Not (song)
"Not" is a song by American indie rock band Big Thief, released as the first single from their fourth studio album Two Hands. It was released on August 13, 2019, by 4AD as a digital single alongside the album's announcement.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
"Not" | ||||
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Single by Big Thief | ||||
from the album Two Hands | ||||
Released | August 13, 2019 | |||
Length | 6:07 | |||
Label | 4AD | |||
Songwriter(s) | Adrianne Lenker | |||
Producer(s) | Andrew Sarlo | |||
Big Thief singles chronology | ||||
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Background
The band debuted the song during a concert at Point Éphémère in Paris, France on March 28, 2018.[9][10] Getting the recording of the song exactly right was important to the band, and they later re-recorded it at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California.[8]
Composition
Written by Adrianne Lenker,[11] the song's lyrics uses negation to describe something,[12] with Lenker repeating the use of "not" or "nor" at the beginning of each line.[13] Bob Boilen of NPR described the song's subject as "the inability to describe what that something is, only to be able to explain what it is not."[14]
The second half of the song is instrumental and features a guitar solo played by Lenker.[15]
Performances
"Not" was performed live by Big Thief on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on October 10, 2019.[16] Claire Shaffer of Rolling Stone described the performance as a "hard-rock spin" on the song with "distorted" guitars and "manic" drums, comparing Adrianne Lenker's "wailing" vocals to that of emo music.[17] Ben Kaye of Consequence of Sound called it "an impassioned performance that demonstrated why they're one of the most engaging groups to emerge from the folk scene in some time."[18]
The band performed "Not" as well as "Two Hands" and "Forgotten Eyes" on CBS This Morning on October 26, 2019, as part of the program's Saturday Sessions segment.[19][20][21]
Critical reception
The song was praised by Pitchfork, who named it Best New Track upon release and called it "a towering statement from a group constantly leapfrogging over themselves."[22] BBC Music compared Lenker's guitar solo to that of "Neil Young at his peak."[23]
The song was also cited as one of Barack Obama's favorite songs of 2019 in a Spotify playlist compiled by Obama at the end of the year.[24]
Year-end lists
"Not" appeared in several publications' year-end lists. NPR Music named it the best song of 2019 with Bob Boilen writing, "No song in 2019 felt more searing, more perfect, than 'Not'".[14]
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
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BBC Music | The 20 best songs of 2019 | 19 |
|
Billboard | The 100 Best Songs of 2019 | 56 |
|
Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Songs of 2019 | 24 |
|
Flood Magazine | The Best Songs of 2019 | 3 |
|
The Guardian | The 20 best songs of 2019 | 12 |
|
NPR Music | 25 Best Songs of 2019 | 1 |
|
Paste | The 50 Best Songs of 2019 | 7 |
|
Pitchfork | The 100 Best Songs of 2019 | 9 |
|
Uproxx | The Best Songs of 2019 | 10 |
|
Vice | The 100 Best Songs of 2019 | 20 |
Cover versions
In November 2019, "Not" was covered by Matt Berninger, vocalist and frontman of The National, during a solo live performance at the sixth annual Dream Serenade benefit concert in Toronto.[33][34][35]
In April 2020, a cover was released by former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer under the pseudonym of Pluralone.[36][37][38]
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Two Hands.[11]
- Adrianne Lenker – songwriting, vocals, guitar
- Buck Meek – guitar
- Max Oleartchik – bass
- James Krivchenia – drums, vocals, mallets
- Andrew Sarlo – production, mixing, engineering
References
- "Big Thief: New Album, 'Two Hands', & Lead Single 'Not'". 4AD. August 13, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- Cook-Wilson, Winston (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief Announce New Album Two Hands, Release "Not"". Spin. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- Martoccio, Angie (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief Drop New Single 'Not,' Detail Second 2019 LP 'Two Hands'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- DeVille, Chris (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief – "Not"". Stereogum. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- Minsker, Evan (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief Announce New Album Two Hands, Drop New Song "Not": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- Aubrey, Elizabeth (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief announce new album, tour and share emotive new single, 'Not'". NME. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- Kaye, Ben (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief announce new album Two Hands, share lead single "Not": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- Feldberg, Isaac (September 6, 2019). "For 'Two Hands,' Big Thief found fertile ground in the Texas desert". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Boilen, Bob (March 30, 2018). "Watch Big Thief Debut Two New Songs Live In Paris". All Songs Considered. NPR. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- Maicki, Salvatore (March 30, 2018). "Watch Big Thief debut two new songs in Paris". The Fader. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- Two Hands (liner notes). Big Thief. 4AD. 2019. 4AD0180LP.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Thapliyal, Substitute (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief Announce Another New Album, Release Lead Single "Not"". Paste. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Cantie, Samantha (October 20, 2019). "Big Thief comes down to earth with 'Two Hands'". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Boilen, Bob (December 11, 2019). "NPR Music's 25 Best Songs Of 2019". NPR Music. NPR. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- Huizenga, Tom; Lorusso, Marissa (December 26, 2019). "One Big Breath And A Blazing Guitar: 2019's Best Moments In Music". All Songs Considered. NPR. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- Bloom, Madison (October 11, 2019). "Watch Big Thief Perform "Not" on Colbert". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Shaffer, Claire (October 11, 2019). "Big Thief Perform 'Two Hands' Single 'Not' on 'Colbert'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Kaye, Ben (October 11, 2019). "Big Thief perform "Not" on Colbert: Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Kaplan, Ilana (October 26, 2019). "Watch Big Thief Perform Three Songs From New LP on 'CBS This Morning'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Arcand, Rob (October 26, 2019). "Here's What Big Thief Played on CBS This Morning". Spin. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Yoo, Noah (October 26, 2019). "Watch Big Thief Perform "Two Hands," "Not," and "Forgotten Eyes" on CBS This Morning". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Moreland, Quinn (August 13, 2019). ""Not" by Big Thief Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "The 20 best songs of 2019". BBC Music. BBC. December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (December 30, 2019). "Barack Obama Names Big Thief, Frank Ocean, Rosalía Among Songs of the Year". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- "The 100 Best Songs of 2019: Staff List". Billboard. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "Top 50 Songs of 2019". Consequence of Sound. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "The Best Songs of 2019". Flood Magazine. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
- Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (December 2, 2019). "The 20 best songs of 2019". The Guardian. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "The 50 Best Songs of 2019". Paste. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "The 100 Best Songs of 2019". Pitchfork. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "The Best Songs Of 2019". Uproxx. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "The 100 Best Songs of 2019". Vice. December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- Minsker, Evan (November 3, 2019). "Watch the National's Matt Berninger Cover Big Thief's "Not"". Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Lavin, Will (November 3, 2019). "The National's Matt Berninger puts his own spin on Big Thief's 'Not' – watch". NME. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Corcoran, Nina (November 3, 2019). "The National's Matt Berninger covers Big Thief's "Not": Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Hussey, Allison (April 24, 2020). "Watch Josh Klinghoffer (Ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers) Cover Big Thief's "Not"". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- Lavin, Will (April 23, 2020). "Watch Josh Klinghoffer as Pluralone cover Big Thief's 'Not'". NME. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- Kohn, Daniel (April 23, 2020). "Josh Klinghoffer Shares Cover of Big Thief's 'Not'". Spin. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "Ultratop.be – Big Thief – Not" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved December 11, 2019.