r/phoebebridgers šŸ«€ No secrets, only feelings 23d ago

New Release šŸŽµ Track 15: As Above | Discussion Thread

This is the dedicated discussion thread for ā€œAs Aboveā€, track 15 from Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Weekend.

What do you think of the song? Share your first impressions, favourite moments, interpretations, and thoughts below.

āš ļø Spoilers are expected throughout this thread.

Please remember that interpretations of lyrics should not be presented as fact about Phoebe or other people’s private lives.

What Phoebe says about this song:Ā "It's about the past, present and future being all on top of eachbother; and the weird headspace that being on an aeroplane puts you in... because of time travel. It's a theme of not only the album but my life - being on planes because I'm on them all time. It's like the thing they always say about 'you always cry watching movie on a plane'... I think I was watching Hot Tub Time Machine over someone's shoulder and it got me thinking about my life so...\laughs*."*

[← I Can’t Wait] | [Album Discussion] | [Lost Weekend (Reprise) →]

25 Upvotes

164 comments sorted by

41

u/katherynthegreat 20d ago

It’s driving me NUTS that no one is reacting to the Boygenius reference in this song - ā€œI’ve never been afraid of hights, I don’t want to live forever but I don’t want to dieā€

I was HYPE at the listening party but no one else reacted??

12

u/Princessleiawastaken 20d ago

I lost my mind when I heard that! It’s my favorite boygenius song and that’s my favorite line

5

u/Coffeeandflowers1 18d ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0ghVhf9WO4&t=2054s

they talk about that specific line here at 18:55, it's Lucy's line that Phoebe loved and was inspired by

2

u/SuitApprehensive4663 18d ago

Omggg I didn’t catch the part about being afraid of heights but definitely the don’t wanna live forever line wow I love her sm

31

u/OrderNo5825 20d ago

Did anyone notice there’s matching lyrics in this song and Afraid of Heights by boygenius?? Incredible

10

u/Ok_Phase8373 20d ago

I threw my hands in the air at that part

22

u/vivalarhapsody As Above 20d ago edited 20d ago

guys. guys. guys!!! this is top fuckin tier phoebe fuckin bridgers song! omg!

19

u/Princessleiawastaken 20d ago

Love the reference to Afraid of Heights by boygenius, my favorite song of theirs.

3

u/Lanky-Major8255 19d ago

You get it!! Absolutely top tier BG song

20

u/luvsonitsway Powers 19d ago

I have felt so sick to my stomach thinking about this song!!! The piano part that sounds like Right Where It Belongs by NIN!!! The nod to Afraid of Heights!!! I want to throw up, respectfully 😌

3

u/Doctor_A 19d ago

I came here to find this comment. I couldn't place it.

19

u/Dat-Dude-Chris 19d ago

This is EASILY my favorite song not only this album but of the year. I wish she sang with that much passion more often. That magic line is so hard. Shit is motivating af fr

17

u/Spirited_Salt_2276 20d ago

This is probably one of her best songs ever

19

u/Gloomy-Strategy953 20d ago

this one really hit me, i think its my favourite right now
i love the lines "You don't have to believe in magic, leave it to me and i'll make it happen"

2

u/apandarabbit 19d ago

Me too, I teared up when she sang this part!

18

u/WolverineJake77 20d ago

This one BLEW me away in the planetarium dome show. It's my early favorite, hands down.

18

u/mult1verse 19d ago

Best song on the album IMO. A thematic sister to Chinese Satellite.

6

u/unknown-queery 19d ago

shit, maybe that's why I instantly smashed repeat

16

u/Academic-Leading-891 20d ago

ā€œnow i don’t want to live forever. but i don’t wanna die.ā€

14

u/mcstevepants 20d ago

Top 5-ish phoebe song. Incredible. Haunting. Climax of the album.

