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The Joke (song)

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This article is about the Brandi Carlile song. For other songs with the same title, see Joke (disambiguation).

"The Joke"
Single by Brandi Carlile
from the album By the Way, I Forgive You
Released13 November 2017 (2017-11-13)
StudioRCA Studio A in Nashville
GenreAmericana[1]
Length4:39
LabelLow Country Sound / Elektra
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Brandi Carlile singles chronology
"The Eye"
(2014) 		"The Joke"
(2017) 		"Party of One"
(2018)

"The Joke" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. The song was released on November 13, 2017, as the lead single off Carlile's sixth album By the Way, I Forgive You.[2]

Lyrically, the song uplifts people that struggle to fit the molds made for them by modern society. Said Carlile of the track on NPR, "There are so many people feeling misrepresented [today]...So many people feeling unloved. Boys feeling marginalized and forced into these kind of awkward shapes of masculinity that they do or don't belong in... so many men and boys are trans or disabled or shy. Little girls who got so excited for the last election, and are dealing with the fallout. The song is just for people that feel under-represented, unloved or illegal."[2]

On March 14, 2018, Carlile appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform 'The Joke',[3] and in November 2018, she performed the track at 2018's Americanafest.[4]

Production

'The Joke' first came about when Carlile and producer and co-writer Dave Cobb started talking about Carlile's most successful single, 'The Story'. "...it started off with Dave insinuating that we haven't had a vocal moment like 'The Story' since, well, 'The Story'...we all went home that night and I was like, who tells you to rewrite a song that you wrote a decade ago? But it just kept nagging me – like the truth does, you know." Carlile told NPR.[2]

Cobb later played her 'An American Trilogy' by famed American singer Elvis Presley during a session. "I was playing her Elvis Presley's 'American Trilogy'...there's something magical about that recording. I mean it's the way it affects you; the way it's big in the chords, just pulling every single emotion out of you. So I played that, and then she wrote 'The Joke.' [laughs] I played her one of the greatest songs of all time, and then she wrote one of the greatest written since that one."[2]

Critical reception

The single received widespread critical acclaim upon release. Magazine American Songwriter called the track's intensity "mind-blowing", and dubbed it "a true masterpiece".[5] Rolling Stone called the track an "anthemic ballad"[1], and The A.V. Club described it as "a beacon of hope for those discouraged by today's political climate".[6] Said Slant, "The song's chorus explodes with catharsis, big emotions that are earned by Carlile's storytelling but driven home by the cinematic arrangement."[7]

On December 7, 2018, the nominations for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards were revealed. 'The Joke' is nominated in four categories, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Carlile is nominated for six awards total, making her the most nominated woman of 2019's ceremony.[8][9]

Charts

Chart Peak
position
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[10] 4
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[11] 43
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[12] 46

References

  1. ^ a b Spanos, Brittany (February 16, 2018). "Review: Brandi Carlile's 'By the Way, I Forgive You' Is Righteous Americana". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Brandi Carlile's 'The Joke' Will Launch You into the Emotional Stratosphere". NPR. November 13, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  3. ^ "Brandi Carlile Recruits String Quartet for 'The Joke' on 'Colbert'". Rolling Stone. March 15, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  4. ^ "BRANDI CARLILE – "THE JOKE"". CMT. November 30, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  5. ^ Margolis, Lynne (December 14, 2018). "American Songwriter's Top Songs of 2018". Rolling Stone. ForASong Media, LLC. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  6. ^ "Car Seat Headrest, Poliça/Stargaze, Brandi Carlile, and more albums to know about this week". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. February 16, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  7. ^ "Brandi Carlile: By the Way, I Forgive You". Slant. Slant Magazine LLC. February 9, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  8. ^ "Brandi Carlile | Artist". The Recording Academy. December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  9. ^ "Brandi Carlile on Being the Most-Nominated Woman of the 2019 Grammys: 'I'm Honestly In Such Disbelief'". Billboard. Lynne Segal. December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  10. ^ "Brandi Carlile Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  11. ^ "Brandi Carlile Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  12. ^ "Brandi Carlile Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
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