Written by: Beck Hansen, John King, Mike Simpson
Alternate Titles:
a.k.a. Guero
Versions:
- Qué Onda Guero (3:29)
Available on Guero.
CreditsRecorded at: The Boat
The Dust Brothers: Beats, Mix, Producer
Danny Kalb: Engineer
Beck Hansen: Mix, Producer, Sounds, Vocals
Charlie Capen: Sounds
Paolo Diaz: Vocals - Gameboy / Homeboy (2:48)
Available on Girl and 2 other releases.
Credits8-bit: Remix
Beck Hansen: Vocals
Paolo Diaz: Vocals - Qué Onda Guero (Islands Remix) (2:29)
Available on Guerolito.
CreditsTim Kramer: Bass (Upright)
J'aime Tambeur: Clarinet, Drums, Glockenspiel
Patrick Gregoire: Clarinet (Bass)
Natalie Alcorn: French Horn
Nick Diamonds: Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboard / Synthesizer, Vocals (Background)
Islands: Remix
Beck Hansen: Vocals - Qué Onda Guero (Leaked Version) (3:45)
Available on Guero. - Qué Onda Guero (Money Mark Remix)
CreditsMoney Mark: Remix - Qué Onda Guero (Nortec Collective Remix) (4:44)
Available on Guerolito.
CreditsNortec Collective: Remix - Qué Onda Guero (Surround Mix) (3:29)
Available on Guero.
Unofficial Versions: [show/hide]
- Guero (Rock the Guero) (3:47)
CreditsPsychoKinetic: Remix - Qué Onda Guero (Team Shi Latino 96.3 Remix) (2:58)
CreditsThe Mae-Shi: Remix - Qué Onda Guero (Team Shi Latino 96.3 Remix) / Que Onda Guero (Islands Remix) (2:38)
Available on Three Steps Beckwards.
CreditsBeck Hansen: Mashed
Ian Wardle: Remix (Mashup)
Lyrics:
Qué Onda Guero [Version (a)]:
Que onda Jose?
Que onda Jose?
See the Vegetable Man
In the Vegetable Van
With a horn that's honking
Like a mariachi band
In the middle of the street
People gather around
Put the dollar-dollar-dollar in the can
Ay wey, que onda?
TJ cowboys hang around
Sleeping in the sidewalk
With a Burger King crown
Never wake 'em up
Mas cerveza
Till the rooster crows
Vatos vergallos
Que onda guero?
Que onda guero?
Que onda guero?
Que onda guero?
Mano blancos roll with crowbars
Sing rancheras on cheap guitars
Abuelitas with plastic bags
Walking to the church with the Spanish candles
Dirty borracho says 'que putas!'
Andaley, Joto, your popsicle is melting
Run better run, da doo run run
Mara Salvatrucha in the midnight sun
Guero, where are you going?
Que onda guero?
Guero, where are you going?
Que onda guero?
Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Guatemalan soccer ball instant replays
Mango ladies, vendedoras at a bus stop
Sing a banda macho chorus
Que onda guero?
A donde vayas
Que onda guero?
A donde vayas
Que ??? es ese?
Alla en la en Pico
La Pico y Vermont
Hey vamos a jugar futbol hay en el Griffith Park
Hey Lacoro
Yeah now I'm going to LACC, man
I'm taking a ceramics class
See the Vegetable Man in the Vegetable Van
James Joyce
Michael Bolton!!!
Que onda guero
Hey where are you going?
Que onda guero
Hey where are you going?
Hey what's up guero?
"You doing pushups?"
No te veo guero!
El guero!
Que Pasa
Otra vero guero
I dunno I saw a puppet at Tang's
with a mullet and a popsicle.
Hey Guero
Que locura!
Chico
Hey Guero
Yeah Bro?
Hehehe, footlong?
Let's go to Cap'n Cork.
They have the new Yanni cassette
Que onda Jose?
Que onda Jose?
See the Vegetable Man
In the Vegetable Van
With a horn that's honking
Like a mariachi band
In the middle of the street
People gather around
Put the dollar-dollar-dollar in the can
Ay wey, que onda?
TJ cowboys hang around
Sleeping in the sidewalk
With a Burger King crown
Never wake 'em up
Mas cerveza
Till the rooster crows
Vatos vergallos
Que onda guero?
Que onda guero?
Que onda guero?
Que onda guero?
