Joanna Newsom "Sapokanikan" (Official Video)

Track from Joanna Newsom LP/CASS/CD “Divers”, available on October 23, 2015 on Drag City.
Order now at: www.dragcity.com/products/divers
iTunes: apple.co/Divers-iT
Apple Music: apple.co/Divers
VIDEO
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Produced by Sara Murphy, Albert Chi, Erica Frauman
Edited by Andy Jurgensen
Camera: Adam Kimmel, Aaron Tichenor
Telecine Colorist: Gregg Garvin
Production Company: Ghoulardi Film Company
Crew:
Jeff Kunkel, Robert Ellenberg, Aly Migliori, Louis Matta, Christian Gagnier, Nigel S. Clayton, Zander Fife, Dylan Tichenor, Cassandra Kulukundis
MUSIC
Joanna Newsom: Piano, Schiedmayer Celesta, Vocals
Neal Morgan: Drums and Percussion
Ryan Francesconi: Guitar, Bass Guitar, Bouzouki, Baglama
Judith Linsenberg: Recorder
Andy Strain: Trombone
Produced & Mixed by Joanna Newsom & Noah Georgeson
Recorded by Steve Albini & Noah Georgeson
Written by Joanna Newsom
Arrangement of Trombone, Recorder, Bouzouki, Baglama, and Guitars by Ryan Francesconi
Arrangement of Drums & Percussion by Neal Morgan
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Instagram: / dragcityrecords
Twitter: / dragcityrecords
Facebook: / dragcityrecords
#joannanewsom #divers #paulthomasanderson #dragcity

[@Gallagore1000]

I'd say she was psyched when she realised Ozymondian rhymes with Sapokanikan

[@beansidhe7582]

***** No she isn't

[@NIMRODakaNIMROD]

+Gallagore1000 0:09 "Ozymandian - Sapokanikan ... oh dear, will that work out?" 0:13 "Yayyy, it does!"

[@polishpunk911]

+NIMRODakaNIMROD Haha oh my god, that's totally her reaction. "Heeey it worked out! :D"

[@GrahamNificent]

+calisongbird wtf are you talking about, that's the truest sign of finding joy in the artistic process lol those are the kind of moments that you live for

[@TheForgottenKing22]

+calisongbird Heh. You suck, dude!

[@dharmallars]

"look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair." - joanna newsom gesturing to her discography

[@macarenagonzalez2379]

you should read the rest of that poem, you boob.

[@dharmallars]

Its 14 lines long it's not the fucking Odyssey. It's called a joke you uppity piece of shit.

[@BrettChungus]

I don't get your joke. Ozymandias was about how everything you make slowly fades into time. PS: I only even know about that poem because of Perfect Dark.

[@aryasuri9421]

He was simply repurposing the statement. It's not more so a joke than a simple reference. It doesn't bare the same meaning as the original.

[@georginakaye1021]

lol, 10/10.

[@Simonlover17]

I can't believe Joanna Newsom inspired Percy Bysshe Shelley's famous poem Ozymandias. What a legend

[@Vinc90]

Why is this not at the top?

[@micfrich8786]

@Kyle Knockaert Thanks to grade 9 English, I understand this joke

[@pedrorian528]

Ikr

[@davidroberts1702]

I can't believe it either, and never will. ;D

[@probablyalive.2665]

Is this comment sarcastic? I am genuinely asking (hope it didn't come across as rude but... PBS lived and died years before Joanna, so...)

[@RohitKoshyv]

Joanna Newsom is the reason why I close Spotify and open KZbin once in a while

[@db23out48]

Rohit Koshy exactly

[@internetsummoner]

FAYE! Great advice my dude !

[@TomPonce14]

same here

[@mpfmax0]

Oh hello there random person describing my exact thoughts in the current moment, so wonderful the internet is!

[@lovelala6861]

That’s what I just did

[@TRMIZZERE]

The climax broke me, didn't expect that.

[@be.h0lder]

TRMIZZERE Me neither

[@dustykenny9208]

TRMIZZERE DEVASTATING! This is one of the best things shes done and with her catalog I can't believe I just typed that.

[@nistarok123]

+TRMIZZERE That's what she said.

[@thesovgc]

Look and despair 🙏

[@yozora7850]

around 4:30, when she's passed by the emergency vehicles, and she looks like she has tears in her eyes, i'm always reminded of one of the interviews she did regarding Ys. where she talks about how she went home an emotional wreck after fasting by a river for a couple days. she said she would pick up a newspaper and read about someone who died in a car crash, and just be totally inconsolable, because she couldn't stop thinking about how afraid and in pain they must've been when leaving this earth

[@rebeccagarcia9197]

oh my god, do you happen to remember the title of the interview? i'd love to watch it.

[@AM-kn4mc]

Sounds like she might be an empath?