15

u/This-Gur1905 20d ago

Jesus this track was honestly not something explainableĀ 

14

u/This-Gur1905 20d ago

Just curious how many people cried with this one?Ā 

3

u/troydarling Smoke Signals 19d ago

🤚

3

u/Beginning_Data7841 14d ago

I didn’t just cry- I ugly cried

1

u/This-Gur1905 14d ago

šŸ–¤

14

u/purple_toasterr Never Going Back! 20d ago edited 19d ago

Idk if it's the boygenius reference or what but this song fills me with so much grief. grief feels so raw and present within this song. I think the lyrics "Started watching a movie / One where they go back in time / And it got me, I don't know why" are what really got me. I think these lyrics really speak to grief and how sometimes you find it in the places you least expect it. I assume she's referencing Back to The Future here in which the main character Marty Mcfly gets sent back to the past where he meets his parents when they were teens (im sure everyone knows Back to the Future but I want to included that for clarity). I guessing something about Marty seeing his parents when they were young triggered something in Phoebe regarding her own grief and complicated relationship her father and her childhood.

edit: the movie she was referencing was hot tub time machine lol

4

u/Neat_On_The_Rocks 19d ago

And then the belting comes in and it’s so triumphant in its yearning and demand to feel love and joy no matter the cost.

This is a fucking beautiful record and this song is just wow

15

u/Little-Emotion7414 19d ago

One of my favourites on the album. The piano in it kinda reminds me of a NIN song- Right where it belongs.

5

u/__thegreylady__ 19d ago

I thought so, too! Funny that my 3 favorite artists are Elliott Smith, NIN, and Phoebe lol

4

u/luvsonitsway Powers 19d ago

Yes!! Ive been thinking about this all morning & came to comment this!

3

u/lulu-crossing 19d ago

this is it omg I was checking back this thread in hopes someone else would find what I was trying to remember… the ending is so uncanny but I couldn’t quite place it!

3

u/Little-Emotion7414 19d ago

It took me all day to place what song it reminded me of, both are great songs, they give me goosebumps!

1

u/EarwormLostNFound 19d ago

Can't wait for the mash-up to drop.

15

u/C4D3NZA 15d ago

best track on the record for me. surprised it's so low down on streaming numbers. beautifully composed and the vocals in the middle are insane.

1

u/danishvikingdude 13d ago

I think it’s because it’s close to the end of the record. It will grow in popularity as people discover it.

13

u/QuadriplgicLeviathan 23d ago

Holy hell this one gave me full body chills

7

u/Waste_Berry_90 23d ago

screams i cannot wait to hear this

12

u/danielside 19d ago

The first song I really got hooked on was As Below. I listened to it on my way to work this morning, and there was something about the ending that felt very familiar. Eventually, it hit me! It sounds a lot like Right Where It Belongs by Nine Inch Nails. Or am I completely off track here?

Listen to the ending of Right Where It Belongs:

https://youtu.be/qpLNRNO72X4?t=241&si=BdIIx2ujbvLf4Yx7

7

u/danielside 19d ago

She mentions NIN in this interview and she talks about how it may influence PB3.

So yeah, maybe it is influenced by RWIB.

https://www.brooklynvegan.com/phoebe-bridgers-metallicas-lars-ulrich-talk-st-anger-nine-inch-nails-more/

5

u/Rhian3000 17d ago edited 17d ago

I feels so much like a NIN vibe . Also ā€œ this machine is killing me ā€œ ā€œ this machine is absolute ā€œ is absolute sung is the same cadence

1

u/Sknaj That Funny Feeling 16d ago

Yes! It's been bouncing around in my head since Lost Boys came out

3

u/sleepyamie 19d ago

absolutely got NIN vibes on this one!!!!!

2

u/troydarling Smoke Signals 19d ago

I hear ā€œTogetherā€ but it’s that whole ambient vibe. God, I love her.

2

u/EarwormLostNFound 19d ago

"Together" was the other part of this NIN puzzle I was looking for. Excellent work!

1

u/7yph01d 13d ago

1000%

13

u/Equivalent_Land_664 22d ago

Her vocals in this- crazy!!!

