In A Flash Of Light

Beck “Saw Lightning”

The Beck discography is a spectrum of styles, and “Saw Lightning” is near the center of it, where acoustic folk and funky rhythm meet. This is not an unusual space for Beck to be – this is more or less the spot where “Loser” falls in that continuum, and the same goes for a lot of songs from Guero and The Information. It’s default Beck. The sweet spot, though his greatest work will usually be at the far aesthetic extremes.

“Saw Lightning” is a song Beck completed with the help of Pharrell Williams, and while you can hear Williams’ presence in the rhythms, the flavor of it is still overwhelmingly Beck. Williams is mostly adding a kick to it – a Neptunes-y syncopation, a bass synth nudge that makes the chorus more propulsive, vocals that add dimension and a sense of wild commotion around Beck’s voice. The song has a slightly frantic feeling to it, like Beck is there trying to keep a cool head while disaster strikes. The lyrics allude to natural disasters and climate change, and the feeling of facing down scary, uncertain situations. But Beck sounds brave here – he’s scrambling, but gracefully. He’s in awe of crazy stuff going down, but wise enough to back away. It’s not a song about being terrified of the apocalypse; it’s a song about adjusting to a weird new normal.

Buy it from Amazon.