Mano blancos roll with crowbars
Sing rancheras on cheap guitars
Abuelitas with plastic bags
Walking to the church with the Spanish candles
Dirty borracho says 'que putas!'
Andaley, Joto, your popsicle is melting
Run better run, da doo run run
Mara Salvatrucha in the midnight sun
Guero, where are you going?
Que onda guero?
Guero, where are you going?
Que onda guero?
Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Guatemalan soccer ball instant replays
Mango ladies, vendedoras at a bus stop
Sing a banda macho chorus
Que onda guero?
A donde vayas
Que onda guero?
A donde vayas
Que ??? es ese?
Alla en la en Pico
La Pico y Vermont
Hey vamos a jugar futbol hay en el Griffith Park
Hey Lacoro
Yeah now I'm going to LACC, man
I'm taking a ceramics class
See the Vegetable Man in the Vegetable Van
James Joyce
Michael Bolton!!!
Que onda guero
Hey where are you going?
Que onda guero
Hey where are you going?
Hey what's up guero?
"You doing pushups?"
No te veo guero!
El guero!
Que Pasa
Otra vero guero
I dunno I saw a puppet at Tang's
with a mullet and a popsicle.
Hey Guero
Que locura!
Chico
Hey Guero
Yeah Bro?
Hehehe, footlong?
Let's go to Cap'n Cork.
They have the new Yanni cassette
Gameboy / Homeboy [Version (b)]:
Qu� onda Jos�?
??
See the Vegetable Man
See the Vegetable Man
In the Vegetable Van
With a horn that's honking
Like a mariachi band
In the middle of the street
People gather around
Put the dollar-dollar-dollar in the can
Ay wey, qu� onda?
TJ cowboys hang around
Sleeping in the sidewalk
With a Burger King crown
Never wake 'em up
Mas cerveza
Til the rooster crows
Vatos vergallos
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Mano blancos roll with crowbars
Sing rancheras on cheap guitars
Abuelitas with plastic bags
Walking to the church with the Spanish candles
Dirty borracho says 'que putas!'
Andaley, Joto, your popsicle is melting
Run better run, da doo run run
Mara Salvatrucha in the midnight sun
I saw a puppet at Tang's, a mullet and a popiscle
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Yea, bro, hey guero, ???
Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Yea, bro, hey guero, let's go to Cap'n Cork's
They have the new Yanni cassette
Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Guatemalan soccer ball instant replays
Mango ladies, vendedoras at a bus stop
Sing a banda macho chorus
Guero, where you goin'?
Qu� onda guero?
Guero, where you goin'?
Qu� onda guero?
Guero, where you goin'?
Qu� onda Jos�?
??
See the Vegetable Man
See the Vegetable Man
In the Vegetable Van
With a horn that's honking
Like a mariachi band
In the middle of the street
People gather around
Put the dollar-dollar-dollar in the can
Ay wey, qu� onda?
TJ cowboys hang around
Sleeping in the sidewalk
With a Burger King crown
Never wake 'em up
Mas cerveza
Til the rooster crows
Vatos vergallos
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Mano blancos roll with crowbars
Sing rancheras on cheap guitars
Abuelitas with plastic bags
Walking to the church with the Spanish candles
Dirty borracho says 'que putas!'
Andaley, Joto, your popsicle is melting
Run better run, da doo run run
Mara Salvatrucha in the midnight sun
I saw a puppet at Tang's, a mullet and a popiscle
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Yea, bro, hey guero, ???
Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Yea, bro, hey guero, let's go to Cap'n Cork's
They have the new Yanni cassette
Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Guatemalan soccer ball instant replays
Mango ladies, vendedoras at a bus stop
Sing a banda macho chorus
Guero, where you goin'?
Qu� onda guero?
Guero, where you goin'?
Qu� onda guero?
Guero, where you goin'?
Qué Onda Guero (Islands Remix) [Version (c)]:
See the vegetable man
In the vegetable van
With a horn that's honking
Like a mariachi band
In the middle of the street
People gather around
Put the dollar-dollar-dollar in the can
Que onda?
TJ cowboys hang around
Sleeping in the sidewalk
With a Burger King crown
Never wake 'em up
Mas cerveza
Till the rooster crows
Vatos vergallos
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Mano blancos roll with crowbars
Sing rancheras on cheap guitars
Abuelitas with plastic bags
Walking to the church with the Spanish candles
Dirty borracho says 'que putas!'