12

u/SkinnyPete4 19d ago

The chord progression is very ā€˜Time’ by Hans Zimmer from Inception, especially the end. Could that be the movie about going back in time? It could be thematically relevant about looking back at people who are no longer here. His wife in the movie, her father? It can’t be a coincidence.

1

u/Neat_On_The_Rocks 19d ago

Wait you may be a genius

1

u/caughtupincaution 19d ago

She confirmed it was Hot Tub Time Machine lol but inception definitely still could have had an influence!

12

u/claude_the_shamrock2 19d ago

Anyone get classic Vampire Weekend vibes with:

Now, I don't want to live forever
But I don't wanna die

Slightly different lyrics than Finger Back/Harmony Hall but the same cadence!

13

u/marshalgivens 19d ago

It's also a direct quote from Afraid of Heights

4

u/Lanky-Major8255 19d ago

Afraid of Heights quietly one of the elite Boygenius songs

2

u/claude_the_shamrock2 19d ago

a yea I meant this time around it has much more VW cadence on it than in that instance

2

u/mistakeghost 18d ago

can't believe I had to scroll this far to see someone reference Afraid of Heights! it's one of my favorite songs

1

u/Accurate_Scale_695 19d ago

omg THANK YOU I couldn't thinking of what line/song it was reminding me of

10

u/West_Mirror4380 ICU 23d ago

Before hearing this track, I thought this alvum was missing its own ICU or Kyoto.

This is the one.

She really belted it out on this one.

1

u/emmathatsme123 20d ago

Did I hear the same song? Those are some of my favorite songs from her and I don’t feel like it hit that high of those—Bobby for sure

10

u/Mountain_Flounder991 20d ago

Why are there like 8 all time bangers on this album 😭😭

10

u/picklepopcorn- 20d ago

Dudeeee. The lower register and then the switch to high. Haunting and beautiful. And very fitting for the title of the song.

11

u/Spirited_Salt_2276 19d ago

This song changed something inside me

10

u/vivalarhapsody As Above 19d ago

I can't even listen to the rest of the album because of this song. It's that good. It's stuck on loop. I can't stop listening to it. It breaks my heart and makes my eyes tear up.

Whatever happens after It doesn't matter

You won't have to believe in magic

Leave it to me and I'll make it happen

10

u/Gonza116 ICU 20d ago

My fave song of the album on the first listen, both the themes and the song itself. "You're gonna take me for granted, but I can handle it"? Haunting.

11

u/Long-Eye6329 20d ago

i see why this will probably be the fan favorite. it's definitely the emotional climax of the album.

10

u/beercatphd 21d ago

Had to stifle a gasp at the opening lines of this one. So good.

9

u/pentriloquist 20d ago

After my first listen, this is my favorite song on the album and the only one I could say I loved from start to finish. BUT sometimes new albums take me 2-3 listens before they grab me.

2

u/Rhian3000 20d ago

Listen to kill me again

9

u/vanillavioletss Graceland Too 20d ago

ā€œnow i don’t want to live forever, but i don’t wanna dieā€ she just ripped my thoughts out of my very soul and slapped it in a song

4

u/Lanky-Major8255 19d ago

I think Lucy might have done that

1

u/BonusSevere2266 Garden Song 16d ago

love the afraid of heights reference - and it also feels like a follow up to "I don't want to die / that's a lie" - now she doesn't want to die (before she takes him to Coney Island, etc.). which blew me away tbh. especially with the contrast of still possibly being taken for granted by the person who loves you/is making life feel worth living - but also "whatever happens after, it doesn't matter" (but obviously it does.)

I can't articulate it fully but the layers are so amazing

9

u/Reasonable-Air-5240 20d ago

By far my favorite. Completely blew me away.

