Holocene (song)

"Holocene" is a song by American indie folk band Bon Iver. It was released as the second single from their self-titled album on 5 September 2011. The single is backed with a cover of Peter Gabriel's song "Come Talk To Me" as a B-side, which was previously released as a limited edition song for Record Store Day.^[1] The song received critical acclaim from various music publications. It has been nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the 54th Grammy Awards,^[2] and is featured in the Cameron Crowe film We Bought a Zoo.^[3]

Background

Front man Justin Vernon explained the song title in an interview with Mojo: "It's partly named after the (geological) era, but it's also the name of a bar in Portland where I had a dark night of the soul." He also stated that "the title is a metaphor for when you're not doing well. But it's also a song about redemption and realizing that you're worth something; that you're special and not special at the same time."^[4]

Music video

The music video directed by Nabil Elderkin was filmed in the region of Vik in Iceland. It features a blonde Icelandic boy waking up and roaming around the island's volcanic landscape and glaciers, equipped with just a walking stick.^[5] Since the lyrics of "Holocene" describe the idea that the self is part of something greater, the music video highlights the expansive landscapes in contrast to the boy.^[6] The video was debuted on the National Geographic Channel.^[4][5]

Reception

The song was highly acclaimed by critics. Pitchfork Media named it as the second best song of 2011, saying "the rising and falling chord changes create a sense of motion that develops throughout the whole song, a tide-like ebb and flow that ends with an abrupt denouement, so swift it withholds almost as much pleasure as it yields."^[7] Rolling Stone ranked it as the 22nd best single of 2011, simply stating that "'[Holocene]' takes sensitive-guy poetry somewhere sublime."^[8] The song also won 2nd place in Stereogum's annual Gummy Awards.^[9] It was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 54th Grammy Awards.

References

1. ^ "Bon Iver “Holocene”/”Come Talk To Me” Details". Stereogum. 20 July 2011. http://stereogum.com/764161/bon-iver-announces-holocenecome-talk-to-me-details/mp3s/. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
2. ^ Amy Phillips (30 November 2011). "Bon Iver Nominated for Four Grammys". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/news/44763-bon-iver-nominated-for-record-of-the-year-grammy-for-holocene/. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
3. ^ "We Bought A Zoo - Complete Soundtrack". The Uncool. 29 December 2011. http://www.theuncool.com/2011/12/29/we-bought-a-zoo-complete-soundtrack/. Retrieved 1 January 2012. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Holocene by Bon Iver Songfacts". Songfacts. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=23281. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Nabil Elderkin shoots Bon Iver Holocene music video in Iceland". webwire.com. 24 August 2011. http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=144157. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
6. ^ Carly Wolkoff (18 August 2011). "Bon Iver's Icelandic Stunner: Watch the 'Holocene' Video". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/column/viralvideos/bon-iver-s-icelandic-stunner-watch-the-holocene-1005319952.story. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
7. ^ "Staff Lists: The Top 100 Tracks of 2011". Pitchfork Media. 12 December 2011. http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/8726-the-top-100-tracks-of-2011/10/. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
8. ^ "50 Best Singles of 2011: Bon Iver, 'Holocene'". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-singles-of-2011-20111207/bon-iver-holocene-19691231. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
9. ^ "The Gummy Awards: Your Top 10 Tracks Of 2011". Stereogum. 12 December 2011. http://stereogum.com/902171/the-gummy-awards-your-top-10-tracks-of-2011/the-gummy-awards/. Retrieved 16 December 2011.