Song of the Day 5/5: Beck, “Loser”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 is weak even by the institution’s abysmal standards. The best-known inductees are Dolly Parton (despite her request not to be considered), Lionel Richie, Carly Simon — I’ll let you know when we get to actual rock acts — and Eminem. True rock music is represented only by Duran Duran, Pat Benetar and the Eurhythmics.

I’m sorry, but if they’re looking to put together a concert, that lineup sucks — Eminem and Dolly Parton, not exactly a dream double bill, are the only acts that still sell any tickets. Benetar last released an album in 2003. Duran Duran is still active, but frontman Simon LeBon is 63 years old — they’re a far cry from the pretty boys who dominated MTV in its earliest years. Eurhythmics Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart have reunited only for charity shows for the past 20 years. Richie’s last album, of duets with country stars, was released a decade ago; Simon’s last LP came out in 2009.

Except for Eminem, the only one of the bunch in his first year of eligibility, these acts could have been inducted years ago. Except for Simon, a product of the early-’70s singer-songwriter boom, they’re all associated with the ’80s and the early years of MTV. It’s hard to avoid the impression that this team is made up of ringers and second-stringers.

The choices rankle even more when considering who was nominated but not selected. Is Pat Benetar, who sold a lot of formulaic records in her day, really worthy of the honor before the groundbreaking Kate Bush, who influenced generations of female artists after her? Who thinks derivative New Wavers Duran Duran deserve enshrinement while pioneers like the MC5 and the New York Dolls, both forerunners of punk, stay on the sidelines? I get that Devo and Rage Against the Machine are never getting in, but why nominate the great Fela Kuti, who has nothing to do with rock, in the first place?

And why not Beck? Granted, the Hall never knows how to handle the one-man band/songwriter/producer types (viz. Todd Rundgren), and Beck’s genre-hopping has limited the size of his fan base since his big debut. But “Loser” rose from nowhere — he was living in a flop house when he cut the single and 500 copies were printed in 1994 — to became the slacker anthem of the ’90s. He’s had six top-10 albums and won the Grammy for Album of the Year as recently as 2015.

I think the problem comes down to image, which seems to keep out a lot of deserving acts. Raised in Scientology, Beck now identifies as Jewish, but his public persona might have been set in stone back in the days of “The Larry Sanders Show,” when Rip Torn, as Artie, referred to him as “a hillbilly from outer space.”