Paper Tiger

Recorded in Los Angeles in 2002 for Sea Change with producer and engineer Nigel Godrich. The track features Beck on vocals, James Gadson on drums, Justin Meldal-Johnsen on bass, Jason Falkner on guitar, Joey Waronker on percussion, and David Campbell conducting the string arrangement. Paper Tiger was one of the clearest statements of Sea Change, placing Beck in a stark live-instrument setting after his sample-heavy and eclectic late 1990s records. Critics singled out David Campbell's string arrangement as one of the album's most striking dramatic touches. The track remains a signature example of Beck's orchestral ballad writing and the album's Serge Gainsbourg influence. Its arrangement helped establish the sound that Beck later revisited with many of the same players on Morning Phase.