Paper Tiger
The Sea Change song that nods to Serge Gainsbourg, with strings by David Campbell.
Beck, from Sea Change (2002)
- Written by
- Beck
- Released
- 2002
- Length
- 4:36
- Album
- Sea Change
Beck wrote it and Nigel Godrich produced it. The sound of Paper Tiger was partly inspired by Serge Gainsbourg's 1971 album Histoire de Melody Nelson, and Beck later produced and collaborated with Gainsbourg's daughter Charlotte on her album IRM. David Campbell arranged and conducted the strings, and James Gadson played drums.
The Guardian ranked it 14th among Beck's songs. It described Beck stalking a mythic landscape of capsized boats, broken diamonds and a stray dog gone defective, over a smoothly funky bassline set against clusters of strings.
More songs by Beck
Loser, Where It's At, Devils Haircut, The Golden Age, Lost Cause, E-Pro, The New Pollution, Sissyneck, Debra
Sources
- Sea Change (album), Wikipedia
- Beck, Wikipedia
- Beck, Sea Change (master release), Discogs
- Beck's greatest songs, ranked, The Guardian (2020-07-02)