Debra (song)

Last updated
"Debra"
Song by Beck
from the album Midnite Vultures
ReleasedNovember 16, 1999 (1999-11-16)
Recorded1998
Studio Conway Studios, G-Son Studios, Sunset Sound (Los Angeles), The Shop (Arcata)
Genre Soul, funk
Length5:43
13:46 (with hidden track)
Label DGC
Songwriter(s) Ed Green, [1] Hansen, John King, Michael Simpson
Producer(s) Beck, Dust Brothers

"Debra" is a song by the American musician Beck. It was released on his album Midnite Vultures .

Contents

Background

Beck had originally attempted to record and release "Debra" with the Dust Brothers for Odelay , but he thought that it was too tongue-in-cheek. It was debuted mainstream in 1996, and, as Beck noted, "it became the centerpiece of the whole set. It was the song that people would react to more than the songs that they'd heard on the radio. So we kept playing it and playing it". [2] The song finally made it on to Midnite Vultures in 1999.

Composition

The song's lyrics are about meeting a girl named Jenny who works at the retail store JCPenney and wanting to "get with" her and her sister, Debra. [3] The lyrics include a reference to the Los Angeles-based restaurant chain Zankou Chicken, [4] as well as a mention of car manufacturer Hyundai and a reference to another song on Midnite Vultures, "Sexx Laws."

Debra contains samples of two songs; "Win" by David Bowie and "My Love for You" by Ramsey Lewis. [5]

Many music critics consider "Debra" to be one of Beck's greatest songs, [6] with Ty Kulik claiming that "Midnite Vultures is a tremendous record, and "Debra" is the highlight of the whole record." [7] The song was used in the 2017 Edgar Wright film Baby Driver [8] and as inspiration for music in Flight of the Conchords. [9]

Cover versions

The song was covered by German industrial artist Kompressor. Kompressor's version is called "Kompressor Want to Get with You".

Additionally, the song has been covered in live shows by the US band I Dont Know How But They Found Me. This version was released digitally on 26 February 2021.

The jam band Umphrey’s McGee also covers Debra in live shows, most notably at Sweetwater 420 Fest in Atlanta.

Related Research Articles

The Dust Brothers are a pair of songwriters and producers consisting of E.Z. Mike and King Gizmo. They are famous for the sample-based music they produced in the 1980s and 1990s, and specifically for their work on the albums Paul's Boutique by the Beastie Boys, Odelay, Midnite Vultures and Guero by Beck, the soundtrack to the film Fight Club, and "MMMBop" by Hanson. They are based in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beck</span> American musician (born 1970)

Beck David Hansen, known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical collages of wide-ranging genres. He has musically encompassed folk, funk, soul, hip hop, electronic, alternative rock, country, and psychedelia. He has released 14 studio albums, as well as several non-album singles and a book of sheet music.

<i>Odelay</i> 1996 studio album by Beck

Odelay is the fifth studio album by American musician Beck, released on June 18, 1996, by DGC Records. The album featured several successful singles, including "Where It's At", "Devils Haircut", and "The New Pollution", and peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard 200. As of July 2008, the album had sold 2.3 million copies in the United States, making Odelay Beck's most successful album to date. Since its release, the album has appeared in numerous publications' lists of the greatest of the 1990s and of all time.

<i>Midnite Vultures</i> 1999 studio album by Beck

Midnite Vultures is the seventh studio album by American musician Beck, released on November 23, 1999, by DGC Records. While similar to most of Beck's previous albums in its exploration of widely varying styles, it did not achieve the same blockbuster success as his breakthrough album Odelay, but was still critically acclaimed and commercially successful. The album's sound marked a compositional departure from the psychedelic hip hop, alternative rock, and sample-based music in his previous albums towards a funk rock and R&B style.

<i>Sea Change</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Beck

Sea Change is the eighth studio album by American musician Beck, released on September 24, 2002, by Geffen Records. Recorded over a two-month period in Los Angeles with producer Nigel Godrich, the album features themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude, and loneliness. For the album, much of Beck's trademark cryptic and ironic lyrics were replaced by simpler, more sincere lyrical content. He also eschewed the heavy sampling of his previous albums for live instrumentation. Beck cited the breakup with his longtime girlfriend as the major influence on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loser (Beck song)</span> 1993 single by Beck

"Loser" is a single by American musician Beck. It was written by Beck and record producer Carl Stephenson, who both produced the song with Tom Rothrock. "Loser" was initially released as Beck's second single by independent record label Bong Load Custom Records on 12-inch vinyl format with catalog number BL5 on March 8, 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man in the Box</span> 1991 single by Alice in Chains

"Man in the Box" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released as a single in January 1991 after being featured on the group's debut studio album, Facelift (1990). It peaked at No. 18 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1992. The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box (1999), Music Bank (1999), Greatest Hits (2001), and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). "Man in the Box" was the second most-played song of the decade on mainstream rock radio between 2010 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight of the Conchords</span> New Zealand musical comedy duo

Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comedy and music became the basis of the self-titled BBC radio series (2005) and, subsequently, the HBO American television series (2007–2009). Most recently, they released the HBO comedy special Live in London in 2018. The special was concurrently released by Sub Pop as their fifth album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zankou Chicken</span> California based fast casual restaurant chain

