Beautiful
by Moby

Album: Hotel (2005)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Moby has revealed that this song was inspired by a reality TV show he watched where celebrities were having a meaningless conversation around the breakfast table. He did not say which TV show, but the song seems to be a commentary on the phony nature of many celebrities and so-called "Reality" TV. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Lauren - Hobart, Australia
  • Moby on the tune's double meaning: "'Beautiful' is, on one hand, a simple and devious love song. On the other hand it's also about celebrity couples being simple and self-congratulatory."
  • This was the album's fifth single. In the US, it peaked at #5 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart.
  • The alt-rock-influenced Hotel came after Play (1999) and 18, a pair of electronic albums that propelled Moby to pop stardom. His newfound fame shifted his focus to making music that sells. He explained in a 2011 interview with The Arts Desk: "Most of my life my interest in making music was for the love of music, then after the success of Play I had a brief period when I really liked being a public figure. On Hotel I was almost more focused on the fame aspect. I wanted to produce an album that had the potential to be commercially successful. It's the only time in my life I've ever done that. I recorded it in a big studio with a really successful engineer [Brian Sperber] and ended up with a very slick, polished anodyne record that I just don't like very much. Some of the songs are nice but I'm disappointed I made such a conventional generic record."
  • This was included on the soundtrack to the 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada.
  • Unlike his previous albums, Hotel doesn't feature any vocal samples. The choice came down to practicality rather than artistry. Moby told Shakenstir: "The truth is, I was using different software on my computer and the sampling section of this software is really hard to use, so it was me just being lazy. It was just a lot more satisfying and more fun to make music without samples, primarily because the sampling software was such a pain in the ass to use. I should really think of a better reason, but that's the truth of why it didn't have as many samples."

Comments: 1

  • Joycemorrison from Ph, -haha now that's a songfact, indeed. i like this song. =) have more trivia on Moby songs, please. =)
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.