Debra (song)

"Debra"
Song by Beck from the album Midnite Vultures
Released	November 16, 1999 (1999-11-16)
Recorded	1998
Genre	Alternative rock, Minneapolis sound
Length	5:43
Label	DGC
Producer	Beck

"Debra" is the name of a song by Beck. He had originally attempted to record "Debra" with the Dust Brothers for Odelay, but he thought that it was too tongue-in-cheek. It was debuted main-stream in 1996, and, as Beck noted, "it became the centerpiece of the whole set. It was the song that people would react to more than the songs that they'd heard on the radio. So we kept playing it and playing it." The song finally made it on to Midnite Vultures in 1999. The song maintains a cult following.

It continued with the "Loser" motif, but—whereas that song related to being a slacker in life, "Debra" relates to being a slacker in love, and a troubled one too. It satirises both some men's desires, and the fashion for songs about sex in R&B and pop music. The song draws influence from "Raspberry Beret" by Prince. Beck later, on his "Sea Change" tour, admitted how much he detested the song, and changed, to great effect, as many of the lyrics as possible in ad-lib.

The lyrics notably include a (seemingly non sequitur) reference to the Los Angeles area restaurant chain Zankou Chicken, most likely the location in Glendale (as mentioned previously in the song).^{[original research?]}

A mashup of the song, "Frontin' on Debra", was made in 2004, mixing the song with "Frontin'" by Pharrell featuring Jay-Z.

The song also shows striking similarities to David Bowie song "Win" from the album Young Americans

The song was covered by German industrial artist Kompressor. Kompressor's version is called "Kompressor Want To Get With You."

External links

• Debra - Chopped and Screwed Remix