Not (song)
{{short description|2019 single by Big Thief}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Not
| type = single
| artist = Big Thief
| album = Two Hands
| released = {{Start date|2019|08|13}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre =
| length = {{Duration|m=6|s=07}}
| label = 4AD
| writer = Adrianne Lenker
| producer = Andrew Sarlo
| prev_title = Century
| prev_year = 2019
| next_title = Forgotten Eyes
| next_year = 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.{{Cite web |url=https://4ad.com/news/13/8/2019/newalbumtwohandsleadsinglenot |title=Big Thief: New Album, 'Two Hands', & Lead Single 'Not' |date=August 13, 2019 |website=4AD |access-date=December 11, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.spin.com/2019/08/big-thief-new-album-two-hands-not-listen/ |title=Big Thief Announce New Album Two Hands, Release "Not" |last=Cook-Wilson |first=Winston |date=August 13, 2019 |website=Spin |access-date=December 11, 2019}}{{cite magazine|last=Martoccio|first=Angie|date=August 13, 2019|title=Big Thief Drop New Single 'Not,' Detail Second 2019 LP 'Two Hands'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/big-thief-new-song-not-new-album-two-hands-870877/|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 11, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2054439/big-thief-not-two-hands/music/ |title=Big Thief – "Not" |last=DeVille |first=Chris |date=August 13, 2019 |website=Stereogum |access-date=December 11, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/big-thief-announce-new-album-two-hands-drop-new-song-not-listen/ |title=Big Thief Announce New Album Two Hands, Drop New Song "Not": Listen |last=Minsker |first=Evan |date=August 13, 2019 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=December 11, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/big-thief-announce-new-album-tour-share-emotive-new-single-not-2537732 |title=Big Thief announce new album, tour and share emotive new single, 'Not' |last=Aubrey |first=Elizabeth |date=August 13, 2019 |website=NME |access-date=December 11, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://consequence.net/2019/08/big-thief-two-hands-not-stream/ |title=Big Thief announce new album Two Hands, share lead single "Not": Stream |last=Kaye |first=Ben |date=August 13, 2019 |website=Consequence of Sound |access-date=December 11, 2019}}
The song was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Background
{{quote box
| quote="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."
| source = —Adrianne Lenker
| width = 20em
| align = right
| style = padding:8px;
}}
The band debuted the song during a concert at Point Éphémère in Paris, France on March 28, 2018.{{Cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/03/30/598222158/watch-big-thief-debut-two-new-songs-live-in-paris |title=Watch Big Thief Debut Two New Songs Live In Paris |last=Boilen |first=Bob |author-link=Bob Boilen |date=March 30, 2018 |website=All Songs Considered |publisher=NPR |access-date=December 11, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.thefader.com/2018/03/30/watch-big-thief-debut-two-new-songs-in-paris |title=Watch Big Thief debut two new songs in Paris |last=Maicki |first=Salvatore |date=March 30, 2018 |website=The Fader |access-date=December 11, 2019}} 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.{{cite news|last=Feldberg|first=Isaac|date=September 6, 2019|title=For 'Two Hands,' Big Thief found fertile ground in the Texas desert|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/specials/fall-arts/2019/09/06/for-two-hands-big-thief-found-fertile-ground-texas-desert/6j6WJs1rNtxowoS94IGBsI/story.html|newspaper=The Boston Globe|access-date=December 12, 2019}}
Composition
Written by Adrianne Lenker, the song's lyrics uses negation to describe something,{{Cite web |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/08/big-thief-rush-release-new-single-not-announce-new.html |title=Big Thief Announce Another New Album, Release Lead Single "Not" |last=Thapliyal |first=Substitute |date=August 13, 2019 |website=Paste |access-date=December 12, 2019}} with Lenker repeating the use of "not" or "nor" at the beginning of each line.{{Cite web |url=https://www.michigandaily.com/section/arts/big-thief-gets-down-earth-two-hands |title=Big Thief comes down to earth with 'Two Hands' |last=Cantie |first=Samantha |date=October 20, 2019 |website=The Michigan Daily |access-date=December 12, 2019}} 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."