[@abigaileldritch]

@@AM-kn4mc no…those aren’t a thing, she just has emotional empathy because her brain is wired properly…

[@minukarodrigo]

Would u mind sharing the link if possible?

[@carlah6234]

@@abigaileldritchempath is just a word for that "wiring". is the feeling of hunger not a thing either just because there's a word for it? dumbass

[@WonderfulLife08]

I looked up the lyrics because I could barely understand the whole poetic speech and WOW. I'm completely blown away. It has tons of references to history and literature, and there is a superb flow to the words. All combined with her showstopping performance and everything from the pretty melody to the gorgeous arrangements results in a song of titanic proportions. And to think her whole discography is quite of the same caliber... Joanna Newsom is a true gem. And this song is definitely one of the best of this year, hands down.

[@jennpaul74]

She is Brilliant. And it's ok for those who...well...just aren't to not get it. Peace

[@kidsmoked]

I hope you've had the chance to see her in concert. I cry at almost every song.

[@halloumisticks5633]

wow

[@Gapcloser]

@@jennpaul74 Beautifully put.

[@brianchase2598]

Please send

[@tolmorris]

Imagine being this good at something.

[@riverperson]

This song makes me bawl. The passage of time is unforgiving and humans are so small.

[@ChuckBeans61]

I think it's her best work, in a sea of excellence. All of it, the good, the bad, the daring, the corrections, will all be gone soon enough.

[@elyy0345]

The whole album really puts things in perspective

[@oriana8700]

Very well-said. ❤

[@justinberg9903]

Fun fact: Sapokanikan was a Native American trading station which later became the Meatpacking District of New York City - I'd bet that's where she's walking!

[@devoutburrito]

West Village

[@larkermouse]

It is where she's walking! It's also where the dutch settled, and where there was a graveyard (known as a Potter's Field) there for a while, where about 20,000 are buried (attending your footfall), and there's a statue of John Purroy Mitchell, the Boy Mayor of New York. She's going over all the layers of history that are each covering up the one before it, until nothing much remains.

[@RO-py2xh]

My beautiful cat just passed. She always purred when I played or hummed this song. Funny thing. Listening in her honour. Thanks Joanna

[@cerenb7909]

💙

[@AkyvashaAuhm]

[@GenerousPalmstroke1]

Can we take a moment to think about how many historical and literary references she put into these lyrics? 5 beautiful minutes singing (in her own words) about remembrance, forgetting, accretion, concealment, amendment, erasure, distortion, canonization, obsolescence and immortality. All of this accompanied by the beautiful sounds of not-so-known instruments to the general public, such as celestas, bouzoukis and baglamas, while flaunting her smile through the streets of New York City. This woman is an utter genius!

[@Photosynthesislove]

U so smart

[@tetryst]

to me, beyond all that, the most impressive thing newsom does in this song is repeat the line "look and despair." Like, unironically, with everything that came before, the weight of that repetition as it vacillates between sincerity and irony, between awe and despair, in a way that I think the listener will feel even if they don't grok it consciously I believe is 100% intentional and 100% effective. As a writer, to distill so much information into something so direct, a zen koan for all of western history, is more impressive than any number of references or emotions.

[@kvedwards1971]

LMAO, this song and video is a complete shit show

[@randoms2226]

I legit went from _"Lucky girl married Andy Samberg"_ to _"Damn Andy! You got lucky!!!"_

[@alexlight4178]

Yup

[@kc476]

So true!

[@streetcrimesouffle1668]

Surely they are both winners with eachother. But what a wrangler, that's a catch one hopes to snag every life with live on this planet. Ultimately, they are both extremely lucky to have their beautiful family.

[@sugarush1476]

Same. Came like: let's see the lucky woman who got to marry Andy Samberg. Left being like: Andy who? Oh the lucky bastard that got to marry this woman?

[@CosmosTheCreator]

The song is based on the poem "Ozymandias" writ here: "I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things, The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed. And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains: round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away."

[@CosmosTheCreator]

Same!

[@Fuhgl]

+Cosmos That's true, but this is only Shelly's version. Smith's version: In Egypt's sandy silence, all alone, Stands a gigantic Leg, which far off throws The only shadow that the Desert knows:- "I am great OZYMANDIAS," saith the stone, "The King of Kings; this mighty City shows "The wonders of my hand."- The City's gone,- Nought but the Leg remaining to disclose The site of this forgotten Babylon. We wonder,-and some Hunter may express Wonder like ours, when thro' the wilderness Where London stood, holding the Wolf in chace, He meets some fragment huge, and stops to guess What powerful but unrecorded race Once dwelt in that annihilated place. So "look and despair" from the song is from Shelly, while "unrecorded and powerful hand", "the city is gone", the hunter deciphering the stone, and "see with wonder" are from Smith.