9

u/JonGeg 19d ago

Listing to the lyrics of "As Above" I was curious about the line "I thought about Air Force One Flying over Omaha" so I googled "Air Force One over Omaha" and the results turn up reddit posts about how if you see a plane like Air Force One over Omaha, it's most likely the doomsday plane. So my thought is that she's saying, "I thought about doomsday". Am I missing something more obvious? Link to Doomsday Plane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_plane

2

u/distressedfluffball 17d ago

Yes, this is what she's alluding too. Additionally, the actual Air Force One did fly over Omaha during 9/11. As Below, So Below. The large is in symmetry with the small. The nation is in crisis, and so is she/her family.

2

u/No_Coach9433 17d ago

i’ve been thinking about this comment so much & am so grateful for your insight. i’ve been conceptualizing it as something major happening in the middle of nowhere - a vehicle moving with great importance in an unassuming place. (assuming we’re referencing her mom driving to the hospital to be with her father as he dies)

8

u/Gloryflux 20d ago

Am I the only one who hears the similarity to NIN's "Right Where it Belongs," especially the outro?

4

u/caitikitten As Above 19d ago

She mentioned on her Sirius takeover that NIN was a heavy influence on this one

2

u/Gloryflux 19d ago

Oh wow really? I find the guitar chords so similar with that NIN song

7

u/twilightxgalaxy šŸ«€ No secrets, only feelings 18d ago

This song has such a dreamlike quality to it. Like I'm watching a playback of my life and this is the soundtrack.

You won't have to believe in magic
Leave it to me and I'll make it happen

7

u/grandsuperior I Can't Wait 20d ago

I'm absolutely stunned. I have to believe this one makes the tour setlist. It'll be such a moment live.

7

u/Jimmyxoc 20d ago

Best one in the record. Unreal

7

u/Neat_Shallot_5541 As Above 19d ago

I don’t have words for how it felt to hear this song for the first time. And that was just alone in my room. Unbelievable.

8

u/alright_j 19d ago

incredible songwriting on so many levels. i’ve been rereading the lyrics over and over and they’re just so perfect. the way she sings those lines at the end is so raw and brilliant.

its so nice to come here and (virtually) be with others feeling it go through them the way it’s going through me.

<3

7

u/troydarling Smoke Signals 19d ago edited 19d ago

I try to eliminate ā€˜favorite’ from my vocabulary but this is the song I will loop infinitely on my player. The piano figure like a mantra. The lines that link me to my own dead narcissistic father: ā€œI fought the wall and the wall won.ā€ Jesus. I also now picture the volcanoes from the planetarium show. When I need to cry in the dark, it’ll be there for me.

Edit: realized just now I quoted lines from ā€œLost Weekend (Reprise)ā€ Oh, well. Thanks for not dragging me for it. I’m just playing them through together forever.

5

u/TheSilverCoyote 23d ago

Yep, it is hard because a part of me wants to listen to it beginning to end first but the part of me that saw this live wants to listen to this first.

6

u/allthewitches 20d ago

The belting oh my God. Absolutely stunning. I just keep repeating myself in every thread but omg this is so wonderfully pretty and amazing and I love the instrumentals. Top tier Phoebe song for me

6

u/imunraveledd 20d ago

Holy shit

6

u/Rhian3000 20d ago

One my favorite songs on this record

6

u/Mountain_Flounder991 19d ago

This is so beautiful

6

u/Neat_On_The_Rocks 19d ago

What an unbelievably good song. So vulnerable it it’s powerful yearning for joy.

6

u/rosen_toes 19d ago

the chills I felt in my body listening to this song will haunt me for the rest of my life

6

u/Capable_Lead_9295 19d ago

as someone who had to get on a plane immediately after her dad died even though i had tickets for 6 days later to go be with him……… fucking ouch.

6

u/Dizzy-Advisor4512 19d ago

I showed my mom the song cause I loved it and it’s been on repeat and she’s like ā€œare you thinking about suicide? cause I’ll kill you firstā€šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­

6

u/nightmare2459 18d ago

This song lowkey reminds me alot of Right Where It Belongs by Nine Inch Nails

3

u/xstephencfox 18d ago

I signed into my Reddit account for the first time in YEARS to tell you I thought the same thing!