Zankou Chicken is a small, family-owned chain of Armenian and Mediterranean fast casual restaurants located in the Los Angeles area. The restaurants are especially known for their spit-roasted chicken, shawarma, falafel, tahini, and a "secret" garlic sauce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feel Good Time</span> 2003 single by Pink

"Feel Good Time" is a song by American singer Pink featuring William Orbit. It was released on May 27, 2003, as the lead single from the soundtrack of the 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. It was later included on the international edition of her third studio album Try This. The single peaked at number 60 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the UK Singles Chart, and has been certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixed Bizness</span> 2000 single by Beck

"Mixed Bizness" is a song by American musician Beck. It was released as the second single from his 1999 album Midnite Vultures. Released in 2000, the CD single included five non-album tracks/remixes. It peaked at number 34 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was featured in an episode of Malcolm in the Middle and American Dad. The primary drum beat heard throughout the track is a sample from “Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones.

"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his Bringing It All Back Home album, released on March 22, 1965, by Columbia Records. The song was recorded on January 15, 1965, with Dylan's acoustic guitar and harmonica and William E. Lee's bass guitar the only instrumentation. The lyrics were heavily influenced by Symbolist poetry and bid farewell to the titular "Baby Blue". There has been much speculation about the real life identity of "Baby Blue", with possibilities including Joan Baez, David Blue, Paul Clayton, Dylan's folk music audience, and even Dylan himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexx Laws</span> 1999 single by Beck

"Sexx Laws" is a song by American singer Beck, from his album Midnite Vultures (1999). It was released as the lead single from the album in October 1999.

"Broken Train" is a song by the American musician Beck. It was released on his 1999 album Midnite Vultures. The song was composed in the key of D-flat major.

Mickey Petralia is an American producer, engineer, and mixer. Petralia produced all of the music on Flight of the Conchords.

<i>Scott Pilgrim vs. the World</i> (soundtrack) 2010 soundtrack album by various artists

Two soundtrack albums were released for the motion picture Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: an original soundtrack and an original score. Music producer Nigel Godrich, film director Edgar Wright, and film producer Marc Platt executive produced both soundtracks, with Godrich also composing the original score. The soundtrack includes music by Beck, Broken Social Scene, Metric, Black Lips, T. Rex, the Rolling Stones, Frank Black and Plumtree. They were released on August 10, 2010; the original score only on digital download. A 2021 re-release saw additional music by Brie Larson added to the soundtrack, and a physical version of the score.

<i>Baby Driver</i> 2017 film by Edgar Wright

Baby Driver is a 2017 action film written and directed by Edgar Wright. It stars Ansel Elgort as a getaway driver seeking freedom from a life of crime with his girlfriend Debora. Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Bernthal appear in supporting roles. Eric Fellner and his Working Title Films partner Tim Bevan produced Baby Driver in association with Big Talk Productions' Nira Park. Sony and TriStar Pictures handled commercial distribution of the film. Baby Driver was financed through a co-production pact between TriStar and MRC and tax subsidies from the Georgia state government.

The following is a list of unproduced Edgar Wright projects in roughly chronological order. During his career, British film director Edgar Wright has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were officially canceled, or would see life under a different production team.

"Brighton Rock" is a song by British rock band Queen, written by lead guitarist Brian May. The song is the opening track on their third studio album Sheer Heart Attack. The song features one of Queen's longest guitar solos which is more than three minutes long. The solo has been performed live by Brian May at most concerts since its release. The song gained popularity after its prominent use in the 2017 Edgar Wright film Baby Driver.

Last Night in Soho is the compilation soundtrack and film score album to the 2021 psychological horror film of the same name, directed by Edgar Wright. Both the albums were released under the titles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Original Motion Picture Score on 1 November 2021 under the Back Lot Music record label. The former, consists of a compilation of songs inspired from the music in the 1960s, consisting a wide range of genres, while the latter, consisted of tracks from the original score composed by Steven Price. This film marked Price's third collaboration with Wright after The World's End (2012) and Baby Driver (2017). The soundtrack and score, was later released on double vinyl, published by Mondo on 17 and 31 December 2021.

References

  1. "Ed Green (2)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  2. Wright, Danny (19 August 2015). "Beck - 10 of the best". The Guardian.
  3. "Yeah cause I'm a, I'm a full-grown man and I'm not afraid to, to". Genius.com. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  4. Satzman, Darrell (March 18, 2010). "Zankou Chicken's tragic family rift impedes chain's growth". Los Angeles Times .
  5. "Debra by Beck". WhoSampled . Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  6. "Beck in 10 Songs". Consequence of Sound. November 19, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  7. "The Greatest American Music: Beck's "Debra"". SeedSing. July 10, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  8. Minsker, Evan (5 July 2017). "Behind the Music of Baby Driver, With Director Edgar Wright". Pitchfork.
  9. Alex Denney. "Flight Of The Conchords: comedy Kiwis on their musical dabblings". DrownedInSound. Archived from the original on 2021-06-20. Retrieved 2020-11-19.