Midnite Vultures: Beck and Jenny Lewis Cover ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’
“I don’t know if this is legal in the city limits of Seattle,” said sonic chameleon Beck Hansen onstage during his Wednesday night show in Redmond, Washington. He didn’t light up a joint mid-song or take off his clothes during a set-break – as Consequence of Sound notes, his legally (and culturally) questionable act was covering Rod Stewart‘s 1978 disco smash “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” in a duet with touring partner Jenny Lewis.
As evidenced in the fan-shot video above, Hansen and Lewis have a blast with the song, staying faithful to the original arrangement – bass pops, synth leads and all. Despite his history as a funky, tongue-in-cheek sex panther on 1999’s Midnite Vultures, Beck sounds a bit out of place singing lines like “Now hold on a minute, before we go much further / Give me a dime so I can phone my mother.” Lewis, meanwhile, eases into the role of disco queen – crooning her come-ons and strutting around the stage like it’s 1978.
The highlight of the clip comes toward the end, with Hansen attempting to seduce the entire crowd for a night of sexual ecstasy via a lengthy ad-lib: “We could go all night – just you and me and Jenny and a couple of friends,” he speak-sings over the groove. “There’s enough room in the bed tonight, and when the dawn comes and the birds are singing, we won’t be strangers anymore. Outside it’s cold and it’s raining and it’s misty, but I’m not complaining.”
Beck’s most recent LP is the unorthodox Warby Parker Presents Beck Song Reader, which features artists like Jack White, Jack Black, Jeff Tweedy, Fun. and Norah Jones interpreting material from his sheet-music collection Song Reader. Lewis released her latest solo album, The Voyager, back in July.