Gamma Ray (song)

Gamma Ray (song)

"Gamma Ray" is a song by Beck. It is seemingly inspired by the surf-rock songs of the 1960s, but with ghostly moans and lyrics on the state of the world. It was released as the second single from his album Modern Guilt on August 11, 2008. The title refers to gamma rays, biologically hazardous energy emitted by radioactive decay. Despite its up-tempo beat, the song lyrics invoke nihilistic or apocalyptic themes, including melting ice caps, boredom, burning houses, crowns of thorns, and natural disasters. The single peaked at #19 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. This song was #6 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008. The single releases of the song feature a cover of the song by garage punk musician Jay Reatard and a non-album song entitled "Bonfire Blondes" as B-sides, both of which are available on iTunes.

The song is included as a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero 5 and was used in Tony Hawk: Ride. Both the A side and B side album covers make use of a Houndstooth pattern.