Bags (song)

"Bags" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Clairo. Fader Label released it as the first single from her debut studio album Immunity on May 24, 2019. The song features drums from Danielle Haim, and was produced by Rostam Batmanglij and Clairo, who also wrote the song. It gained over 20 million streams in 2019,[2] and was nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 2019 Boston Music Awards.[3] "Bags" was ranked at No. 5 on the list of Hottest Records of the Year by BBC Radio 1 alongside songs like "bad guy" by Billie Eilish, "Juice" by Lizzo and "Earfquake" by Tyler, the Creator.[4][5]

"Bags"
Single by Clairo
from the album Immunity
ReleasedMay 24, 2019 (2019-05-24)
Genre
Length4:21
LabelFader Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Clairo
Producer(s)
Clairo singles chronology
"Bags"
(2019)		 "Closer to You" / "Sofia"
(2019)
Audio video
"Bags" on YouTube

Background

Clairo made her second television appearance performing the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2019.[6] Dominic Fike performed a cover of the song on Triple J's Like a Version on October 18, 2019.[7]

Composition and lyrics

An indie pop song,[8] "Bags" draws inspiration from Clairo's first romantic experiences with a girl. She tackles the line between friend and lover with a crush who could possibly be straight. Clairo wonders if the feelings between them are mutual and whether she should make the first move when she sings "Can you see me? I'm waiting for the right time/ I can't read you, but if you want the pleasure's all mine."[9][10] "The whole song has this nervous energy," Clairo told NME, saying that the song has "a mix of really calculated parts to reflect the calculated energy you have in a first experience with someone,"[11]

Harry Todd from Paste praised "Bags" for its layers, stating that "A set of simple guitar chords, understated drum fills, plunking keys" are familiar elements of Clairo's music.[12] Shaad d'Souza from The FADER described the song as a "gently strummed track" that "builds to a peak augmented by warped guitars and piano."[13]

BroadwayWorld noted that the song gives a "glimpse into the artist's growth both as a young queer woman, straight out of college".[14] Rachel Hammermueller from Earmilk claims that the song "explores an adult relationship while still having a fresh background mixing".[15]

Critical reception

Accolades

At the end of 2019, "Bags" appeared on a number of critics' lists ranking the year's top songs.

Mid-year lists
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Elle The 31 Best Songs of 2019 (So Far) 23 [16]
Thrillist The 55 Best Songs of 2019 (So Far) - [17][18]

Year-end lists
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
BBC The Top 20 Songs of 2019 4 [19]
BBC News The Top 10 Songs of 2019 10 [20]
Billboard The 100 Best Songs of 2019 48 [21]
Dazed The 20 Best Songs of 2019 8 [22]
Flood The 10 Best Songs of 2019 2 [23]
The Guardian The 20 Best Songs of 2019 9 [24]
The New York Times The 54 Best Songs of 2019 9 [25]
NME The 50 Best Songs of 2019 14 [26]
Paste 4 [27]
Pitchfork The 100 Best Songs of 2019 3 [28]
The Ringer The 10 Best Songs of 2019 3 [29]
Rolling Stone The 50 Best Songs of 2019 48 [2]
Stereogum The 100 Best Songs of 2019 - [30]
Uproxx The 50 Best Songs of 2019 27 [31]

Decade-end lists
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Paste The 100 Best Songs of The 2010s 98 [32]
Pitchfork The 200 Best Songs of The 2010s 123 [33]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[34]

Charts
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[35] 46
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[36] 32
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[37] 11

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[38] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Rolling Stone Staff (December 6, 2019). "50 Best Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 8, 2022. The sound here shows she's plenty comfortable in between genres, too, irresistibly triangulating bedroom-pop gloss, shoegaze, and alt-rock shamble
  2. "The 50 Best Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  3. Feldberg, Isaac (September 21, 2019). "Future Teens, Clairo, STL GLD among Boston Music Awards nominees". Boston.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  4. BBC Radio 1 [@BBCR1] (December 19, 2019). "At No. 5 in this year's Hottest Record of the Year vote is @clairo with Bags. "Clairo really broke through this year with her debut album Immunity. Bags is the song that really caught everyone's attention. We're delighted for her, and delighted for her fans" - @AnnieMac" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. "BBC - Everything you need to know about the Hottest Records of 2019". BBC. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  6. Minsker, Evan (September 17, 2019). "Watch Clairo Perform "Bags" on Ellen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  7. Skinner, Tom (October 19, 2019). "Watch Dominic Fike perform a live cover of Clairo's 'Bags'". NME. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  8. Richardson, Mark (August 7, 2019). "'Immunity' by Clairo Review: Electro-Pop Made for Dreaming". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  9. Reneau, Steven (Jun 19, 2019). "Clairo Breaks Down The Meaning Of "Bags"". Genius. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  10. DeMarco, Nicole (May 25, 2019). "clairo finds her voice". i-D. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  11. "Clairo interview: "I don't rely on anyone" | NME Big Read". NME. 2 August 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  12. Todd, Harry (May 24, 2019). "Listen to "Bags," the Stunning Lead Single from Clairo's Debut Album Immunity". Paste. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  13. d'Souza, Shaad (May 23, 2019). "Clairo drops new single "Bags," announces debut album IMMUNITY". The FADER. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  14. "Clairo Returns With New Single 'Bags'; Announces Debut Album IMMUNITY Out August 2". BroadwayWorld.com. May 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  15. Hammermueller, Rachel (May 28, 2019). "Clairo's single "Bags" hints at personal growth and new album". Earmilk. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  16. Tang, Estelle (November 6, 2019). "The 50 Best Songs of 2019 (So Far)". Elle. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  17. Bell, Sadie (October 15, 2019). "The Best Songs of 2019 (So Far)". Thrillist. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  18. "The Best Songs Of 2019 (So Far) - Thrillist". Tribalist.
  19. "The 20 best songs of 2019". BBC. December 23, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  20. Savage, Mark (December 21, 2019). "The best albums and songs of 2019 revealed". BBC News. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  21. Lipshutz, Jason (December 11, 2019). "The 100 Best Songs of 2019: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  22. Madden, Emma (December 10, 2019). "The 20 best tracks of 2019". Dazed. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  23. "The Best Songs of 2019". FLOOD. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  24. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (2019-12-02). "The 20 best songs of 2019". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
  25. Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon (December 11, 2019). "The 54 Best Songs of 2019". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  26. "The 50 best songs of 2019". NME. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  27. Manno, Lizzie (December 2, 2019). "The 50 Best Songs of 2019". Paste. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  28. Geffen, Sasha (December 9, 2019). "The 100 Best Songs of 2019". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  29. Peters, Micah; Sayles, Justin (December 2, 2019). "The Best Songs of 2019". The Ringer. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  30. Rettig, James (December 10, 2019). "Best Songs Of 2019". Stereogum. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  31. "The 50 Best Songs Of 2019". Uproxx. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  32. Todd, Harry (October 21, 2019). "The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s". Paste. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  33. "The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  34. "Try the TIDAL Web Player".
  35. "Clairo – Bags" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  36. "NZ Top 40 Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  37. "Hot Rock Songs | Week of 8 June 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  38. "American single certifications – Clairo – Bags". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
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