[@tetryst]

yeah, it's based on two different poems called Ozymandias, but that barely scratches the surface of the works of art and history that this song is based on.

[@stenna9274]

The instrumentation in this masterpiece is like a wild river. Constantly changing, restless, flowing forward while expanding and retracting with the terrain. Truly remarkable!

[@minukarodrigo]

Finally somebody said it!!!! And all the folk instruments she used in this masterpiece!!!!

[@chiaralinnea4335]

the piano sounds incredible. It's addictive!

[@PoopSteve420]

Thank you mother for this sweet gift

[@ThatChampion]

PoopSteve420 literally what are you doing here

[@PoopSteve420]

Shane Walsh Joannas music got me through some tough times my friend, only albums I own physical copies of are hers :)

[@user-rx3js1no3s]

+PoopSteve420 could you tell me which album to start with if Im trying to get into this stuff (yeah I'm a dirty pleb and I'm late)

[@PoopSteve420]

Soviet Potato I started with the milk eyed mender, ys took me a long time to appreciate and have one on me came out after I was already smitten, but is probably my favourite and the most accessible.

[@TobiasMelonik]

Soviet Potato Yup, start with HOOM and for now skip the title track

[@Travmann777]

God this is actually such a sad song. Looking at the cultures and peoples who have passed upon Manhattan. Opening with a reference to Ozymandias' kingdom, all are fated to disappear, even our own 100 years from now. And ending upon the despair the future hunter found upon uncovering that only a monument or some lost artifact is all that is left of a place/time/people, coupled likely with the self realization that their culture and society will too one day be just a stone or a statue left in a desert. Joanna's starting out the album REAL STRONG.

[@joelfanner9091]

Shit man. When you put it as plainly as that... shit got real for me right now

[@pirateg3cko]

Joanna Newsom's work makes me realize what a beautiful person Andy Samberg must be.

[@supaninjavegan]

SAME. I love her music, I find him hilarious and relevant, they must be an hilariously creative and funny couple

[@KekeeBlack]

I bet he's a really fun dude and Joanna deserves only the best.

[@christianlesurfmusic]

What's amazing is that Andy Samberg was already a superfan of Joanna before they even met.

[@lillyblue1903]

Agreed, and I dont get It when people say its weird them together. They are both great person, shouldnt It makes sense?

[@kelb6073]

Eh..he seems like the type that would be a fan of her music. He's got the indie/nerd thing going on. But I was surprised to find that SHE agreed to marry him lol

[@srijanagrawal255]

I feel like she was genuinely in tears by the end of the video

[@psmith1843]

This is an unnervingly deep song. About monuments of the past, referencing Shelley, Flory Walker! Tamanend to Tamany Hall to John Purroy Mitchel!!!!!! These are legitimate and profound contrasts in history. The connection spans centuries. The song is about remnants and preservation and reverence of the past! Good lord. It is so complex. My goodness. I may sleep with the light on tonight. gosh. Yesterday I had never even heard of Joanna Newsom. Now this.

[@sk1llerdrag]

you're in for a treat if you enjoy this a lot of joanna's lyricism is very complex and has historical, mythological, folklore references. listen to her other songs and albums!

[@lordbuddybear]

Same, man, same

[@mattbuszko]

seriously? You all can understand the words? I thought she was singing in a different language. Reminds me of when I was a kid and heard Dave Matthews for the first time - couldn't understand sh*t. Is there something wrong with my ears? I feel like I'm listening to one of those bits of Beatles songs where they play, like, snippets in reverse lol

[@VitorBrauer]

I don't believe it is "about remnants and preservation and reverence of the past". As a matter of fact is quite the opposite. To me Sapokanikan is a song about how all life and even the buildings we build will all be forgotten eventually and will be dust and dirt. What lies under the city will be gone too, as will the tributes we have left to rust in the parks. It's really sad that all these lives will eventually be forgotten as will our works.

[@tetryst]

@@mattbuszko I think it just means you should read more. People who read know more words, and are better capable of discerning new words and working out their meaning through context if necessary.

[@constructingadditionalpylo8597]

I used to listen to this song whenever I was having a panic attack because it calms me down. No idea why this song in particular did it for me but there you go.

[@michaelparness2896]

I love how she lingers on specific words and extends and stresses vowels. So incredibly powerful

[@ba-donkindonutz5172]

I must admit that I just now stumbled across Joanna Newsom because of Andy Samberg. This is the first song I've heard of hers. Halfway through the music video I thought to myself "this is the kind of artist that makes you feel smarter just for knowing them. A true and respectable artist." I had to look up the lyrics and shortly thereafter the meaning. It's 2am and I have put that aside to unpack tomorrow. I most definitely will listen to another song or two!

