Written by: Beck Hansen
Versions:
- This Girl That I Know
Available on The Information.
CreditsJames Gadson: Drums
Nigel Godrich: Producer
Beck Hansen: Vocals
Lyrics:
This Girl That I Know [Version (a)]:
Laser animator
Add another to the breaker
On a broken escalator
We could get what we need
'Cause it's a night of confessions
Electric progressions
Honorable mentions
Get a bouquet of weeds
And everybody moving
Like they know what they are doing
Push a weight against a wall
In a stifling room
City's in shambles
Untangle the tangles
People get together
To uncover the ruins
This girl that I know
I met her at a Minutemen show
She used to work for a literary journal
But she's really into hiphop
This girl that I know
I met her at a Commodores show
She kind of brushed me off
But I think she likes movies from France
Just like a lone dancer
In a motion disaster
With a chrome ghettoblaster
We just do what we feel
Even if it's atrocious
There's no hope for the hopeless
If there's nothing to cope
We get a rhythm that's real
Like a Tuesday commuter
With a dirty computer
We see the future hanging out
At a monoxide vibe
Habits are forming
Like cigarettes boring
To a smoker in the morning
Pulling butts from the ground
This girl that I know
I met her at a Sonic Youth show
I like her style
She's got that ?? burning ??
This girl that I know
I met her at a Jodeci show
She was looking good, you know
Laser animator
Add another to the breaker
On a broken escalator
We could get what we need
'Cause it's a night of confessions
Electric progressions
Honorable mentions
Get a bouquet of weeds
And everybody moving
Like they know what they are doing
Push a weight against a wall
In a stifling room
City's in shambles
Untangle the tangles
People get together
To uncover the ruins
This girl that I know
I met her at a Minutemen show
She used to work for a literary journal
But she's really into hiphop
This girl that I know
I met her at a Commodores show
She kind of brushed me off
But I think she likes movies from France
Just like a lone dancer
In a motion disaster
With a chrome ghettoblaster
We just do what we feel
Even if it's atrocious
There's no hope for the hopeless
If there's nothing to cope
We get a rhythm that's real
Like a Tuesday commuter
With a dirty computer
We see the future hanging out
At a monoxide vibe
Habits are forming
Like cigarettes boring
To a smoker in the morning
Pulling butts from the ground
This girl that I know
I met her at a Sonic Youth show
I like her style
She's got that ?? burning ??
This girl that I know
I met her at a Jodeci show
She was looking good, you know
The Song:
Initially, MTV reported a song called "This Girl" to be an upcoming album (later revealed as The Information). They said a video was made for the song, and said it was a "bumping, thumping rambler, reminiscent of 'Hotwax'."
But when the final tracklist for The Information was revealed, "This Girl" was not on it. And it eventually did show up as a bonus track in some of the international markets (and then later on the Deluxe version of the album).
The song is fun, though perhaps Beck and Nigel felt it too similar to some of the other "rap"-based tracks on The Information. The rap is right in line with The Information, full of lines about failed technology/civilization (broken escalators, city in shambles, monoxide, etc.) contrasted with a party/music vibe (electric progressions, people getting together, dancers, ghettoblasters, etc.).
And contrasting all that, Beck finds some salvation in "this girl that I know" that he meets at hipster music scenes (The Minutemen, Commodores, Sonic Youth, Jodeci -- almost as diverse a selection of musical acts as possible).
apparently the version from the video is slightly longer? read that somewhere - this is a note to double check sometime.
Initially, MTV reported a song called "This Girl" to be an upcoming album (later revealed as The Information). They said a video was made for the song, and said it was a "bumping, thumping rambler, reminiscent of 'Hotwax'."
But when the final tracklist for The Information was revealed, "This Girl" was not on it. And it eventually did show up as a bonus track in some of the international markets (and then later on the Deluxe version of the album).
The song is fun, though perhaps Beck and Nigel felt it too similar to some of the other "rap"-based tracks on The Information. The rap is right in line with The Information, full of lines about failed technology/civilization (broken escalators, city in shambles, monoxide, etc.) contrasted with a party/music vibe (electric progressions, people getting together, dancers, ghettoblasters, etc.).
And contrasting all that, Beck finds some salvation in "this girl that I know" that he meets at hipster music scenes (The Minutemen, Commodores, Sonic Youth, Jodeci -- almost as diverse a selection of musical acts as possible).
apparently the version from the video is slightly longer? read that somewhere - this is a note to double check sometime.