Written by: Beck Hansen, Karl Stephenson
Versions:
- Sweet Sunshine (4:14)
Available on Mellow Gold.
CreditsRob Schnapf: Mix
Tom Rothrock: Mix
Beck Hansen: Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Karl Stephenson: Producer
Lyrics:
Sweet Sunshine [Version (a)]:
Touch me on the inside with a finger full of gravy
Wanna get you on the sofa, lady wanna shake and bake me
Bucket full of blood, got you on my mind
Gonna break my face on the sweet sunshine
Bucket full of blood, got you on my mind
Gonna break my face on the sweet sunshine
I wanna get up off the floor
I wanna run to the devil and get me some more
I wanna get up off the floor
I wanna run to the devil and get me some more
Bottle full of pain with a hog's head screaming
Be a scumbag soul and a body always screaming
Grab your wine, tell me where you been
With the violin cryin' and the moon gettin' thin
Grab your wine, tell me where you been
With the violin cryin' and the moon gettin' thin
I wanna climb up on the wall
I wanna swing through the city on a wreckin' ball
I wanna climb up on the wall
I wanna swing through the city on a wreckin' ball
Hail to the dawning of the plentiful sensation
'Cause the town is full of sound and I killed my last relation
Bucket full of blood, got you on my mind
Gonna break my face on the sweet sunshine
Bucket full of blood, got you on my mind
Gonna break my face on the sweet sunshine
I wanna get up off the floor
I wanna run to the devil and get me some more
I wanna get up off the floor
I wanna run to the devil and get me some more
Touch me on the inside with a finger full of gravy
Wanna get you on the sofa, lady wanna shake and bake me
Bucket full of blood, got you on my mind
Gonna break my face on the sweet sunshine
Bucket full of blood, got you on my mind
Gonna break my face on the sweet sunshine
I wanna get up off the floor
I wanna run to the devil and get me some more
I wanna get up off the floor
I wanna run to the devil and get me some more
Bottle full of pain with a hog's head screaming
Be a scumbag soul and a body always screaming
Grab your wine, tell me where you been
With the violin cryin' and the moon gettin' thin
Grab your wine, tell me where you been
With the violin cryin' and the moon gettin' thin
I wanna climb up on the wall
I wanna swing through the city on a wreckin' ball
I wanna climb up on the wall
I wanna swing through the city on a wreckin' ball
Hail to the dawning of the plentiful sensation
'Cause the town is full of sound and I killed my last relation
Bucket full of blood, got you on my mind
Gonna break my face on the sweet sunshine
Bucket full of blood, got you on my mind
Gonna break my face on the sweet sunshine
I wanna get up off the floor
I wanna run to the devil and get me some more
I wanna get up off the floor
I wanna run to the devil and get me some more
The Song:
"Sweet Sunshine" is one of those oft-forgotten songs. It gets buried under all the other gems on Mellow Gold, perhaps because it is somewhat at odds with the "normal" Beck sound. Not that Beck's songs all sound the same, but in particular, this is not a sound that you ever get too used to hearing from him. At the same time though, that's what makes it oddly fascinating. The rumbling bass and distorted vocals are a bit off-putting, but it's got a sharp arrangement and a good performance that make a rewarding listen.
Once when talking about "The New Pollution," Beck mentioned that he likes how he took an ugly word like "pollution" and use it an appealing concept or context. With "Sweet Sunshine," he did the opposite, taking a completely innocent (and in a way cheesy) phrase like "sweet sunshine" and turning it into an ugly, harsh image: "Gonna break my face on the sweet sunshine." He sings of buckets of blood, scumbag souls, wreckin' balls, and how he killed his imagination. This is not a song that should be titled "Sweet Sunshine"! Beck's explored this type of duality in his lyrics many times, from "Asshole" to "Beautiful Way."
The subject of the song ("sweet sunshine") is a pleasing image, but Beck sings of its harsh consequences. Something is driving the narrator to "break his face" with it, and with the second chorus in mind ("I wanna get up off the floor / I wanna run to the devil and get me some more"), it seems that "Sweet Sunshine" is a song about addiction and its consequences ("a body always screaming").
"Sweet Sunshine" is one of those oft-forgotten songs. It gets buried under all the other gems on Mellow Gold, perhaps because it is somewhat at odds with the "normal" Beck sound. Not that Beck's songs all sound the same, but in particular, this is not a sound that you ever get too used to hearing from him. At the same time though, that's what makes it oddly fascinating. The rumbling bass and distorted vocals are a bit off-putting, but it's got a sharp arrangement and a good performance that make a rewarding listen.
Once when talking about "The New Pollution," Beck mentioned that he likes how he took an ugly word like "pollution" and use it an appealing concept or context. With "Sweet Sunshine," he did the opposite, taking a completely innocent (and in a way cheesy) phrase like "sweet sunshine" and turning it into an ugly, harsh image: "Gonna break my face on the sweet sunshine." He sings of buckets of blood, scumbag souls, wreckin' balls, and how he killed his imagination. This is not a song that should be titled "Sweet Sunshine"! Beck's explored this type of duality in his lyrics many times, from "Asshole" to "Beautiful Way."
The subject of the song ("sweet sunshine") is a pleasing image, but Beck sings of its harsh consequences. Something is driving the narrator to "break his face" with it, and with the second chorus in mind ("I wanna get up off the floor / I wanna run to the devil and get me some more"), it seems that "Sweet Sunshine" is a song about addiction and its consequences ("a body always screaming").
Live:
Beck has never played this live as far as we are aware. I wouldn't be surprised if he gave it a shot once or twice in 1994 though.
Beck has never played this live as far as we are aware. I wouldn't be surprised if he gave it a shot once or twice in 1994 though.