Beck Admits He’s ‘Tired of Being Alone’ in New Song ‘Blue Moon’

Beck. Photo: Gina Ribisi

Beck ruminates on loneliness in “Blue Moon,” the lush and folky lead single from his forthcoming album Morning Phase. “I’m so tired of being alone,” he sings as the song begins and, before the first verse is done, he talks about a voice coming from “inside my silent asylum.” Musically, however, the track sounds anything but desolate. Heavy, airy drums encase what sounds like a pretty mandolin line and a piano’s booming bass keys propel the song, as a choir made up of many Becks sing, “Don’t leave me on my own.” It’s a song-focused style ”“ as opposed to something made from two turntables and a microphone ”“ that is similar to the sound he explored on his 2002 LP Sea Change. 

Beck had teased the track, which will feature in an episode of Girls this season, on Friday with a video showing off how his new record is being made ”“ literally. The 90-second clip showed how the vinyl edition of the album is manufactured, right down to showing someone affixing the Morning Phase label to the center of the LP.

Morning Phase is set to come out on February 25th. It will be Beck’s 12th album and first since 2008, since the artist has been focusing more on producing and releasing the sheet-music album Song Reader in recent years. He said in a November interview with an Argentine newspaper that part of the reason he had been shying away from the spotlight was because he had suffered spinal damage. “Now it’s improving, so I’m back in the music,” he said. “It was a long, long recovery. Lately, I concentrated on playing guitar. Do not think I can move again as before, although I can give a lot onstage.”

Last June, a source close to Beck said that the artist was working on two new albums, one being an acoustic release and a proper album to follow Modern Guilt. In late 2012, Beck told ROLLING STONE, “I have a bunch of songs I recorded about four years ago that I’m hopefully going to try to finish. I’m not sure if it’s relevant anymore.”

Listen to “Blue Moon” here: