Loser

About this song

Originally recorded in 1991 as a casual session at a friend's house, the song was not released until 1993, when it came out as a limited pressing of 500 copies on the independent label Bong Load. It quickly gained traction on college radio and some alternative stations, drawing the interest of Geffen Records, whose reissue became Beck's breakout hit. The single reached #10 on the US pop chart in April 1994, earned Gold certification, spent five weeks at #1 on the Modern Rock chart, and was a top 20 hit in several countries, including reaching #1 in Norway. Rolling Stone named it one of the greatest songs of all time in 2011.

What it's about

The verses are largely a stream of nonsensical images in which the narrator announces he is a slacker. Some listeners read it as setting imagery of poverty against pop culture glamour and excess, though Beck has said the rap began as an improvised poem recorded in his kitchen as a filler track.

Fun facts

• Samples “I Walk On Gilded Splinters by Johnny Jenkins” and “Driver Winner by Thomas Hendrix”.
• Sampled in 12 other songs, like “The Alternative Polka With The Original Artists by Chongo”.
• Covered 10 times.
• Written by Beck and Karl Stephenson.
• Produced by Beck, Karl Stephenson and Tom Rothrock.