Beautiful
by Moby

Album: Hotel (2005)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Moby has revealed that this song was inspired by a reality TV show he watched where celebrities were having a meaningless conversation around the breakfast table. He did not say which TV show, but the song seems to be a commentary on the phony nature of many celebrities and so-called "Reality" TV. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Lauren - Hobart, Australia
  • Moby on the tune's double meaning: "'Beautiful' is, on one hand, a simple and devious love song. On the other hand it's also about celebrity couples being simple and self-congratulatory."
  • This was the album's fifth single. In the US, it peaked at #5 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart.
  • The alt-rock-influenced Hotel came after Play (1999) and 18, a pair of electronic albums that propelled Moby to pop stardom. His newfound fame shifted his focus to making music that sells. He explained in a 2011 interview with The Arts Desk: "Most of my life my interest in making music was for the love of music, then after the success of Play I had a brief period when I really liked being a public figure. On Hotel I was almost more focused on the fame aspect. I wanted to produce an album that had the potential to be commercially successful. It's the only time in my life I've ever done that. I recorded it in a big studio with a really successful engineer [Brian Sperber] and ended up with a very slick, polished anodyne record that I just don't like very much. Some of the songs are nice but I'm disappointed I made such a conventional generic record."
  • This was included on the soundtrack to the 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada.
  • Unlike his previous albums, Hotel doesn't feature any vocal samples. The choice came down to practicality rather than artistry. Moby told Shakenstir: "The truth is, I was using different software on my computer and the sampling section of this software is really hard to use, so it was me just being lazy. It was just a lot more satisfying and more fun to make music without samples, primarily because the sampling software was such a pain in the ass to use. I should really think of a better reason, but that's the truth of why it didn't have as many samples."

Comments: 1

  • Joycemorrison from Ph, -haha now that's a songfact, indeed. i like this song. =) have more trivia on Moby songs, please. =)
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"They're Playing My Song

As a songwriter and producer, Narada had hits with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Starship. But what song does he feel had the greatest impact on his career?

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.