WHy you should listen to Phoebe Bridgers

By Julianne Giordano, 2023

Published 1/23/22

If you’ve never listened to Phoebe Bridgers, what are you doing? The Grammy-nominated artist has been quite popular for a while, but has recently gained fame after being featured on Taylor Swift’s song “Nothing New, ”which was released along with her album Red (Taylor’s Version) in November. Bridgers has two albums of her own, one called Stranger in the Alps (2017) and another called Punisher (2020). She also released multiple singles, including “That Funny Feeling” and “Day After Tomorrow.” Her music has a very unique sound to it, and is classified as alternative, indie, and folk-rock. Overall, her strong use of the piano, guitar, and drums combined with her voice makes for very beautiful and heartbreaking songs. She mostly sings about past relationships, both romantic and platonic, but also a variety of other topics such as religion and finding yourself. Below I am going to give an overview of some of my favorite songs, some of which I think sends a strong message.

Funeral

One of her saddest songs in my opinion, “Funeral” is about Bridgers’ loss of a close friend. With lines like “And I’ve been talking to his dad; it makes me so sad” and “Jesus Christ I’m so blue all the time,” the song strongly expresses the feeling of grieving and emptiness after a loss like that.

Georgia

My favorite song on Stranger in the Alps, “Georgia” is about one of Bridgers’ relationships in which she was very insecure and needed constant validation. The version released on the album is beautiful, with lines like “Will you have me, or watch me fall?” and “If I fix you, will you hate me?” really standing out. However, there is a version on YouTube that was posted when she sang it in 2015 that solidified it as one of my favorites. It’s amazing how strong her voice is in that version, and I strongly recommend you go check it out.

Moon Song

“Moon Song” was the first song I listened to by Bridgers, and it is what led me to listen to the rest of her music. The song is about unrequited love, and the lyrics are heartbreaking. Lines such as “If I could give you the moon/I would give you the moon” and “But you're holding me like water in your hands,” capture the message of loving someone so much that you would do anything for them. There are multiple other lines in the song that send the same strong message, so you should definitely go listen when you have a chance.

Chinese Satellite

The song “Chinese Satellite” is unique, in the sense that it is not about a relationship but rather Bridgers’ religious beliefs. In parts of the song, she talks about how she wants to have faith but she can’t. In lines such as “I want to believe/Instead, I look at the sky and I feel nothing” and “Swore I could feel you through the walls/But that’s impossible” show the contrast between wanting to believe but not being able to.

Punisher

According to Bridgers, the song “Punisher,” is about being a punisher, or someone who just talks on and on and causes the other person to zone them out. She says that it is how she feels she would be if she talked to singer-songwriter Elliot Smith, who passed away in 2003. Lines such as “What if I told you/I feel like I know you?/But we never met” and “Wouldn’t know where to start/Wouldn’t know when to stop” encompass the feeling of being a “superfan” and not knowing when to stop talking.

These are just some of the songs that she has released, and I strongly recommend you go check out the rest of her work, all of which are equally as beautiful and heartbreaking.