Andaley, Joto, your popsicle is melting
Run better run, da doo run run
Mara Salvatrucha in the midnight sun
Guero, where are you going?
Qu� onda guero?
Guero, where are you going?
Qu� onda guero?
Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Guatemalan soccer ball instant replays
Mango ladies, vendedoras at a bus stop
Sing a banda macho chorus
Qu� onda, Jose?
See the vegetable man
In the vegetable van
With a horn that's honking
Like a mariachi band
In the middle of the street
People gather around
Dollar-dollar-dollar in the can
Ay wey, qu� onda?
Qu� onda, Jose?
Qu� onda guero?
See the vegetable man
In the vegetable van
With a horn that's honking
Like a mariachi band
In the middle of the street
People gather around
Put the dollar-dollar-dollar in the can
Que onda?
TJ cowboys hang around
Sleeping in the sidewalk
With a Burger King crown
Never wake 'em up
Mas cerveza
Till the rooster crows
Vatos vergallos
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Qu� onda guero?
Mano blancos roll with crowbars
Sing rancheras on cheap guitars
Abuelitas with plastic bags
Walking to the church with the Spanish candles
Dirty borracho says 'que putas!'
Andaley, Joto, your popsicle is melting
Run better run, da doo run run
Mara Salvatrucha in the midnight sun
Guero, where are you going?
Qu� onda guero?
Guero, where are you going?
Qu� onda guero?
Rampart boys with loaded rifles
Guatemalan soccer ball instant replays
Mango ladies, vendedoras at a bus stop
Sing a banda macho chorus
Qu� onda, Jose?
See the vegetable man
In the vegetable van
With a horn that's honking
Like a mariachi band
In the middle of the street
People gather around
Dollar-dollar-dollar in the can
Ay wey, qu� onda?
Qu� onda, Jose?
Qu� onda guero?
The Song:
"Guero" is a portrait of the colorful East Los Angeles neighborhood where Beck was born, and lived in as a teenager. A New York Times article about Beck began with this:
The song contains very picturesque lyrics, painting a picture of that neighborhood scene with short strokes. Lots of color, people yelling things, bustling chaos everywhere.
The recording is made even more vivid with all the homemade samples. As Beck explained this in Filter Magazine, "I went down to record street sounds from this neighborhood I grew up in, because the song felt kind of empty. In the song, I was talking about all these impressions from the neighborhood, just snapshots, so we went down there." Not only did he capture street sounds, but Beck got his friend Paolo to shout things. Initially, Paolo was shouting stuff that you might actually hear on the street, but soon it got more "fanciful and ridiculous," such as the shouts of "James Joyce!" and "Michael Bolton!" Beck recalled that often the residents of the neighborhood would call him "Axl Rose" because he was a white kid with a guitar, and this felt along those lines. Beck did appreciate the surreal "Michael Bolton/James Joyce collision moment," as he called it.
The song itself feels pretty simple and straightfoward, even considering all the samples. The groovy beat mimics the street sounds in the same way the words do, and it all seems like fairly typical Dust Brothers fare.
"Guero" is a portrait of the colorful East Los Angeles neighborhood where Beck was born, and lived in as a teenager. A New York Times article about Beck began with this:
"As a teenager, Beck Hansen would board the bus in a Latin neighborhood just south of downtown Los Angeles, where he lived with his mother and brother. He was a pale, blond, slightly built kid, with narrow shoulders and no hips. Mostly, he was ignored, but occasionally, someone on the street would shout, ''Guero!'' (''White boy!'')."
The song contains very picturesque lyrics, painting a picture of that neighborhood scene with short strokes. Lots of color, people yelling things, bustling chaos everywhere.
The recording is made even more vivid with all the homemade samples. As Beck explained this in Filter Magazine, "I went down to record street sounds from this neighborhood I grew up in, because the song felt kind of empty. In the song, I was talking about all these impressions from the neighborhood, just snapshots, so we went down there." Not only did he capture street sounds, but Beck got his friend Paolo to shout things. Initially, Paolo was shouting stuff that you might actually hear on the street, but soon it got more "fanciful and ridiculous," such as the shouts of "James Joyce!" and "Michael Bolton!" Beck recalled that often the residents of the neighborhood would call him "Axl Rose" because he was a white kid with a guitar, and this felt along those lines. Beck did appreciate the surreal "Michael Bolton/James Joyce collision moment," as he called it.
