Four Cypresses (song)
{{Article for deletion/dated|page=Four Cypresses (song)|timestamp=20250411170244|year=2025|month=April|day=11|substed=yes|help=off}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Four Cypresses
| cover = Grizzly Bear - Four Cypresses.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Grizzly Bear
| album = Painted Ruins
| released = June 23, 2017
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = 4:48
| label = RCA
| writer = Ed Droste, Daniel Rossen, Chris Taylor, Christopher Bear
| producer = Chris Taylor
| prev_title = Mourning Sound
| prev_year = 2017
| next_title = Neighbors
| next_year = 2017
}}
"Four Cypresses" is a song by American indie rock band Grizzly Bear. It was released on June 23, 2017, as the third of five singles from their fifth studio album, Painted Ruins.{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2017/06/23/534080331/grizzly-bears-new-song-four-cypresses-is-a-foreboding-look-at-a-world-in-chaos|title=Grizzly Bear's New Song, 'Four Cypresses,' Is A Foreboding Look At A World In Chaos |work=NPR |date=June 23, 2017 |accessdate=April 14, 2025 |author=Hilton, Robert}} {{cite web |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1955790/hear-grizzly-bear-break-down-four-cypresses-on-song-exploder/news/|title=Hear Grizzly Bear Break Down "Four Cypresses" On Song Exploder |work=Stereogum |date=June 23, 2017 |accessdate=April 14, 2025 |author=Rettig, James}} It features lead vocals from Daniel Rossen, and was released with no B-sides.
Writing and recording
Daniel Rossen stated on the song that the lyrics were written “from the perspective of a homeless person sleeping in the driveway of a place he was staying in L.A., but broadened to encompass his thoughts about the refugee experience and life during wartime.”{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/news/listen-to-grizzly-bears-new-song-four-cypresses/ |title=Listen to Grizzly Bear's New Song "Four Cypresses" |work=Pitchfork |date=June 23, 2017 |accessdate=April 10, 2025 |author=Kim, Michelle}} On a separate interview, he stated that the lyrics are not a reference to the American political climate, but rather a reference to the adaptability of humans, stating "[But] that line ['It's chaos but it works'] is not a reference to the political chaos we are currently dealing with. It was meant in more human terms ... 'It's chaos but it works' is meant more like, 'It's a mess, but it has to be good enough.' We are adaptable. We sometimes live in abject conditions because that's all we have and we make it work."{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2017/08/28/546694196/grizzly-bear-details-the-confessionals-of-painted-ruins-track-by-track|title=Grizzly Bear Details The Confessionals Of 'Painted Ruins' Track By Track|work=NPR |date=August 28, 2017 |accessdate=April 14, 2025 |author=Hilton, Robin}}
Musically, Rossen stated that the song was started with him and Chris Bear collaborating together. He stated that Bear began by writing the drum part at the beginning of the song, with the melody and lyrics springing from there.{{cite web |title= Grizzly Bear Discuss Painted Ruins, Life After Blog Hype, Steely Dan and More|url=https://www.spin.com/2017/08/grizzly-bear-interview-painted-ruins/|work=Spin |date=August 9, 2017 |accessdate=April 14, 2025 |author=Cook-Wilson, Winston}}
Music video
A lyric video was released on YouTube along with the single, featuring home video footage of Rossen and his family. {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9RQUsdkaLM |title=Grizzly Bear - Four Cypresses (Lyric Video) |work=YouTube |date=June 23, 2017 |accessdate=June 23, 2017 |author=GrizzlyBearVEVO}}
Reception
The Guardian comments on the political poignancy of the song and the album as a whole, stating "When a dangerous US president is going out of his way to reverse social progress, the resonance of an album about the redundancy of legacy barely needs stating."{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/aug/20/grizzly-bear-painted-ruins-album-review-cavalier-brilliance |title=Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins CD review – out of hibernation |work=The Guardian |date=August 20, 2017 |accessdate=April 14, 2025 |author=Snapes, Laura}} Uncut states that the slow build of the song creates a "ambush of contrast with its suddenly sharpened intensity," and praises the production of Chris Taylor, saying he is responsible for much of the sound of the song and album.{{cite web |title= Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins|url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/grizzly-bear-painted-ruins-101464/|work=Uncut |date=September 7, 2017 |accessdate=April 14, 2025 |author=Mitchum, Rob}}