Written by: Beck Hansen
Alternate Titles:a.k.a. Convalescent
Lyrics:Glut [Version (a)]:
The joke is on me, the sad but true comes easily
And I could be the laughing man, I could laugh at myself
I could look down my sleeve at you 'cause you got so much to hide
Just like me, you've got tricks up your sleeve, you could show them to me
So hold back the dull surprises, your obvious disguises
Propped up like a puppet, convalescent in the glut
It's a needle in the stack, it's the change of scene we lack
Sift right through the filth and flack, sit back and relax
You seem so uncertain, you're running your life from scratch
Scratch the surface, pass the test, the surface is shallow enough
And you're a desperate beginner, anxious to distract yourself
Starving to believe yourself, invisible to see yourself
So up and down the spiral, don't need a reason to smile
Propped up like a puppet, convalescent in the glut
It's a needle in the stack, it's the change of scene we lack
Sift right through the filth and flack, sit back and relax
And if you can't decide on me, I'll be waiting patiently
To exorcise the ghosts I see all around you and me
The Song:"Glut" is one of the rarer Beck recordings. It's mostly familiar to fans via some 1994 bootlegs, but the studio recording was released on an interesting 1995 7" single called
We Are Bacteria. It was a record label fan club record, and included songs by both J Church and Phantom Pregnancies. Beck is credited as Mr. Hansen, and also had an
untitled song on it. According to beck.com, only 100 copies were pressed! (J Church's guitarist once played with Beck, that's how he was involved).
Anyway, "Glut" is a nice song, perhaps nothing too memorable. There's lots of swirling guitar and chugging bass. It's a bit reminiscent of stuff like "
Minus," another 1994-era grunge-y song. The words seem to be not saying anything in particular, Beck's just writing words that flow and fit together. I love how it moves from "you're running your life from scratch" to "scratch the surface" to "the surface is shallow enough." And then right after that, Beck rhymes "yourself" with "yourself" three times. Not perfect, by any means, but a good example of Beck's natural way with words.
Live:Played live 7 times:
Earliest known live version:
October 21, 1994Latest known live version:
October 31, 1994A couple of live versions of "Glut" are on some of the better-known 1994 club show bootlegs. Beck seems to have begun performing it in the fall of 1994, though by the end of the year, he had already stopped playing it. It looks like it only lasted in sets for about a week and a half!
The performances from October 24 and 28 1994 are a bit quicker, and a bit sharper, than the studio recording. It's a bit more dynamic on stage, with some great drumming. But that's nothing surprising from Joey Waronker!
Notes:
- Usually referred to as "Convalescent," this title was made up by bootleggers, and probably never used by Beck. He uses the name "Glut" on his studio recording, as well as his introduction of the song on October 28, 1994. Some bootlegs also refer to it as "Sandman," which bizarrely enough, should be referring to "Maximum Potential." Bootleggers are dumb.