[@miriam4951]

Did you end up doing so? :))

[@qf6922]

Same haha

[@lordbuddybear]

Haha I just did exactly that and it's 2am now that I read your comment... well what does my comment matter anyway

[@catazanoni1455]

Same It's been 4 days and I can't stop listening

[@strangenessandcharms]

Two will not be enough. Welcome to the Joanna universe.

[@saraeli8626]

walking through washington park like "wow there are so many dead bodies here and i will be forgotten"

[@Iiuoypline]

Spot on 😂

[@wrinkleintime4257]

As one does :’D

[@yanstein8464]

the park in my hometown is basically a graveyard for a couple hundred of german ww2 soldiers, so... yeah

[@VitorBrauer]

yes!

[@PaulThePuppetier]

The second part is so powerful. Sometimes I'm listening to Joanna while doing something else, but whenever the second part of Sapokonikan starts I just have to stop whatever I'm doing and listen closely, sometimes sing along. I just can't ignore it.

[@alejandrogonzalez-castillo4293]

you can't escape her

[@nolitimeremessorem]

What I love about this song is the fact that your enjoyment of it is equal to the amount of effort you put in understanding it. In a world where instant gratification is the norm, art like this is a beautiful rarity.

[@dorian4404]

I agree but will add that without trying to understand it, musically and sonically it is very powerful and I feel like it gets the substance across as much as the lyrics. English isn't my first language and when this song came out, my english was worse than now but it totaly took me by surprise and wrecked me. After a few listens, I picked up things here and there lyrically which prompted me to look up as much as I could. I felt like I discovered a whole world within that song. But what still touches me deeply is what happens musically, sonicaly, vocaly. I think there is something for everyone in there.

[@podunkest]

​​@@dorian4404yes, completely. The second sonic movement in this song is so powerful. Plus, just picking up on the names of people and places and the ending, "look and despair" just... *chef's kiss* - I love the contrast and depth when accompanied by such powerful music and the ambiguity of interpretation. I almost don't want to understand music completely when it's this outstanding. Being cryptic but not too cryptic is an art in itself and nothing is worse than being too direct. She manages to show without telling with music and poetry and I'm glad there are other people on this planet who see her art as I do for the gift that it is to all of us. She literally makes me happy to have lived.

[@kris242]

I don’t know why but I always really love her little subtle interaction with the lil kid on the scooter near the beginning. It’s just kinda heartwarming.

[@kickasskeenan]

dam just sorted the comments to newest and have been listening to this song through this music video for 5 years now but just noticed that, thanks for the comment and totally heart warmed !

[@kris242]

@@kickasskeenan lolol honestly I’ve been watching this video for years too and for some reason it was always one of the first things I noticed 😂

[@kylestanfield4903]

It looks like they cut it right before she waves to the kid

[@MasDouc]

2:54 onward is absolutely magical. I bet the director was even like "damn this shot is perfect."

[@alex-ue1xi]

I don't understand what she said but I'm so sad now

[@lauderdale77]

Noah Stewart exactly 😢

[@visualspark6308]

Sapokanikan is a reference to a village a Native American Lenape tribe used to inhabit on Manhattan Island. The Native American tribe lived there until driven off their land and forgotten about as time went on. Over time the land developed and changed. Other people inhabited it. However, the tribe became another obscure piece of American history. The song is all about commemorating their loss but also presenting the question of what kind of impact modern individuals will make on history. Will we be remembered or will we suffer the same fate as the Lenape tribe?

[@eatdikz]

Basically comparing New York City to the civilization of Ozymandias. One day all of this will be buried, and overran by nature. The middle of the song I don’t understand at all

[@calebault8077]

Kyle S. I just looked up the lyrics on Genius and boy howdy this song requires a whole education in literature, art history and the specific history and geography of Manhattan. Someone did an amazing job of explaining it all, though!

[@ballzinferno9793]

@@calebault8077 the fact that she decided to reference a painting being found under a painting was mind blowing when I read about that part.

[@Fate2024]

