Not (song)

"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]

"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)

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. 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. 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. 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. "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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