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"Not"
Single by Big Thief
from the album Two Hands
ReleasedAugust 13, 2019 (2019-08-13)
Length6:07
Label4AD
Songwriter(s)Adrianne Lenker
Producer(s)Andrew Sarlo
Big Thief singles chronology
"Century"
(2019) 		"Not"
(2019) 		"Forgotten Eyes"
(2019)

"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]

The song was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Background

"We found something between the four of us [...] It was like we were riding in the wind. I don't even remember at a certain point. We went somewhere."

—Adrianne Lenker[8]

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]

Accolades

"Not" was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[25]

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.
BBC Music The 20 best songs of 2019
19
[23]
Billboard The 100 Best Songs of 2019
56
[26]
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Songs of 2019
24
[27]
Flood Magazine The Best Songs of 2019
3
[28]
The Guardian The 20 best songs of 2019
12
[29]
NPR Music 25 Best Songs of 2019
1
[14]
Paste The 50 Best Songs of 2019
7
[30]
Pitchfork The 100 Best Songs of 2019
9
[31]
Uproxx The Best Songs of 2019
10
[32]
Vice The 100 Best Songs of 2019
20
[33]

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.[34][35][36]

In April 2020, a cover was released by former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer under the pseudonym of Pluralone.[37][38][39]

On September 4, 2020, Hamilton Leithauser released the live album Live! at Café Carlyle, collecting 10 recordings made during his residency at the New York City Café Carlyle. It includes a cover of "Not".[40][41]

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

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[42] 30

References

  1. ^ "Big Thief: New Album, 'Two Hands', & Lead Single 'Not'". 4AD. August 13, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  2. ^ Cook-Wilson, Winston (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief Announce New Album Two Hands, Release "Not"". Spin. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  3. ^ Martoccio, Angie (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief Drop New Single 'Not,' Detail Second 2019 LP 'Two Hands'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  4. ^ DeVille, Chris (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief – "Not"". Stereogum. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  5. ^ Minsker, Evan (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief Announce New Album Two Hands, Drop New Song "Not": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  6. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief announce new album, tour and share emotive new single, 'Not'". NME. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  7. ^ Kaye, Ben (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief announce new album Two Hands, share lead single "Not": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Feldberg, Isaac (September 6, 2019). "For 'Two Hands,' Big Thief found fertile ground in the Texas desert". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  9. ^ Boilen, Bob (March 30, 2018). "Watch Big Thief Debut Two New Songs Live In Paris". All Songs Considered. NPR. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  10. ^ Maicki, Salvatore (March 30, 2018). "Watch Big Thief debut two new songs in Paris". The Fader. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Two Hands (liner notes). Big Thief. 4AD. 2019. 4AD0180LP.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Thapliyal, Substitute (August 13, 2019). "Big Thief Announce Another New Album, Release Lead Single "Not"". Paste. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  13. ^ Cantie, Samantha (October 20, 2019). "Big Thief comes down to earth with 'Two Hands'". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  14. ^ a b c Boilen, Bob (December 11, 2019). "NPR Music's 25 Best Songs Of 2019". NPR Music. NPR. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Bloom, Madison (October 11, 2019). "Watch Big Thief Perform "Not" on Colbert". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  17. ^ Shaffer, Claire (October 11, 2019). "Big Thief Perform 'Two Hands' Single 'Not' on 'Colbert'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  18. ^ Kaye, Ben (October 11, 2019). "Big Thief perform "Not" on Colbert: Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  19. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (October 26, 2019). "Watch Big Thief Perform Three Songs From New LP on 'CBS This Morning'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  20. ^ Arcand, Rob (October 26, 2019). "Here's What Big Thief Played on CBS This Morning". Spin. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  21. ^ Yoo, Noah (October 26, 2019). "Watch Big Thief Perform "Two Hands," "Not," and "Forgotten Eyes" on CBS This Morning". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  22. ^ Moreland, Quinn (August 13, 2019). ""Not" by Big Thief Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  23. ^ a b "The 20 best songs of 2019". BBC Music. BBC. December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  24. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (December 30, 2019). "Barack Obama Names Big Thief, Frank Ocean, Rosalía Among Songs of the Year". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  25. ^ "Adrienne Lenker". www.grammy.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  26. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2019: Staff List". Billboard. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  27. ^ "Top 50 Songs of 2019". Consequence of Sound. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  28. ^ "The Best Songs of 2019". Flood Magazine. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  29. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (December 2, 2019). "The 20 best songs of 2019". The Guardian. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  30. ^ "The 50 Best Songs of 2019". Paste. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  31. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2019". Pitchfork. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  32. ^ "The Best Songs Of 2019". Uproxx. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  33. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2019". Vice. December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  34. ^ Minsker, Evan (November 3, 2019). "Watch the National's Matt Berninger Cover Big Thief's "Not"". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ Corcoran, Nina (November 3, 2019). "The National's Matt Berninger covers Big Thief's "Not": Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  37. ^ Hussey, Allison (April 24, 2020). "Watch Josh Klinghoffer (Ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers) Cover Big Thief's "Not"". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  38. ^ Lavin, Will (April 23, 2020). "Watch Josh Klinghoffer as Pluralone cover Big Thief's 'Not'". NME. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  39. ^ Kohn, Daniel (April 23, 2020). "Josh Klinghoffer Shares Cover of Big Thief's 'Not'". Spin. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  40. ^ Minsker, Evan (August 19, 2020). "Hamilton Leithauser Announces New Album Live! at Cafe Carlyle". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  41. ^ Uitti, Jacob (September 4, 2020). "Hamilton Leithauser Discusses Releasing Forgotten Show, 'Live at Café Carlyle'". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  42. ^ "Big Thief – Not" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
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