Garden Song (Phoebe Bridgers song)

"Garden Song"
Single by Phoebe Bridgers
from the album Punisher
ReleasedFebruary 26, 2020 (2020-02-26)
StudioSound City (Los Angeles, California)[1]
GenreFolk rock
Length3:40
LabelDead Oceans
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Phoebe Bridgers singles chronology
"Enough For Now"
(2020) 		"Garden Song"
(2020) 		"Kyoto"
(2020)
Music video
"Garden Song" on YouTube

"Garden Song" is a song by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. It was released through Dead Oceans on February 26, 2020, as the lead single from Bridgers' second studio album, Punisher (2020).

Composition and lyrical interpretation

A folk rock ballad,[2] "Garden Song" was produced by Bridgers herself alongside Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska.[1] The song features a "wave of shimmery synths" and "delicate, crushing vocals", with its lyrics depicting "a scene from a fairytale, one that includes a house resting on a hill with thousands of roses (and probably a few ghosts)".[3] It has been described as "lush and wet" as well as "steeped in melancholy" as Bridgers "unravels past memories that anticipated growing up".[4][5]

Bridgers stated that the song was about "manifesting things the more you think about stuff" as well as "[her] own growth".[6] The songwriting was stated to be "dreamlike and mundane", containing the lyrics: "The doctor put her hands over my liver / She told me my resentment's getting smaller".[4] It also references her native Pasadena, California.[4]

Music video

The music video for the song was released on the same day as the single, and it was directed by Bridgers' younger brother, Jackson.[7] It depicts Bridgers "kicking back in her bedroom, ripping on a bong and hanging out with fuzzy creatures", with an appearance by comedian Tig Notaro.[3][8]

Critical reception

Writing for Consequence of Sound, Dan Weiss praised the complexity of the songwriting.[9] Deeming the song "an understated rumination on lost time and complicated nostalgia", Quinn Moreland of Pitchfork praised its "slight arrangement" and Bridgers' "humor and storytelling idiosyncrasies".[10] Pitchfork and The New York Times listed "Garden Song" as the ninth and sixteenth best song of 2020, respectively.[11][12]

Charts

Chart (2020) Peak
position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[13] 42

References

  1. ^ a b Russell, Scott (February 26, 2020). "Phoebe Bridgers Shares "Garden Song," Her First New Solo Single Since 2017". Paste. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  2. ^ DeVille, Chris (February 26, 2020). "Phoebe Bridgers – "Garden Song"". Stereogum. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Martoccio, Angie (February 28, 2020). "Phoebe Bridgers, 'Garden Song': Song You Need to Know". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Petrusich, Amanda (May 17, 2020). "Phoebe Bridgers's Frank, Anxious Music". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  5. ^ Touros, Cyrena (February 26, 2020). "Hear Phoebe Bridgers' First Solo Release In Almost Three Years, 'Garden Song'". NPR. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  6. ^ Leas, Ryan (June 18, 2020). "Phoebe Bridgers 'Punisher' Interview: The Story Behind Every Song". Stereogum. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  7. ^ Moore, Sam (February 26, 2020). "Watch the trippy video for Phoebe Bridgers' new single 'Garden Song'". NME. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  8. ^ Martoccio, Angie (February 26, 2020). "Phoebe Bridgers Rips a Bong in 'Garden Song' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  9. ^ Weiss, Dan (February 28, 2020). "Song of the Week: Phoebe Bridgers – Garden Song". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  10. ^ Moreland, Quinn (February 26, 2020). ""Garden Song" by Phoebe Bridgers Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  11. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2020". Pitchfork. December 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  12. ^ Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Zoladz, Lindsay (December 7, 2020). "Best Songs of 2020". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Phoebe Bridgers Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2020.