Line #26 Music/BeautifulFreak


1	[[quoteright:342:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beautiful_freak_4943.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:342:''"You're such a beautiful freak/I wish there were more just like you/You're not like all of the others/And that is why I love you..."'']]
3
4	''Beautiful Freak'' is the 1996 debut album by Music/{{Eels}}, best known for the audience favorites "Beautiful Freak", "Novocaine For The Soul", "Rags To Rags", "Your Lucky Day In Hell" and "Susan's House".
5
6	!! Tracklist
7	# "Novocaine for the Soul" (3:08)
8	# "Susan's House" (3:54)
9	# "Rags to Rags" (3:49)
10	# "Beautiful Freak" (3:34)
11	# "Not Ready Yet" (4:46)
12	# "My Beloved Monster" (2:13)
13	# "Flower" (3:38)
14	# "Guest List" (3:13)
15	# "Mental" (3:11)
16	# "Spunky" (3:11)
17	# "Your Lucky Day in Hell" (4:28)
18	# "Manchild" (4:05)
19
20	!! Novocaine For The Tropes:
21	* AccentuateTheNegative: Half of the plot is about lead singer E.'s personal troubles with rejected love affairs and feeling alienated.
22	* AlbumTitleDrop: "Beautiful Freak"
23	--> ''You're such a... beautiful freak''.
24	* AlliterativeTitle: "'''R'''ags To '''R'''ags".
25	* {{Alllowercaseletters}}: The artwork to ''Beautiful Freak''
26	* BastardBastard: "Your Lucky Day In Hell".
27	--> ''"Mama gripped on to the milkman's hand''
28	--> ''And then she finally gave birth"''
29	* BlackComedy: Particularly the ''Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos'' parody video for "Rags to Rags".
30	* BornUnlucky: "Your Lucky Day In Hell", where the protagonist is apparently born out of wedlock.
31	--> ''"Mama gripped on to the milkman's hand''
32	--> ''And then she finally gave birth"''
33	* CradleOfLoneliness: Most of the lyrics, especially "Guest List".
34	* CreepyBlueEyes and CreepyChild: The girl on the album cover.
35	* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The album cover.
36	* FaceDeathWithDignity: Subverted in "Susan's House".
37	--> ''Down by the donut prince''
38	--> ''A fifteen year old boy lies on the sidewalk''
39	--> ''With a bullet in his forehead''
40	--> ''In a final act of indignity''
41	--> ''The paramedics take off all his clothes''
42	--> ''For the whole world to see''
43	--> ''While they put him in the bag''
44	* FadingIntoTheNextSong: "Susan's House" does this in "Rags To Rags".
45	* FreakyIsCool: "Beautiful Freak", "My Beloved Monster".
46	--> ''Some people say you have a problem''
47	--> ''But that problem lies only with them.''
48	--> ''Just cause you are not like the others''
49	--> ''But that is why I love you.''
50	* InTheStyleOf: "Flower" has a choir singing.
51	* InstantSedation: "Novocaine For The Soul".
52	--> ''You better give me something, so I won't die''
53	--> ''Novocaine for the soul, before I splatter up''
54	* LastNoteNightmare: "My Beloved Monster" ends with some discordant electronic screeches during the very last part of the song.
55	* LyricalDissonance: "Susan's House" is a cheery song about someone going to Susan's house, while he witnesses all kinds of disturbing things going on.
56	** "Novocaine For The Soul"
57	--> ''Life is good and I feel great''
58	--> '''Cause mother said I was a great mistake''
59	* ManChild: "Manchild", strangely enough.
60	* MoodWhiplash: "Susan's House" switches from one of the weirdest, darkest verses in the band's canon (and that's saying something) to the most beautiful, piano-led chorus they've ever come up with.
61	* NightmareFace: The girl on the album cover. To make matters worse, the disc tray image is a close-up of her eye!
62	* OneWomanSong: "Susan's House", "Spunky".
63	* OneWordTitle: "Flower", "Mental", "Spunky" and "Manchild".
64	* PepTalkSong: "Beautiful Freak", about the fact that being different just makes you special and that the others are wrong for thinking you have a problem.
65	* RagsToRiches: Subverted by "Rags To Rags", where the protagonist's life just gets worse.
66	* RecycledLyrics: "Flower" borrows some lyrics from E.'s first album ''Bad Dude In Love'' (1985) (which is such an OldShame to him that he refuses to comment on it.)
67	* ShoutOut:
68	** "Novocaine For The Soul" samples Music/FatsDomino's "Let the Four Winds Blow" (1961).
69	*** The song was used as the theme song of ''Series/TriggerHappyTV''.
70	** "Susan's House" samples the piano introduction from "Love Finds Its Own Way" (1974) by Gladys Knight And The Pips.
71	** "My Beloved Monster" has a melodical shout-out to the {{Soul}} song "My Love" by The Temptations.
72	*** The song was used, fittingly, in ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}''.
73	** "Guest List" has a shout-out to Music/TheBeatles' song "Baby, You're A Rich Man" from ''Music/MagicalMysteryTour''.
74	---> ''How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?''.
75	** "Your Lucky Day In Hell" was featured in ''Film/{{Scream 2}}'' (1997), ''Film/GrossePointeBlank'' (1997), ''Film/DeadManOnCampus'' (1998) and ''Film/YesMan'' (2008).
76	*** The line about UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill in drag is likely a reference to the Music/{{Genesis\|Band}} song "Music/SuppersReady".
77	* StockSoundEffects: LP scratching sounds at the start of "Novocaine For The Soul" and "Susan's House" has cheering children. A crowd can be heard at the start of "Rags to Rags" and "My Beloved Monster". The answering machine message in "Manchild" is a real one from E's sister, who suffered from depression and schizophrenia, and committed suicide not long after the album was released. Knowing this makes dialogue like "Because we're ''troopers''" and "God...why am I so tired?" particularly chilling and heartbreaking.
78	* StopAndGo: "Novocaine For The Soul" has a long awkward pause right before the bridge. It's fairly unexpected because it's not remotely a fast song.
79	* TakeThat: "Susan's House"
80	--> ''TV sets are spewing ''Series/{{Baywatch}}''''.
81	** According to E, it's also a joke at the expense of Tommy Walter, the bassist on the album, who had previously worked on music for television shows including ''Baywatch''.
82	* TeenPregnancy: "Susan's House"
83	--> ''Here comes a girl with long brown hair''
84	--> ''Who can't be more than seventeen''
85	--> ''She sucks on a red popsicle while she pushes a baby girl''
86	--> ''In a pink carriage''
87	--> ''And i'm thinking that must be her sister''
88	--> ''That must be her sister, right?''
89	* TitleTrack: "Beautiful Freak".
90	* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: "Beautiful Freak"
91	--> ''Too good for this world''
92	--> ''But I hope you will stay''
93	--> ''And I'll be here to see that you don't fade away''
94	* UnluckilyLucky: "Your Lucky Day In Hell" about someone whose life has been unlucky from the start, but tries to marvel at the thought of having one lucky day in his awful life. As the title indicates this doesn't provide much fun to look forward to.
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96	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Susan was a girl E. used to know. She is the subject in both "Susan's House" and "Beautiful Freak".
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Context Music / BeautifulFreak