The song itself feels pretty simple and straightfoward, even considering all the samples. The groovy beat mimics the street sounds in the same way the words do, and it all seems like fairly typical Dust Brothers fare.
Live:
Played live 292 times:
Earliest known live version: January 28, 2005
Latest known live version: May 12, 2024
Beck has pretty much played "Que Onda Guero" quite regularly since he released it.
2005-2007 Guero/Info tour
Live, "Que Onda Guero" feels and sounds effortless. Much like the record, actually. The groove is a bit more hypnotic and seductive, but not much has changed. Played almost every night in 2005, and maybe 2/3 of the time in 2006-2007.
2008-2009 Modern Guilt tour
Still regularly in setlists, Beck continued to do the song, playing at around 30 of the 50 shows.
2012-2013 pre-Morning Phase tours
After a couple years off, Beck returned to touring, doing a minimal amount of shows (15 in 2012 and 25 in 2013). "Que Onda Guero" continues in the circulation: 4 times all in Australia in 2012, and then 10 more times in 2013.
2014 Morning Phase tour
On the Morning Phase tours of 2014, Beck played "Que Onda Guero" at about half of his shows. That seems to be the norm now. The only real change they made was to the ending of the song, which on record is a longer effect-filled groove. On stage this year though, they cut it pretty quick, doing the chorus twice and then ending the song.
2015-2016 post Morning Phase tours
Beck kept these years simpler, playing 30 shows in 2015 and 32 in 2016. Again, "Que Onda Guero" floats in about half of the time in 2015... but climbed back up and was played almost every show in 2016.
The song continues to be one of Beck's top live choices.
Played live 292 times:
January 28, 2005
February 5, 2005
February 15, 2005
February 24, 2005
March 14, 2005
March 21, 2005
March 23, 2005
March 24, 2005
March 31, 2005
April 15, 2005
...and 282 more.
February 5, 2005
February 15, 2005
February 24, 2005
March 14, 2005
March 21, 2005
March 23, 2005
March 24, 2005
March 31, 2005
April 15, 2005
...and 282 more.
Earliest known live version: January 28, 2005
Latest known live version: May 12, 2024
Beck has pretty much played "Que Onda Guero" quite regularly since he released it.
2005-2007 Guero/Info tour
Live, "Que Onda Guero" feels and sounds effortless. Much like the record, actually. The groove is a bit more hypnotic and seductive, but not much has changed. Played almost every night in 2005, and maybe 2/3 of the time in 2006-2007.
2008-2009 Modern Guilt tour
Still regularly in setlists, Beck continued to do the song, playing at around 30 of the 50 shows.
2012-2013 pre-Morning Phase tours
After a couple years off, Beck returned to touring, doing a minimal amount of shows (15 in 2012 and 25 in 2013). "Que Onda Guero" continues in the circulation: 4 times all in Australia in 2012, and then 10 more times in 2013.
2014 Morning Phase tour
On the Morning Phase tours of 2014, Beck played "Que Onda Guero" at about half of his shows. That seems to be the norm now. The only real change they made was to the ending of the song, which on record is a longer effect-filled groove. On stage this year though, they cut it pretty quick, doing the chorus twice and then ending the song.
2015-2016 post Morning Phase tours
Beck kept these years simpler, playing 30 shows in 2015 and 32 in 2016. Again, "Que Onda Guero" floats in about half of the time in 2015... but climbed back up and was played almost every show in 2016.
The song continues to be one of Beck's top live choices.
Notes:
- The leaked version was minorly different, a few of the samples have been removed. Also, that part right before "in the midnight sun" was scrambled on the final release. It was still indecipherable on the leak though. Interestingly, this scrambling was removed on the DVD version of the song...
The lyrics in the liner notes skip that part entirely. - There's been a couple of remixes of this song:
"Gameboy / Homeboy" - Thanks to Ana and Tono Conejo and Tim for help with the Spanish! They each also included some definitions for us:
Guero = Pale... = white man (slang for "whitey")
Wey= Guey= Man
Guerco= Children
Guero ven pa aca= Hey man.. come here
No te veo Guero= I can't see you guero
Ke te pasa? = What do you have
Hey guero te hablan = Hey man... they talk you
Que onda guero?= What's up man?
A donde vayas= where you go
Abuelitas = grandmothers