Beat Is Up

Album: Funstyle (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This upbeat techno track features an Indian self-help guru who doles out advice as Phair impersonates a deceptively positive go-getter who prattles on about lattes and tabloids. As a single mother to a teenage boy, Phair understood the pressure to keep up appearances.

    She explained to American Songwriter in 2010: "That was actually in reaction to the fact that I'm a mom, a full-on mom. Not a young mom. My son's almost 14 so I've been doing that for a minute. There are so many people in America who are just ferociously positive. 'Yes, I'm doing great! How are you,' you know, that kind of thing. 'Our children are involved in water polo, and soccer! They're constantly on the go and constantly being better and better and better!' I love to poke fun at that. At the same time I'm guilty of it myself. I think it's sort of running away of the basic unpredictability of life, and the fact that none of us really know how long you can go along being positive all the time before life kicks your ass. There's a lot of falsehood about it, too. That's what the Indian guy is doing for me, you know. 'You haven't slept with your husband in a while, you're drinking and taking pills,' it's just something I've noticed in a lot of us these days, and I think it's funny."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Benny Mardones

Benny MardonesSongwriter Interviews

His song "Into The Night" is one of the most-played of all time. For Benny, it took him to hell and back.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Daniel Lanois

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.