Lyrics The cause is Ozymandian The map of Sapokanikan Is sanded and bevelled The land lorn and levelled By some unrecorded and powerful hand Which plays along the monument And drums upon a plastic bag The brave-men-and-women-so-dear-to-God- And-famous-to-all-of-the-ages rag Sang: Do you love me? Will you remember? The snow falls above me The renderer renders: The event is in the hand of God Beneath a patch of grass, her Bones the old Dutch master hid While elsewhere Tobias And the angel disguise What the scholars surmise was a mother and kid Interred with other daughters In dirt in other potters' fields Above them, parades Mark the passing of days Through parks where pale colonnades arch in marble and steel Where all of the twenty-thousand attending your footfall And the causes they died for are lost in the idling bird calls And the records they left are cryptic at best Lost in obsolescence The text will not yield, nor x-ray reveal With any fluorescence Where the hand of the master beginsand ends I fell, I tried to do well but I won't be Will you tell the one that I love to remember and hold me I call and call for the doctor But the snow swallows me whole with ol' Florry Walker And the event lives only in print He said: "It's alright" And "It's all over now" And boarded the plane His belt unfastened The boy was known to show unusual daring And, called a "boy" This alderman, confounding Tammany Hall In whose employ King Tamanend himself preceeded John's fall So we all raise a standard To which the wise and honest soul may repair To which a hunter A hundred years from now, may look and despair And see with wonder The tributes we have left to rust in the parks Swearing that our hair stood on end To see John Purroy Mitchel depart For the Western front where our work might count O mercy! O God! Go out, await the hunter to decipher the stone And what lies under the city is gone Look and despair Look and despair

[@stephen200005945]

"O mercy! O God!" versus "All exeunt! All go out!" is interesting!

[@emilytownsend4983]

I’ve always loved the ending of this song. It somehow has always made me feel as though the melody would continue after the song ends. Like it just plays on forever.

[@childsoIdier]

she's the greatest musician of our time. thank you joanna.

[@TheNukeGeneral]

The tempo and instrumental change at 2:50 will forever haunt me. It's pure unfiltered beauty.

[@eastcliffmusic]

The first time I heard Joanna I was like "Why do people like this?!" And after that there was a gap missing in my musical pallet. It just has to grow on you. It's so unique, otherworldly, you don't know what to cling onto. It truly is beautiful.

[@adamfawcett1119]

I had the exact same experience.

[@matbroomfield]

Check out Kate Bush - almost exactly the same sound. Ariel is a great album to start with.

[@eastcliffmusic]

Thank you for the suggestion! Didnt know where to start with Kate bush, If you havent, check out Gene Clarks no other band. Its an Allstar lineup featuring Robin Pecknold, Daniel Rossen and a few others just going through the album live. Its really great.

[@giapponerosso]

+Louise Healy me too, I couldn't believe I finally found something like this!

[@animalloverabh]

It took me months of forcing myself to listen to her albums on repeat for me to finally 'get' her

[@catherine52525]

she has one of the most addictive sounds. i find myself constantly coming back to her. i cant get enough.

[@martingiannini1439]

My God the *density* of this song. You could teach a graduate course on the number of references alone. And a masterpiece besides.

[@elizabethsmith9624]

Martin Giannini she’s completely pretentious. The only writer she’s ever read is Nabokov

[@bigfat4172]

@@elizabethsmith9624 "she's so pretentious. She hasnt read as many books as me."

[@elizabethsmith9624]

@@bigfat4172 She's the one who lords it over people. "Oh goodness me, look how deep my fairytale rhymes are! They sound like Nabokov or something. Let me talk about Nabokov again so people think I'm smart."

[@bigfat4172]

@@elizabethsmith9624 lol how does she lord it over people? She makes a particular type of music. Listen to it or don't, it's not her fault her music offends you in this way.

[@elizabethsmith9624]

@@bigfat4172 I'm allowed to share my thoughts. It's strange you're so defensive of her. If you love her music then my opinion shouldn't matter!

[@yahstino]

The second half of this song is other-worldly

[@seaport7421]

The moment you can briefly see tears shine in her eyes as she sings "look and despair" is so transcendent.

[@juliocervantes8523]

Damn, Joanna is the One True Master of juxtaposition. Forgetting and remembering, despair and hope, she's always playing on themes and counter themes. Thanks for your music, you're my favorite artist!

[@Simulacreage]

Happy 8th birthday, Sapokanikan!

[@underlinedluke]

Time flies. I was in my 20s then. Have you heard the new ones by the way?

[@pedrovv]

she invented the humanity hymn 😭

[@rainbo1475]

Gives me so much hope as a musician to see that someone like Joanna Newsom to get over 1.5 million views on her song. She has inspired me for a long time

[@AlexCo008]

This is the most beautiful song I've ever heard. I don't feel like I deserve it. I feel honored to have heard this song.

[@calisongbird]

What a weird reaction.

[@juniwilliams]

dont really like it, but as a pianist, I love it

[@abewilson6830]

Exactly how i feel exactly! She is such a blessing to the world of music, especially nowadays

[@michellerogers6566]

I know what you mean Alex. I feel SO lucky to have discovered her stunning music and lyrics - and I'm not a fan girl type!

[@unstartedartist]

relax

[@joshw8868]

This is my Bohemian Rhapsody

[@MeyEdeile]

i'm................dead. SHE HAS RETURNED

[@hippogryph12]

0:30 when she smiles and waves at the little girl :3

[@Phagocytosis]

+Nathan Totally missed that before, but you're right :) nice.

