pro,” was the first single released from the album. The song went straight to number one on the United States Billboard Alternative AirPlay charts. It was the second number one single that Beck celebrated in the United States. The song also became a top 40 hit in the United Kingdom on the United Kingdom pop charts.
# 5 – Wow
At the halfway point on our Beck songs list we present the song “Wow.” This was one of his most recent songs that was released on the album entitled Colors. The album was released in 2016 and was voted one of the top singles of the Year by Billboard magazine.”Wow,” was also featured in a car commercial for the Acura MDX 2017 car which is something that all of us were not crazy about, but hey musicians don’t sell records anymore so they got to pay the bills somehow. In the end, it doesn’t matter because it’s a great song
# 4 -Devils Haircut
You know any song entitled “Devil’s Haircut,” is going to be a pretty good song just like Billy Idol’s Devil’s Playground and a great deal of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest songs. This one starts out hard and heavy as it hits you in the face right away. The song was released in 1996 on the album entitled Odelay. It’s got a great guitar lick at the start of song and more interesting guitar flourishes that sound a little twisted that occur throughout the song.
# 3 – Dreams
In the number three spot on our Beck songs list we turn once again to another track from the great Colors album. This time we present the killer cut “Dreams.” The song was released as the album’s opening single in 2015. Beck earned a Gold record for sales of the song. It’s an up beat dance oriented techno song with a rock feel that is just simply jaw dropping to listen too.
# 2 – Where’s It At
As we begin to wind down our Beck songs list we go all the way back to 1996. The song “Where’s It At,” was released on the album Odelay. The song was released as the album’s first single. This is pretty much the sound of alternative music 1990s style. There is a mix of all musical elements at play in this one. Beck was a nice alternative to the sound of grunge and bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden at the time which of course we love also. But you need a mix in your taste and Beck offered that.
# 1 – Loser
In the number one spot on our Beck songs list, we showcase the great Beck single “Loser.” With a riff that sounds very much like The Allman Brothers Band’s “Midnight Rider,” the song “Loser,”would become the biggest single of Beck’s career.Additionally, “Loser,” would become one of the most popular songs of the 1990s. It was Beck’s only top 10 hit on the US Billboard’s Hot 100. It also hit number one on United States Billboard Alternative AirPlay charts in 1994. If you were a teen or twenty something rocker in the 90s, chances are you had the great Beck album Mellow Gold on which this song appeared in your collection.
Beck Songs Ranked article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2021
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