Lyrics:

The Song:

"Static" is a sweet track, full of gorgeous electric guitars, all played by Beck. Roger, Justin, and Joey have a mellow groove going in support, and the end effect is an amazing, heart-wrenching tune. Despite sharing a title with an earlier, unreleased song, the two songs have little in common.

There is an earlier unreleased song played live in 1995 called "Plague," which didn't make it on to Odelay. Beck used the music later for "Static" on Mutations, but rewrote most of the words. The one version of "Plague" I have heard that is relatively clear is transcribed above, and has references to lines which would show up on Odelay ("puzzles and pagans" on "Jack-ass") and even some lines which return on "Static" ("who are you foolin'...")

These lyrics are yet another wonderful composition, and fit perfectly with the music. This is one of my all-time favorite songs. Beck doesn't fill in the blanks, and any listener at any time can get almost anything out of it.

The song was an old one, and Beck fills it with his own twists and references to the blues. While the music was left over from 1995, Beck seems to have rewritten the words for Mutations. Blind Willie McTell has a song called "Broke Down Engine," with the line "Feel like a broken engine / ain't got no drivin' wheel / you all been down and lonesome / you know just how a poor man feels." Seems to sum up "Static" pretty well.

Beck's use of the word "static" in his other song of the same name was in reference to all the noise and information that is ever-present (the new pollution). This time, he is much more vague. It is probably more easily defined as "the blues" here. This "static" has a devastating effect - leaving you "hollow and unkind," and even "pacifies your mind and leaves you stranded with a broken engine." Whatever is causing these feelings is one of those blanks left for the listener to fill in, but who hasn't on occasion felt like "it's a perfect day to lock yourself inside"? Stuck on a treadmill, with no desire or get-up-and-go (i.e, "with a broken engine")? "Static" is definitely one of Beck's most evocative lyrics.

Live:

Played live 8 times:
Earliest known live version: June 21, 1995
Latest known live version: July 7, 2001

For reasons I cannot figure, "Static" has been played on stage just about the least of all his songs on any of the major label albums. Since Mutations was released, Beck has played "Static" just four times. Go figure. Always one of my personal favorite Beck songs, I find this quite surprising.

1995: PLAGUE

Like the rest of Mutations, "Static" was a much older song, originating years before it was recorded. In 1995, there are two setlist reports of a song called "Plague." There is one (awful) recording of one of them, and it turns out that "Plague" is indeed "Static." The arrangement is identical; just the lyrics are different. The sound quality is too poor to discern any of the words. The music and vocal melody feels a little more forced than the natural ease of the album version.  I'm going to assume it showed up a few other times in 1995 that we don't know about.

JANUARY 10, 1999: VAIN ATTEMPT NEW YORK VERSION

There was not many shows in support of Mutations, and even less had "Static." In fact, only one did, and it was at the show in January (when most shows were a few months later). Beck seems to have difficulty getting the lyrics out, and overall the performance sounds a bit forced. Roger Joseph Manning, Jr.'s piano is a highlight and sounds very pretty hovering over the song. They find the groove a bit by the end.

OCT. 2000 / JULY 7 2001: LAZY DESERT ACOUSTIC VERSION

Beck played the song two times during some post-Vultures special gigs. One, on October 29 2000, was a little dusty, but it was beautiful. It sounds much more like a folk song. I think it's just a couple of acoustic guitars? Maybe just one? Hard to tell for sure. Beck did again alone on July 7 2001 at a short set opening for Radiohead.