Girl (Beck song)
Encyclopedia
"Girl" is a Beck
song from the 2005 album Guero
. It was released as the second single from the album in July 2005. The video
for the song, created by Motion Theory, was inspired by the MAD fold-ins
by Al Jaffee
.
The song begins with a simple chiptune
melody. The rest of the song consists of acoustic guitars and drums.
In the video, Beck gets a limousine advertisement entitled "Lester's Big Ass Limousines...Moving Party For Hire" which folds to become "Less Is More".
Later on, Beck is in a pharmacy, buying an over-the-counter drug
. When he is looking at it, the walls and floor fold, making a skull with red eyes on the shelves and a sign above that saying "Side Effects: Death"
The next fold is at what seems to be garage sale. There is a painting of the Virgin Mary on the wall, which then folds. In the foreground, two toy cars have been folded together. Beck is seen later on in the video driving the car that looks like the car that this fold makes.
The next fold takes place on a sidewalk, where a little girl is doing a chalk drawing. She sets down the chalk and walks away, the side walk folds and it takes the form of human outline, with police and the yellow tape around it.
The fold after this one is a homeless person begging on the corner when Beck is driving by. The man holds a sign in his hand which says "Loose Change OK Allan's Anyway". The man proceeds to fold the sign, which now reads "Look Away". Later in the video, a sign is folded together to form the words "Where It's At
" with 2 records and a microphone, which is in reference to the Beck song of the same name.
The El Camino
Beck is driving in the video has the license plate "3CK 61RL".
smile. The very use of fold-in scenes is itself a tribute to MAD
, which features a fold-in on the back inside cover of every issue.
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
song from the 2005 album Guero
Guero
Guero is the ninth studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, first released in March 2005 on Interscope Records. It debuted on Billboard's Top 200 Album chart at #2 , and in the UK at #15 . To date, this is Beck's highest charting CD...
. It was released as the second single from the album in July 2005. The video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song, created by Motion Theory, was inspired by the MAD fold-ins
MAD fold-in
The Mad Fold-In is a feature found on the inside back cover of virtually every Mad magazine since 1964. Written and drawn by Al Jaffee, the Fold-In is one of the most well-known aspects of the magazine...
by Al Jaffee
Al Jaffee
Abraham Jaffee , known as Al Jaffee, is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine Mad, including his trademark feature, the Mad Fold-in. As of 2010, Jaffee remains a regular in the magazine after 55 years and is its longest-running contributor...
.
The song begins with a simple chiptune
Chiptune
A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
melody. The rest of the song consists of acoustic guitars and drums.
CD
- "Girl" – 3:32
- "Girl (Octet remix)" – 3:53
- "Girl (Paza remix)" – 2:47
- "Girl" video
Music video
The music video for Girl was directed by Motion Theory.In the video, Beck gets a limousine advertisement entitled "Lester's Big Ass Limousines...Moving Party For Hire" which folds to become "Less Is More".
Later on, Beck is in a pharmacy, buying an over-the-counter drug
Over-the-counter drug
Over-the-counter drugs are medicines that may be sold directly to a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to prescription drugs, which may be sold only to consumers possessing a valid prescription...
. When he is looking at it, the walls and floor fold, making a skull with red eyes on the shelves and a sign above that saying "Side Effects: Death"
The next fold is at what seems to be garage sale. There is a painting of the Virgin Mary on the wall, which then folds. In the foreground, two toy cars have been folded together. Beck is seen later on in the video driving the car that looks like the car that this fold makes.
The next fold takes place on a sidewalk, where a little girl is doing a chalk drawing. She sets down the chalk and walks away, the side walk folds and it takes the form of human outline, with police and the yellow tape around it.
The fold after this one is a homeless person begging on the corner when Beck is driving by. The man holds a sign in his hand which says "Loose Change OK Allan's Anyway". The man proceeds to fold the sign, which now reads "Look Away". Later in the video, a sign is folded together to form the words "Where It's At
Where It's At
"Where It's At" is the first single from Beck's 1996 album, Odelay. Beck wrote the song in 1995. He premiered it at Lollapalooza 1995, in a version very similar to its incarnation on Odelay...
" with 2 records and a microphone, which is in reference to the Beck song of the same name.
The El Camino
Chevrolet El Camino
The Chevrolet El Camino is a coupe utility vehicle produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1959–1960 model years in response to the success of its rival, Ford Ranchero. Production resumed for the 1964–1977 model years based on the Chevelle platform, and continued for the...
Beck is driving in the video has the license plate "3CK 61RL".
MAD References in the video
When Beck is looking at the TV, when the screen's image folds in it says "Al Jaffee", and at the very end where he sits on the bench, the fold-in reveals an Alfred E. NeumanAlfred E. Neuman
Alfred E. Neuman is the fictional mascot and cover boy of Mad magazine. The face had drifted through American pictography for decades before being claimed and named by Mad editor Harvey Kurtzman...
smile. The very use of fold-in scenes is itself a tribute to MAD
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
, which features a fold-in on the back inside cover of every issue.