Where It's At (Beck song)

"Where It's At" is a song by American alternative rock musician Beck. It was released as the first single from his fifth album, Odelay (1996). Beck wrote the song in 1995 and premiered it at Lollapalooza the same year, in a version very similar to its incarnation on Odelay. He has performed the song often since 1995, frequently experimenting with the music and lyrics.

For other uses, see Where It's At.

"Where It's At"
Single by Beck
from the album Odelay
B-side
  • "Make Out City"
  • "Bonus Beats"
Written1995
ReleasedMay 28, 1996 (1996-05-28)
GenreAlternative hip hop[1]
Length
  • 3:42 (radio edit)
  • 5:30 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Beck singles chronology
"It's All in Your Mind"
(1995)		 "Where It's At"
(1996)		 "Devils Haircut"
(1996)
Music video
"Where It's At" on YouTube

Production

"Where It's At" has a number of spoken samples that Beck and the Dust Brothers incorporated into it. Many of these come from an obscure sex education album titled Sex for Teens: (Where It's At), a subtitle Beck borrowed (see link below). Other vocal samples incorporated into "Where It's At" come from "Needle to the Groove" by old-school hip hop group Mantronix ("we've got two turntables and a microphone..."), as well as The Frogs ("that was a good drum break"). The song also references Gary Wilson, one of Beck's influences. In addition, just before the Frogs sample begins, the song incorporates a musical sample from the intro of noted go-go band E.U.'s song "Knock Him Out Sugar Ray".

Beck earned the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for the song. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 76 on its list of 150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years.[2]

Critical reception

Justin Chadwick from Albumism said "Where It's At" is "the most memorable" song among the singles of the Odelay album. He added, "Propelled by a cacophony of distorted melodies, oddball vocal snippets, and the unforgettable chorus chant of “Where it’s at! I’ve got two turntables and a microphone”, with a robotic echo lifted from Mantronix’s 1985 single “Needle to the Groove”, Beck gives you little choice but to wholeheartedly accept his invitation to the “destination a little up the road”."[3] Paul Verna from Billboard noted that "he takes a more straightforward tack, floating stream-of-consciousness raps over sampled beats."[4] Daina Darzin from Cash Box picked it as Pick of the Week, noting that fans of "Loser" "should be equally happy with this". She wrote, "Jazzy, loopy keyboards, hip hop rhythms, psychedelic swirls of sixties-ish sound, and a happy, party-hearty groove make this a possible add for urban as well as modern rock stations."[5]

In 2012, Paste ranked the song number two on their list of the 20 greatest Beck songs,[6] and in 2020, The Guardian ranked the song number seven on their list of the 30 greatest Beck songs.[7]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Where It's At" was directed by Steve Hanft. It features Beck doing a variety of things, such as cleaning up a highway for community service as a convict, singing at a car dealership, dressed as the Candyman, and line dancing. In one moment, Beck pays homage to William Shatner's performance of "Rocket Man" at the 1977 Saturn Awards ceremony. "Where It's At" was the first music video to be broadcast on MTV2 on August 1, 1996. Beck also pays homage to Captain Beefheart by dressing as Captain Beefheart was dressed in the Trout Mask Replica album photo sessions at 1:27 in the video.[8] The video was awarded a MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video. The shorter version was used for this video instead of the album version.

Track listings

Personnel
  • Beck Hansen – vocals, electric piano, guitar, bass, organ
  • The Dust Brothers – turntables
  • Mike Boito – trumpet, organ
  • Money Mark – organ
  • David Brown – saxophone
  • Eddie Lopez – outro talking

Charts

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States May 28, 1996
[22]
United Kingdom June 17, 1996
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[23]
Japan October 23, 1996 CD [24]

References
  1. "Where Beck Was At".
  2. "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". NME. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  3. Chadwick, Justin (June 13, 2021). "Beck's 'Odelay' Turns 25 — Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  4. Verna, Paul (June 29, 1996). "Reviews & Previews: Albums" (PDF). Billboard. p. 79. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  5. Darzin, Daina (July 6, 1996). "Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  6. Bort, Ryan (July 16, 2012). "The 20 Best Beck Songs". Paste. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  7. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (July 2, 2020). "Beck's greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  8. "Beck Dressed as Captain Beefheart in the Where It's At Video". Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  9. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 04 Aug 1996". ARIA. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The HP column indicates the single's highest position.
  10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9529." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  11. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3046." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  12. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 27. July 6, 1996. p. 12. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  13. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 184 Vikuna 24.8. – 30.8. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). August 24, 1996. p. 42. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  14. "Beck – Where It's At". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  15. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  16. "Beck – Where It's At". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  18. "Beck Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  19. "U.S. Cash Box Charts" (PDF). popmusichistory. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  20. "RPM Year End Alternative Top 50". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  21. "Árslistinn 1996". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1997. p. 25. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  22. Rosen, Craig (June 8, 1996). "DGC's Beck Battles His 'Loser' Image on 'Odelay'". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 23. p. 117. ...began playing 'Where It's At,' the first single from 'Odelay,' May 28, the day the track was officially serviced to modern rock and college radio.
  23. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. June 15, 1996. p. 31.
  24. "ホエア・イッツ・アット～スーパー・リミックス | Beck" [Where It's At ~ Super Remix | Beck] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
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