The name Phoebe Bridgers seems like a niche all in itself. She is an artist who finds humor in her own sadness and has even described her unique sound as “silly death.” Influenced in her early life by artists like Jackson Browne, the singer-songwriter has created an impressive discography of music consisting of mainly autobiographical lyrics and daring vulnerability. Inviting her listeners into her traumas and relationships has paid off tremendously for Phoebe. She has ventured into an incredible milestone, sharing her nomination for Best Rock Performance for the first year in Grammy history with all-female artists or female-led bands. Diving into Phoebe’s top ten best songs is worth your consumption. Elton John can vouch for that. He once said he would “hit someone” if Phoebe Bridgers didn’t win a Grammy.
1. Motion Sickness
If you could use one song to represent Phoebe Bridgers’ entire career in music, it would arguably be “Motion Sickness.” “Motion Sickness” was the breakout song of her debut album Stranger in the Alps (2017), and it continues to be her number one song on streaming platforms to this very day. The song carries the weight of anger and resentment, but that’s not what makes it unique. She tackles the subject with humor and unapologetic honesty, using lyrics like “And why do you sing with an English accent? I guess it’s too late to change it now.” If you weren’t paying attention to the lyrics, you might not notice its theme considering the upbeat melody. “Motion Sickness” is relatable and comforting to those who may have experienced abuse or betrayal in their lives. In this song, Phoebe gets her comeuppance and ultimately launches her career.
2. Kyoto
“Kyoto” is a part of Phoebe’s sophomore studio album Punisher (2020). This Grammy-nominated album is an incredible experience that is worth putting on your headphones and staring at the ceiling when listening to it. “Kyoto” was one of the first singles to be released ahead of the entire album, and rightfully so. Ironically, “Kyoto” was written as a sequel to “Motion Sickness.” While “Motion Sickness” is defensive about the emotions involved in resentment, “Kyoto” flirts with the idea of forgiveness. Phoebe said it herself when commenting on the song, “forgiveness is a gift to yourself.” What makes this song unique is that none of the choruses are the same, and yet somehow it is very catchy. Both “Motion Sickness” and “Kyoto” take on the element of being upbeat while exploring darker lyrics.
3. I Know The End
This song is the grand finale of Punisher. Phoebe has joked that she unconsciously predicted the 2020 Pandemic through, not just the Punisher album in its entirety, but this song specifically. It is as if Bridgers is cramming all of the extreme emotions that one would relate to the world ending into one song and allowing it to burst forth in an explosion of sound. A truly remarkable range, starting out like her familiar melancholy tone and eventually leading into a blast of trumpets and then intense screaming. “I Know the End” is an epic tail-end to a great album, giving its listeners peace with the idea of the world coming to an end.
4. Garden Song
“Garden Song” is a fantastical piece of poetry where Phoebe alternates between talking to her younger self and then talking to her older self as if she were young again. Like a lot of her songs, she includes details that are very specific to her life experiences, which is what makes her music so unique. At times the listeners can relate to Phoebe’s lyrics in a broader spectrum while other times it sounds as if we are simply listening to understand the artist herself. Her melody feels so warm in this song, yet the lyrics so cold at the same time. “Garden Song” is a prime example of honesty in a euphoric state.
5. Friday I’m In Love
Yes, this is the song we all know and love originally performed by the band The Cure. One thing Phoebe does very well is cover great songs by great artists. Her impeccable taste in music acquired at a young age may have something to do with that. Despite the song’s original buoyant feeling, Phoebe somehow makes it feel like a ballad. Hearing her cover of this classic makes it sound like a song you’ve never heard before. Bridgers usually finds a way to incorporate a happy feeling into a sad song, but this time it’s the other way around. “Friday I’m In Love” becomes subtle yet meaningful in a whole new way.
6. Savior Complex
“Savior Complex” is one of Phoebe’s more dreamy and romantic-sounding songs. That makes all the sense in the world considering she practically wrote this song in her sleep. Phoebe claims she heard the melody in a dream one night and began humming it before she even woke up. She immediately knew what she wanted the song to be about, and began writing it about a relationship in which self-hatred is involved. – a tragic state of mind that is often romanticized to the individual experiencing it. “Savior Complex” captured that essence perfectly.
7. Funeral
Traveling back to Phoebe’s debut album Stranger in the Alps, “Funeral” is a song that stands out due to its morbidness. The sorrowful chorus is just as impactful as the stories told in the verses. Once again Phoebe finds a way to make you smile while experiencing pure grief. It’s almost as if she’s surprised with herself, singing “Jesus Christ I’m so blue all the time, and that’s just how I feel. Always have and I always will.” This is a song that relentlessly forces you to feel and confirms that her current style isn’t going away any time soon.
8. Moon Song
This song is one of the harder ones to chew on written by Phoebe. She paints painful images into her listeners’ heads of a one-sided, unrequited relationship. Most of Bridgers’ lyrics stem from her personal experiences, and this one will pump the tears right out of your broken heart if you can relate to the story she tells in this one. As the song reaches its climax, the full extent of Phoebe’s emotions is felt in her voice, crying out her truth for the whole world to hear.
9. Punisher
“Punisher” is the song from which the beloved album takes its name. The lyrics explore the idea of what it’s like to have a relationship with someone you grow up admiring. Phoebe has said it herself that it couldn’t be a normal relationship. She was inspired to write this song by her admiration for Elliot Smith, finding it profound that she had no chance to get to know him before he died, but she feels as though she always has. That’s a very familiar feeling anyone could relate to. She loves that Smith said, “songs are like little pictures.” “Punisher” is a little picture of what it feels like for someone with aspirations to be inspired by a seemingly profound individual.
10. Smoke Signals
Phoebe wrote this song in a cabin in the middle of the woods in Idaho. Its echoey tone is haunting and nostalgic, affirming its isolated origin. It also tackles the theme of separation. Smoke Signals is reminiscent of the theme song from David Lynch’s work in Twin Peaks. This song remains iconic to fans of Phoebe Bridgers because it was the first from her Strangers in the Alps album to be released, giving listeners a sweet taste of what to expect shortly from the breaking new artist.