[@tylernewman9873]

Right at 3:53 my hair stands straight up, and get goose bumps all over. What soul, and beauty 😍

[@retnaraj]

this video is awesome...watching her be in her world as she walks in ours

[@ThingsWeSaidToday]

wow dude, so poetic xD

[@retnaraj]

hahaha, based on the videos you're into I'm assuming you're quite a poetry enthusiast and so shall take it as a compliment! :)

[@musicsavedme3534]

Alwin Retnaraj Soloman that was such a pretty comment

[@wilsonsiregar5463]

Paul Thomas Anderson directed this video clip, you know

[@chim-choo-ree]

Paul Thomas Anderson has directed all of my favorite movies: Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, and Sapokanikan.

[@anierrn6935]

I love that she has worked with PTA while Andy Samberg has worked with Maya Rudolph

[@chim-choo-ree]

@@anierrn6935 Wouldn't you just love to have dinner with the four of them?

[@anierrn6935]

@@chim-choo-ree oh definitely

[@andrewwilliams4283]

Have you seen Licorice Pizza yet? its lush.

[@thesovgc]

Also Fast as You Can

[@streetcrimesouffle1668]

I've been waiting to listen to this album since it came out. Ive been digesting Joanna's music for about 13 years now. It's about time to start studying "Divers"

[@MelloMusician]

This orbital piece transcends time.

[@mariaantontorres7014]

I feel embarrassed my colleagues at work might find out I'm listening to the same song for the 100th time this week. Better keep my headphones tight and keep my cool. Thank you Joanna.

[@remyathomas6131]

I have NO idea what she is saying but I have to admit I like this music

[@cinemaslut9034]

Nobody really cares but Paul Thomas Anderson directed this

[@kuzih4798]

+Bob Saget Is Bae I saw this video because of PTA XD

[@jordanbottini9803]

+Bob Saget Is Bae i do

[@miriamatkinson789]

+jordan bottini me too

[@youmeandi100]

ur kiddding?!?!

[@bestsince1984]

It's why I'm here

[@frogery]

no matter how many times i listen to this it always ends with a heavy feeling in my chest.

[@ChicagoMonsterPunk]

The last part of the song broke my heart. Her voice is surprisingly beautiful.

[@drygan22]

+ChicagoMonsterPunk Agréablement surpris de te retrouver ici !

[@ChicagoMonsterPunk]

Drygan Ah tu écoutes aussi ? Faudrait que je check son dernier album, elle va devoir se surpasser vu le niveau du précédent.

[@henrikwolff5081]

She heard for sure some Lionheart Kate Bush in her life ... but not a bad pastiche ...

[@thesovgc]

I wasn't surprised 😉

[@jamese.ferrell6218]

The vocals happening around 4:00--unbelievably beautiful

[@nauticalnun]

and that marching band drum beat

[@nolanwinter4711]

2:56. All the vocals are gorgeous after that point.

[@davidloganwright4253]

I spent a lot of time in that park when I was lost, alone, unwanted, and confused. I tried to forget it. Your music makes me miss it.

[@matbroomfield]

I love this quote from Wikipedia _Newsom's early work was strongly influenced by polyrhythms. After Ys, Newsom said she had lost interest in polyrhythms. They "stopped being fascinating to me and started feeling wanky."_

[@Ignore14]

I really love the polyrhythms in her first 2 albums

[@m_crowley6674]

joanna bout to drag don caballero's ass

[@jordanpennington4161]

your hate only makes her stronger. one day she will devour us all.

[@Mary-eo7ir]

I await the day

[@cameronbell8791]

@@Mary-eo7ir What the actual heck

[@jnmks]

in the meantime, taylor swift is still devouring us all and i'm not complaining 🤷🏻‍♂️ #folklore #evermore #fearlesstaylorsversion

[@wild_cosmia]

This song is monumental. The lyrics are absolutely breathtaking and her performance is awesome, as usual. For everyone who does not get the meaning of the lyrics, I suggest checking the genius annotations. They are quite encompassing.

[@epinhervin9355]

I knew Joanna Newsom since 2006 during my very fockin boring communication journalistic college era and boom suddenly couple of year before covid 19 there are so many musician copying her vocal style

[@sooysauce17]

This song 💔 She’s almost crying at the end.

[@xsadsappysuckr6710]

She cannot be real. She's too perfect.

[@ceberusbotcatcher]

Such emotional and philosophical range! Truly a classic in the making.

[@romane8655]

I've just discovered this artist thanks to a comment that mentioned her under a Kate Bush song. I'm surprised I hadn't heard of her before, it's really great! I haven't listened to any of the other songs, so I'm going to give it a go, because it's all good: the original theme, which suddenly changes at 3:00, the ending where she gets into the high notes and the sad, beautiful lyrics which contrast with the happy theme. Nobody around me has heard it, so I'm going to tell everyone about it!