The second half of the song is instrumental and features a guitar solo played by Lenker.{{Cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/12/26/790739469/one-big-breath-and-a-blazing-guitar-2019s-best-moments-in-music |title=One Big Breath And A Blazing Guitar: 2019's Best Moments In Music |last1=Huizenga |first1=Tom |last2=Lorusso |first2=Marissa |date=December 26, 2019 |website=All Songs Considered |publisher=NPR |access-date=January 4, 2020}}
Performances
"Not" was performed live by Big Thief on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on October 10, 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-big-thief-perform-not-on-colbert/ |title=Watch Big Thief Perform "Not" on Colbert |last=Bloom |first=Madison |date=October 11, 2019 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=December 12, 2019}} 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.{{cite magazine|last=Shaffer|first=Claire|date=October 11, 2019|title=Big Thief Perform 'Two Hands' Single 'Not' on 'Colbert'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/big-thief-not-two-hands-colbert-897768/|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 12, 2019}} 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."{{Cite web |url=https://consequence.net/2019/10/big-thief-colbert-watch/ |title=Big Thief perform "Not" on Colbert: Watch |last=Kaye |first=Ben |date=October 11, 2019 |website=Consequence of Sound |access-date=December 12, 2019}}
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.{{cite magazine|last=Kaplan|first=Ilana|date=October 26, 2019|title=Watch Big Thief Perform Three Songs From New LP on 'CBS This Morning'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/big-thief-cbs-this-morning-904202/|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 12, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.spin.com/2019/10/big-thief-play-three-songs-on-cbs-this-morning-watch/ |title=Here's What Big Thief Played on CBS This Morning |last=Arcand |first=Rob |date=October 26, 2019 |website=Spin |access-date=December 12, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-big-thief-perform-two-hands-not-and-forgotten-eyes-on-cbs-this-morning/ |title=Watch Big Thief Perform "Two Hands," "Not," and "Forgotten Eyes" on CBS This Morning |last=Yoo |first=Noah |date=October 26, 2019 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=December 12, 2019}}
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."{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/big-thief-not/ |title="Not" by Big Thief Review |last=Moreland |first=Quinn |date=August 13, 2019 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=December 11, 2019}} BBC Music compared Lenker's guitar solo to that of "Neil Young at his peak."
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.{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/barack-obama-names-big-thief-frank-ocean-rosalia-among-songs-of-the-year/ |title=Barack Obama Names Big Thief, Frank Ocean, Rosalía Among Songs of the Year |last=Ruiz |first=Matthew Ismael |date=December 30, 2019 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=January 2, 2020}}
= Accolades =
= 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'".
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.{{Cite web |last=Minsker |first=Evan |date=November 3, 2019 |title=Watch the National's Matt Berninger Cover Big Thief's "Not" |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-the-nationals-matt-berninger-cover-big-thiefs-not/ |access-date=December 12, 2019 |website=Pitchfork}}{{Cite web |last=Lavin |first=Will |date=November 3, 2019 |title=The National's Matt Berninger puts his own spin on Big Thief's 'Not' – watch |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/nationals-matt-berninger-fan-big-thief-covered-song-2564113 |access-date=December 12, 2019 |website=NME}}{{Cite web |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=November 3, 2019 |title=The National's Matt Berninger covers Big Thief's "Not": Watch |url=https://consequence.net/2019/11/the-national-matt-berninger-big-thief-not-cover/ |access-date=December 12, 2019 |website=Consequence of Sound}}
In April 2020, a cover was released by former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer under the pseudonym of Pluralone.{{Cite web |last=Hussey |first=Allison |date=April 24, 2020 |title=Watch Josh Klinghoffer (Ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers) Cover Big Thief's "Not" |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-josh-klinghoffer-ex-red-hot-chili-peppers-cover-big-thiefs-not/ |access-date=April 24, 2020 |website=Pitchfork}}{{Cite web |last=Lavin |first=Will |date=April 23, 2020 |title=Watch Josh Klinghoffer as Pluralone cover Big Thief's 'Not' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/josh-klinghoffer-pluralone-cover-big-thief-not-2652732 |access-date=April 24, 2020 |website=NME}}{{Cite web |last=Kohn |first=Daniel |date=April 23, 2020 |title=Josh Klinghoffer Shares Cover of Big Thief's 'Not' |url=https://www.spin.com/2020/04/josh-klinghoffer-shares-cover-of-big-thiefs-not/ |access-date=April 24, 2020 |website=Spin}}
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".{{Cite news |last=Minsker |first=Evan |date=August 19, 2020 |title=Hamilton Leithauser Announces New Album Live! at Cafe Carlyle |work=Pitchfork |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/hamilton-leithauser-announces-new-album-live-at-cafe-carlyle/ |access-date=September 4, 2020}}{{Cite news |last=Uitti |first=Jacob |date=September 4, 2020 |title=Hamilton Leithauser Discusses Releasing Forgotten Show, 'Live at Café Carlyle' |work=American Songwriter |url=https://americansongwriter.com/live-at-cafe-carlyle-hamilton-leithauser-album-interview/ |access-date=September 4, 2020}}
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Two Hands.{{cite AV media notes |title=Two Hands |others=Big Thief |publisher=4AD |year=2019 |type=liner notes |id=4AD0180LP}}
- Adrianne Lenker – songwriting, vocals, guitar
- Buck Meek – guitar
- Max Oleartchik – bass
- James Krivchenia – drums, vocals, mallets
- Andrew Sarlo – production, mixing, engineering
Charts
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2019)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{single chart|Flanders Tip|30|artist=Big Thief|song=Not|rowheader=true|accessdate=December 11, 2019}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Big Thief}}
{{authority control}}