Back Streets of Seattle (Summer Of Love)
By: Beck Hansen
Written by: Beck Hansen

Version Of: Back Streets of...

This Version:
  • Back Streets of Seattle (Summer Of Love)
    a.k.a. Seattle (Back Streets)
 
Lyrics:
SHOW #1 (August 2, 2002)

Spoken: I got some family here in Seattle. Got some connections here in Seattle. I actually got my heart broken for the first time in Seattle. I was thirteen. That's the way it goes. Walking through the back streets of Seattle with tears goin' down my face, feelin' like a man broke in half...except I was 13.

Walking through the back streets of Seattle
It was the summer of love, Los Angeles Olympics
We were watching gymnastics
Sitting on the couch and trying to sit a little bit closer
And you were staying at your grandma's house
And I was staying at my cousin's, yea for real
Hanging out on the lawn, it was cool
'Cause it stayed light until 10:30 and nobody complained
Something I wanted to say to you but I just keep forgettin'
She had a haircut just like Mary Lou Retton, yea!
That was the shit back in the day
Those dolphin shorts, yea... you remember those?
I used to wear 'em all the time
They were for girls, but you know, I liked the silkiness
Especially when the breeze blew up...yea
And she said, "Meet me over by the bushes at the house"
Now it's time we're gonna make out, yea
But she just called me back there and said
"You know, I just don't dig you"
That's when I walked all the way from 190th Street
All the way back to L.A.
And that was even about eight years before Forrest Gump came out
Yea, had the funky beard growing out by the time I got home
And a whole legion of people behind me!
Had a lot of lumberjacks running from Portland
And a couple of hippies from Humboldt
And a businessman from San Jose ay ay ay ay yea
When we got to LA, there was about 200,000 people
Back streets of Seattle
Back streets of Seattle yea yea
Back streets of Seattle
And the midnight fire burning!
Seattle attle attle attle attle attle...
 
The Song:

Show #1 in Seattle saw Beck telling his tale of when he had his heart broken in Seattle and then he went back to L.A., Forrest Gump-style. It's actually a story he's told before, and is at least partially true. He played it on acoustic guitar. Highlighted by his rhyming of "forgettin'" with "Mary Lou Retton."
 
Live:

Played live once:
August 2, 2002