[@xjmmjbnqfstjdijoj2044]

The beauty and depth of the lyrics, the mystical and ethereal atmosphere and the unpredictability of the melody all make this song a true masterpiece!

[@thomasgress6247]

Probably the best song ever about John Purroy Mitchel, the 95th mayor of New York City. Probably the only song ever about John Purroy Mitchel. Nice touch with the fire truck.

[@jamesbarber4]

The ending of this song was sublime. I didn't want it to end!

[@yubtubtime]

There really aren't words enough. An absolute high water mark.

[@midpinesmusic]

I feel her art is beyond critique at this point.

[@chrismail]

Am I the only one showing this to every friend on their facebook in excitement? (Even if they don't care)

[@viniciuscomacento]

chrismail yeah, even if they don't care.

[@chrismail]

Vinicius Azevedo It's like a social obligation!

[@user-rx3js1no3s]

I could never really dig joannas stuff. I may be a filthy pleb but could someone tell me where to start to ease into dis stuff

[@chrismail]

Soviet Potato I think Milk Eyed Mender is a great place to start, but if it's not your cup of tea there is nothing wrong with that, we're all different :)

[@Gallas1000]

Soviet Potato For me, Milk Eyed Mender is a heavy place to start - her later stuff is a bit more relaxed, so maybe Have One on Me. But the album that won me over first was Ys - the songs are very long and word-heavy, but so outstandingly beautiful.

[@mur.dermaid]

I love that the video gives her music a more urban aesthetic. Pretty song!

[@kaylashewrote]

I don’t know why this song makes me feel so medieval and old.

[@sstanka01]

I am a huge PT Anderson fan and I still think this is one of the best things he's ever directed.

[@Questpeace]

I think it's primarily about the victims of Westward expansion. And how America's headed towards a future whose ruins will not say "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair" but "Look and despair". This song is terrifying. I love Joanna Newsom with all my heart.

[@Voodoochil111111]

This.

[@mr.youtube8424]

Questpeace "I think it's primarily about the victims of Westward expansion." There's not much in the lyrics to suggest that at all.

[@Questpeace]

What do you think the first part of the song is about? Up until John unbuckles his seatbelt? Why do you think she sings, "And what lies under the city is gone Look and despair". The knowledge completely lost of the history of Manhattan is what pains her the most. What was most completely lost?

[@mr.youtube8424]

Questpeace Ah you know what, I misread/brain-fecked "Westward" for "Western", thinking you were on about globalisation/Americanisation or the Iraq war or somesuch shite. This is KZbin, you expect the worst. Apologies for that. And yes, some very kind people have done good work on the GeniusLyrics page for this song. The amount of literary/artistic/historical references in a single verse is staggering. And they make sense as well, it's not just showing off. She's always been great at this, the Ys album could have a 1000-page companion book.

[@mr.youtube8424]

***** ... okay, that really does sound like a stretch. What gives you the impression that it's about him?

[@caseylong7030]

Thank you Joanna Newsom for this amazing piece! Loving the unexpectedly dramatic use of recorder here.

[@lisabryant8332]

Casey Long ŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒ I just got paid $6784 working off my laptop this month. And if you think that's cool, my divorced friend has twin toddlers and made over $9k her first month. It feels so good making so much money when other people have to work for so much less. This is what I do, WorkReport10.com COPY LINK TO YOUR BROWSER ŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒ

[@thesovgc]

This is truly a relevation. Joanna makes music you feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to hear.

[@i.loveyou]

She's the one of the greatest things happened in music, Ys and Have one on me are masterpiece

[@jhonviel7381]

one of my fave musicians for my shitty millennial life at least.

[@IHopeYouDIY]

Hey fancy running into you here.

[@theloserof08]

2015 is going fucking hard

[@lisabryant8332]

TheLoserOf08 ŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒ I just got paid $6784 working off my laptop this month. And if you think that's cool, my divorced friend has twin toddlers and made over $9k her first month. It feels so good making so much money when other people have to work for so much less. This is what I do, WorkReport10.com COPY LINK TO YOUR BROWSER ŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒ

[@elliotmccabelokos5385]

Lisa Bryant you're friend is divorced and has twin toddlers?! Jeeze, what luck.

[@jibbyfoob]

TheLoserOf08 It can only go harder if Radiohead drops LP9

[@josuedelatorre35]

jibbyfoob or if PJ Harvey drops an album late this year

[@BourneyBourn]

TheLoserOf08 I'd expect such a comment under a dark techno song or sth like that :D not to a sweet little song

[@bigbadslimee]

2015 is the greatest year for music of all time, I'm sure of it.

[@genderegg]

Suq Madiq Which other ones in the list? Tell me!

