You Enjoy Myself

"You Enjoy Myself"
Song by Phish
from the album Junta
Released1988
GenreJazz fusion, funk rock, progressive rock, jam
Length9:47
Songwriter(s)Trey Anastasio
Producer(s)Phish

"You Enjoy Myself", commonly abbreviated to "YEM", is a Phish song written by Trey Anastasio, first played live on February 3, 1986. It is the band's most frequently performed song, having been played at about 33% of their first 1,800 shows.[1]

History

Trey Anastasio wrote "You Enjoy Myself" while in Florence, Italy.[2] The title came from an Italian man, befriended by Anastasio and Jon Fishman, who wrapped his arms around them near the Uffizi museum and exclaimed, "you know, when I am with you, you enjoy myself!"[2]

A short, a cappella version of "You Enjoy Myself" appeared on The White Tape, Phish's debut album. A longer, full-band version appeared on their album Junta. Live versions (especially after 1995) have regularly exceeded 25 minutes in length.[3]

Fans have dubbed sections of the song with names like "Pre-Nirvana," "Nirvana," "The Note," "The Second Note" and "The Charge."[4] When the song is performed live, one section features Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon jumping on trampolines in tandem.

Legacy

The song was ranked #85 in the list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time of Rolling Stone.[5] "You Enjoy Myself" is keyboardist Page McConnell's favorite Phish song.[6]

Appears on


See also

References

  1. ^ "You Enjoy Myself". Phish.net. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Trey Anastasio Explains the Origins of YEM, retrieved June 12, 2022
  3. ^ Phish.net Song History [1] Accessed: August 1, 2011.
  4. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Phish.net. October 31, 1995. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  5. ^ "Rolling Stone - The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2018.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Retrieved 2011-01-24."
  6. ^ Rosenberg, Howard L. (January 5, 2008). "Nightline Playlist: Page McConnell - ABC News". A.abcnews.com. Retrieved March 16, 2012.