| "Saw Lightning" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Beck | ||||
| from the album Hyperspace | ||||
| Released | April 15, 2019 [1] | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, synth-pop, folk pop [2] | |||
| Length | 4:01 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Beck singles chronology | ||||
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"Saw Lightning" is a song by the American musician Beck. It was released in 2019 as the first single [3] from his fourteenth studio album Hyperspace . [4] It was co-written by Beck and Pharrell Williams. Aside from vocals, Williams also plays drums and keyboards in the song. [5] [6]
Beck said: "I was making a record called Midnite Vultures and while we were making it… I remember the Neptunes [Pharrell's production duo] had just come out, and I said I'm gonna do the next record with the Neptunes, and here we are 20 years later". [7]
Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone wrote that the song "melds the jangly acoustic guitar of Beck's folksier work with the dancefloor-ready programmed beats prominent in his 2017 LP Colors ". [4]
UDiscoverMusic wrote of the song: "A classic slice of cross-genre boundary-breaking, 'Saw Lightning' sees Beck taking an about-turn from the euphoric pop of Colors to assemble a junkyard-blues-hip-hop confection featuring rapped vocals" and "some One Foot in the Grave - style blues harmonica". [7]
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Beck David Hansen 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.
The Neptunes are an American production and songwriting duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1990. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos, while Hugo tends to stay behind the scenes.
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams is an American rapper, record producer, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo The Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he has produced songs for various recording artists. In 1999, he became lead vocalist of the band N.E.R.D., which he formed with Hugo and drummer Shay Haley. Williams has been widely referred to as one of the most influential and successful music producers of the 21st century, having had a significant impact on the sound of modern popular music.
"Drop It Like It's Hot" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg featuring American musician Pharrell Williams. It was released on September 27, 2004, as the lead single from Snoop Dogg's seventh studio album, R&G : The Masterpiece (2004). The song was produced by The Neptunes. Snoop performs the chorus and the second and third verses, while Pharrell performs the first verse. It is regarded as an iconic song.
The Neptunes Present... Clones is a compilation album produced and released by American production duo The Neptunes. It was released on August 19, 2003 and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. The album featured five singles; "Frontin'" by Pharrell Williams, "Light Your Ass on Fire" by Busta Rhymes, “Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Fam-Lay, "Hot Damn" by Clipse and "It Blows My Mind" by Snoop Dogg.
"Frontin'" is the debut solo single by American singer Pharrell Williams. It features the vocals of American rapper Jay-Z. It was written by Williams and produced by The Neptunes. At the time, Williams insisted the single was a one-off, and that he was purely a producer and not an artist in his own right. However, he released his own solo studio album, In My Mind, in 2006.
The discography of Beck, an American rock musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist, consists of 14 studio albums, one compilation album, one remix album, four extended plays (EPs) and 52 singles. With a pop art collage of musical styles, oblique and ironic lyrics, and postmodern arrangements incorporating samples, drum machines, live instrumentation and sound effects, Beck has been hailed by critics and the public throughout his musical career as being amongst the most creative and idiosyncratic musicians of 1990s and 2000s alternative rock.
"Get Lucky" is a song by French electronic music duo Daft Punk, featuring American singer Pharrell Williams and American guitarist Nile Rodgers. It was co-written by all of them. Daft Punk released the song as the lead single from their fourth and final studio album, Random Access Memories, on 19 April 2013. Before its release as a single, "Get Lucky" was featured in television advertisements broadcast during Saturday Night Live, after which Rodgers and Williams announced their involvement in the track. "Get Lucky" is a house-inspired disco, funk, and pop track with lyrics that, according to Williams, are about the good fortune of connecting with someone, as well as sexual chemistry. "Get Lucky" has since received acclaim from critics, with a number of them praising Williams's vocals and Rodgers's guitar licks.
"Happy" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer Pharrell Williams, released as the first and only single from the soundtrack album for the film Despicable Me 2 (2013). The song was first released on November 21, 2013, alongside a long-form music video. The song was reissued on December 16, 2013, by Back Lot Music under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music. The song also served as the lead single from Williams' second studio album, Girl (2014).
"Blue Moon" is a song written, produced and performed by Beck, issued as the lead single from his twelfth studio album Morning Phase. The song is the musician's first release on Capitol Records. The song became Beck's first single to top the U.S. Adult Alternative Songs chart, and was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards. Beck performed the song on Ellen and Saturday Night Live.
Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges is an American soul singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2015 song "Coming Home", which received regular airplay and was also a Top 10 Most Viral Track on Spotify. Bridges' debut album, also titled Coming Home, was released on June 23, 2015, on Columbia Records and subsequently nominated for Best R&B Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
"Dreams" is a song by the American alternative rock musician Beck, released on June 15, 2015. The song is the lead single and first release from his tenth album, Colors (2017). The song's music is upbeat and funky, in contrast to the more muted sound of his previous album, Morning Phase (2014), with Beck stating that he "was really trying to make something that would be good to play live."
"Wow" is a song by American musician Beck. It is the second single from his thirteenth studio album Colors. Billboard ranked "Wow" at number 60 on their Billboard's 100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list.
"Up All Night" is a song by the American musician Beck. It is the third single from his thirteenth studio album Colors.
Margaret Debay Rogers is an American singer-songwriter and record producer from Easton, Maryland. Her big break came when her song "Alaska" was played to Pharrell Williams during a master class at New York University's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2019. She is currently a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School.
Colors is the thirteenth studio album by American musician Beck, released on October 13, 2017, by Capitol Records. The album was recorded between 2013 and 2017, with Beck producing alongside Greg Kurstin. The album's earliest single, "Dreams", was released in June 2015, while three more singles were released between June 2016 and September 2017. The title track was also released as a single in April 2018. The album won the Best Alternative Music Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
Hyperspace is the fourteenth studio album by American musician Beck. It was released through Capitol Records on November 22, 2019. It followed Beck's divorce from his wife Marissa Ribisi in February 2019. The album is a collaborative project with high-profile producer Pharrell Williams, who is credited for production and features on several songs. Recording for the album started in late 2018.
"Uneventful Days" is a song by the American musician Beck. It was released on October 17, 2019, as the second single from his fourteenth studio album Hyperspace.
"Dark Places" is a song by the American musician Beck. It was released on November 7, 2019 as the third single from his fourteenth studio album Hyperspace. A lyric video was also created for the song, made by Eddie Obrand. Consequence of Sound described the video as "dreamy".
"Everlasting Nothing" is a song by the American musician Beck. It was released on November 14, 2019 as the fourth single from his fourteenth studio album Hyperspace. Beck and Pharrell Williams wrote and produced "Everlasting Nothing", and played all the instruments on it. Beck sings, plays guitar and piano, while Williams plays drums and keyboard. It also features a choir.