“No Distraction” by Beck

It’s interesting that Beck described the premise behind the song “No Distraction” as being based on his personal leeriness towards the common contemporary modus operandi of always being ‘distracted’ by telecommunication devices. 

That’s because by the time all is said and done, such a concept in particular plays a borderline-nonexistent role in terms of what’s actually being put forth.

In other words, this is a love song in which the title, as utilized, centers around the vocalist’s desire to “be with” the addressee with “no distraction”.

But what those distractions are supposed to be is never specified. 

The only time they’re sort of alluded to as being related to the internet of things is in the pre-chorus. There, we witness Beck being plagued with “a million thoughts”. But that can also be taken as him being confused for another reason. Indeed, earlier on the singer comes off as if he is having communication issues with the addressee in general.

Ultimately what’s distracting this relationship doesn’t really matter. And this because the thesis sentiment revolves around the vocalist understanding that the one thing he actually wants to do, no matter what, is maintain his relationship with the person he’s singing to. 

But what it does read like is him attributing the discontent in this romance to an overflow of external influences. So what’s being inferred here is on top of the vocalist making a conscientious effort to focus more on the addressee, he is admonishing her to take the same approach towards him.

When did Beck release “No Distraction”?

This track was not issued as a single. It can be found on Beck’s album “Colors”. “No Distraction” and “Colors” came out through Capitol Records on 13 October 2017. 

A remix of this song, as rendered by an act known as Khruangbin, did come out as a single in 2020 in celebration of Beck’s 50^th birthday. And that would insinuate that this tune is akin to a fan favorite.

Credits

Beck wrote and produced “No Distraction” with Greg Kurstin.

FYI, Kurstin is considered one of the most influential songwriters and music producers of his generation. Throughout his highly successful career, he has worked with a slew of major artists ranging from Adele to Foo Fighters to Pink. Some of his notable works include:

• Pink’s “Try”
• Sia’s “Chandelier”
• Adele’s “Hello”
• Liam Gallagher’s “Shockwave”
• Adele’s “Easy on Me”
• Gorillaz’s “Cracker Island”

“Colors”

“Colors” is an 11-tracked album released on October 13 of 2017. It took approximately 5 years, ending 2017 to completely record “Colors”. Recording was done in Los Angeles.

Beck shares the album’s production credits with Greg and fellow American record producer, Cole M.G.N.

“Colors” was officially released as Beck’s 13th studio album.

The album was rewarded with favorable reviews from music publications. British entertainment website NME ranked it as one the best albums of 2017.

“Colors” landed at No.3 on the Billboard 200. In achieving this feat, it became the singer’s 6th album to rank top-10 on the said chart.

It also ranked top-10 in the UK. The album was nothing short of success in other parts of the world, charting top-10 in a number of countries including:

• Switzerland (9)
• Canada (4)
• Ireland (6)
• Scotland (4)

Notable among the numerous accolades “Colors” earned since its official release, was the receipt of two awards at the Grammys in 2019. It beat stiff competition from a number of equally successful albums to take home these awards:

• “Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical”
• “Best Alternative Music Album” at the said event.