She's got a cigarette on each arm. She's got the lily-white cavity crazes. She's got a carburetor tied to the moon. Pink eyes looking to the food of the ages. She's alone in the new pollution. She's alone in the new pollution. _____________________________
(https://youtu.be/uxugaMpt1vU)
We fell in love with this song by Beck when first released way back when... and still love it. Its words (and his performance) speak to us in weird and wonderful ways because, well, they're weird and wonderful.
Smart and ambiguous, curious and thought provoking, they could mean many things or nothing at all, just as Beck intended. In a 1997 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine he noted "... people are just being lazy if they can't find meaning in words like that. You know... be creative. I don't want to fill out the picture. You fill in the blanks. That's the way it should be."
In our opinion, they're a savvy snap at 'modern' dilemma with a kick ass woman at their center... one who knows and uses her powers to her advantage in negotiating the chaos of the world around her. That 'modern' may have been over 20 years ago, but its relevance feels even more potent today as 'pollution' and 'chaos' of all kinds feel to have only grown in volume.
Besides its introspective leanings, we dig the song and Beck's performances for what they hint about individuality. Who doesn't love the style being defined by Beck's voice, his look and his moves.
We've posted both the official video above and its live take at the MTV Awards that year below to help you remember (or discover) why this song is a classic. Enjoy... then go tie a carburetor to the moon.