[@poopyscoopy7065]

Suq Madiq It's been a great year but 2010 is still my favorite year for music so far this decade.

[@alexmontenegromusic]

Thiago Vidotto father john misty - I love you honey bear, tallest man on earth - dark bird is home, sufjan stevens - carrie and lowell... beach house is releasing this year and so is beirut and now Joanna :')

[@matthewneale8171]

Bruce Wayne Couldn't agree more. Have One On Me, The Age of Adz, Fang Island, and Heartland alone are pretty much four of my favourite albums of all time. (And that's not to mention The ArchAndroid, Teen Dream, Learning....)

[@DierWolf87]

alexmontenegromusic and Kurt Vile, Grimes, DIIV, all coming up. 2015 rules.

[@MasDouc]

This is one of her best songs in a catalogue of masterpiece songs

[@SuperGingerBot]

why do i always cry at the end

[@MrSteniorod]

I do too !!! I am glad that I am not the only person that had the same reaction.

[@JohnLaVine333]

...the recorders

[@dorian4404]

That second part, starting at 2:55, always kills me. I don't cry often but this song always gets me.

[@user-kh9ki3kq8m]

SuperGingerBot every time the jingle bells come in at 2:32 I can't help but dance along

[@janitorscrambo8362]

same dude and I'm not one to cry

[@LeeJtotheC]

She is a God Damn lyrical master

[@RuRubey]

She is one of the greatest artists of the 21st century she has a way of with words and knowing her voice so well unlike anything I’ve ever heard, she is just so incredibly interesting to listen to!

[@joeagger]

2 years later: Divers is one of my favorite albums, and this song never fails to give me chills. I find myself repeating 2:26 - 2:54 in my head for days after I listen to this song. Joanna is extraordinary and her 4 albums and 3 EPs have helped me, and certainly many others, through so much

[@underlinedluke]

It's so weird that a video of Joanna has more than 3 million views. I love it.

[@DownieRob]

Agree, but, i've watched this at least 1 million times :3

[@amgm1996]

I think this is legit her most accessible song and video so im not surprised

[@geoffsamphire]

This song is like nothing I've ever heard before. The first two times I watched it (in a row) my jaw was on the floor. About to watch it again for the fifth time. Freshest song in years.

[@kateee4440]

Have you listened to any of her other songs?

[@seaghanmackinnon7677]

gksamphire Funny, because the first recording of this song is more than two years old now.

[@bladechild2449]

+gksamphire To be fair, it's like every other song she's made. I almost complained about how shit her setlist has been for the recent tours and how her early stuff has been forgotten, but it honestly doesn't matter much, other than she has neglected the harp heavy tunes that pretty much made her what she was in 2004.

[@calvinj.1926]

+BladeChild recent shit setlist / old harp heavy tunes... You're good, keep being this bright in other areas of your life.

[@bladechild2449]

calvuin oak touche

[@ohbabybabyify]

I can't breathe. Yes, Joanna!

[@lillyblue1903]

Why did I take so long to listen to her music? It's so different from everything i've heard, yet I'm amazed and crying...

[@paulseguna7210]

I need a Julia Holter/Joanna collab in my life.

[@moharchatterjee2729]

Feb 2021 - and I'm still obsessed.

[@ajpdeschenes]

Who thinks "Divers" is her best album? And probably one of the most relistenable album ever? Divers ranks really high in my music experience. "Divers" is among this small handful of albums I can always instantly enjoy. It took me some time to get into it, but since then, it's been one of these rare albums I can just listen and listen again, appreciating every sound of it, often hearing new sounds. But somehow, I feel Divers is very underated. Though it is considered among the best albums of 2015, it's often diregarded for "Have One on Me". (By the way, I listen to many artists : Talk Talk, Sigur Rós, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Beatles, Radiohead, Portishead, Björk, Bonnie Prince Billy, Sufjan Stevens, Julia Holter... also jazz and classical music.)

[@luisj.m2471]

Have you ever listened to Daniel Rosen, Douglas Dare, William Doyle, BC Camplight, King Creosote? They've got similar vibes in different ways.

[@heeragul1132]

This is always the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard

[@gringopig]

The whole song changes with the lyric 'he said' then it gradually becomes intense then releases into beautiful blues melody. Just love this over and over again.

[@PianowithNate]

The climax of this never fails to bring me to tears...perfect merging of music, setting, and performance. I wonder how this came together...were they shooting what would have been a much less impactful video and then got lucky with the firetrucks?

[@GeorgeQuinton]

Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine all the banks, industries, atom bombs, hollywood stars and slimming diets from America don't exist and US is just a small European country which biggest cultural export is Joanna Newsom.

[@justinewellsen1224]

She has the most incredible vocal range and control

[@o.steinman3855]

4:15 That note