Where It's At - Beck

Artist: Beck
Song: Where It's At
Year: 1996
Album: Odelay

I was a fan of Beck's since his early days. I don't mean "Loser" early, I mean "MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack" original version early. I was happy when "Loser" hit big and everything else from the Mellow Gold album got a significant amount of airplay. Then the backlash started.

I saw Beck in a 1995 concert where he played mostly everything, but didn't play "Loser", which was his biggest hit at that time. The majority of the crowd was very disappointed in that decision. Some people started shouting, "Loser", at Beck. All they cared about was Beck playing his hit song.

I was cautiously optimistic about the release of Odelay. I wondered if there would be anything on the album that would be a breakout hit like "Loser" was. It didn't take too long for those doubts to melt away. "Where It's At" was picked up all over radio and the audience loved it.

I was really hoping that Beck wouldn't become a one hit wonder. I always thought that he had an incredible amount of talent. Too much to end up that way. "Where It's At" had the right combination of quirkiness and odd lyrical pairing to work. It didn't hurt that the song rocked.

Lyrics:
There's a destination a little up the road
From the habitations and the towns we know
A place we saw the lights turn low
The jig-saw jazz and the get-fresh flow

Pulling out jives and jamboree handouts
Two turntables and a microphone
Bottles and cans just clap your hands just clap your hands

Where it's at!
I got two turntables and a microphone
Where it's at!
I got two turntables and a microphone
Where it's at!
I got two turntables and a microphone
Where it's at!
(with robot vocal effect)I got two turntables and a microphone

(Take me home with my elevator bones!)
(That was a good drum break)

Pick yourself up off the side of the road
With your elevator bones and your whip-flash tones
Members only hypnotizers
Move through the room like ambulance drivers
Shine your shoes with your microphone blues
Hirsutes with parachutes fruits
Passing the dutchie from coast to coast
Let the man get Wilson; wanna rock the most now

Where it's at!
I got two turntables and a microphone
Where it's at!
I got two turntables and a microphone

(Man spoken "What about those who swing both ways? AC/DC's)

Two turntables and a microphone
Two turntables and a microphone
Two turntables and a microphone
Two turntables and a microphone
Two turntables and a microphone
Two turntables and a microphone

Where it's at!
I got two turntables and a microphone
Where it's at!
I got two turntables and a microphone

(Oh, dear me. Make-out City's a two-horse town)
(girl spoken: "That's beautiful, Dad!")

(Got my microphone...)

There's a destination a little up the road
From the habitations and the towns we know
A place we saw the lights turn low
The jig-saw jazz and the get-fresh flow

Pulling out jives and jamboree handouts
Two turntables and a microphone
Bottles and cans just clap your hands just clap your hands

Where it's at!
I got two turntables and a microphone
Where it's at!
I got two turntables and a microphone

I got plastic on my mind
(make it out, baby)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Let's make it out, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(scream)
Telephone plastic baby
Ahh, so good
Oh, yeah
Let's play good
Ow, ow, ow, ow