In 1994, Beck started to record tracks for his follow-up to Mellow Gold with Bong Load producers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf.

The Dust Brothers' production style was hip-hop-focused yet more layered; their résumé included notable work with Beastie Boys, Tone Lōc and Young MC.

The title is a phonetic English rendering of the Mexican slang interjection "órale", which translates roughly to "cool" or "ok"[citation needed].

[3] The album's cover is a photo of a Komondor, a rare Hungarian breed of dog with a heavy, corded coat, jumping over a hurdle.

The original photo was shot by canine photographer Joan Ludwig (1914–2004) for the July 1977 issue of the American Kennel Club's Gazette.

[6] It was on the Odelay tour that Beck earned a wide reputation as an energetic and impeccable performer, and his profile rose after multiple appearances on MTV, The Howard Stern Show,[7] the 1997 Grammys,[8] Later... with Jools Holland[9] and more.

[10] The liner notes feature complete lyrics and artwork, as well as an essay from Thurston Moore and the transcript of 15 high school students interviewed by Dave Eggers.

"[12] Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield noted punk rock, bossa nova, Latin soul and mainstream R&B as additional influences.

[36] All tracks are written by Beck Hansen, John King and Michael Simpson, except where noted.Credits adapted from 2008 "Deluxe Edition" CD liner notes.