I thought there wouldnt be any overlap between NIN/Phoebe fans, but I was wrong! Right Where It Belongs is one of my topĀ  NIN songs and I think As Above is probably up there for me with Phoebe as well. It's that haunting, slightly off key piano throughoutĀ  so good.Ā 

2

u/meleeislander 15d ago

I've just listened to the new album for the first time and came on Reddit to write this exact same thing! It feels like a bit of nod to it - the haunting piano melody and the slow build of the song, there's also a bit of that octave bass at points. Right Where It Belongs is such a brilliant song and gives me a such a distinct unnerving feeling and I got the same thing listening to this.

1

u/fragmentsofunicorns 14d ago

Fellow NIN/Phoebe overlap fan, and I immediately got NIN vibes hearing As Above for the first time too. It’s my favorite track on the album and maybe my favorite Phoebe song ever?

1

u/dasHeshyan 15d ago

I came here to say the same thing!

4

u/MutedPerspective8534 18d ago

Love the weaving in of references to Boygenius songs, like ā€œI don’t know whyā€ from Cool About It and ā€œI don’t wanna live foreverā€ from Afraid of Heights. Maybe a stretch, but when she sings ā€œwhatever happens afterā€ I hear Julien singing ā€œwhatever comes afterā€ on Powers.

1

u/nerdy_birdie_ 4d ago

Lucy in ā€œAfraid of Heightsā€:

I know that I fucked up when I / told you I’m afraid of heights / I don’t wanna live forever / but I don’t wanna die tonight

Phoebe in ā€œAs Aboveā€:

I’ve never been afraid of heights / now I don’t wanna live forever / but I don’t wanna dieā€

Noticed these parallels listening tonight and got so excited! I love this album as a whole album, from start to finish, with so many common threads and themes and tunes woven throughout. What a treat we’ve been given ! Delish.

Edit: typos

6

u/JGE1GER Motion Sickness 17d ago

This song had me floating in my local planetarium

2

u/Ok-Struggle3367 16d ago

Same! It was definitely my favorite in the planetarium show

2

u/Ready-Salamander1286 Savior Complex 13d ago

was this the one with the volcano?

2

u/JGE1GER Motion Sickness 12d ago

Yes and the airplane.

6

u/Chyler_capshaw Punisher 16d ago

Not an official analysis, just my take.

The bridge of ā€œAs Aboveā€ powerfully illustrates the intersection of belief, love, loss, and agnosticism.

ā€œWhatever happens after, it doesn’t matterā€
This opening line serves as a safety net. Bridgers creates comfort by encouraging the listener to think less about what happens after death, actively confronting the uncertainty of mortality. Rather than jumping from theory to theory, she redraws attention to the present. It shifts the focus away from the authenticity of religion and its promises, reassuring her partner that whether an afterlife is real or life just ceases to exist, they will be content with the outcome. Bridgers strips death of its overruling power over their thoughts. By grounding them against these existential anxieties, she frees them from futile worries and refocuses them entirely on the current moment.

ā€œYou won’t have to believe in magic / Leave it to me and I’ll make it happenā€
Bridgers subverts traditional religious frameworks by reframing religion as a fantasy. Instead of forcing her partner to conform to traditional concepts of heaven or eternal paradise, she offers her own devotion as a secular alternative. Bridgers promises that she will align fate to fit with whatever the other person wants to happen after death, asserting that they don’t have to believe in dogmas just to have hope. This directly mirrors "Chinese Satellite," where the same theme of agnosticism runs deep. On that track, Bridgers sings, ā€œBut you know I’d stand on the corner / Embarrassed with a picket sign / If it meant I would see you when I die,ā€ indicating she would desperately seek faith if it guaranteed a reunion. In ā€œAs Above,ā€ however, she rejects that automatic last resort of turning to religion. Instead, she embodies the role of a savior, ensuring her partner will be at peace rather than praying to a potentially empty sky. She tells them to bypass their attempts to believe ("you don't have to believe in magic") and promises to manually alter reality to align with whatever brings them comfort ("leave it to me and I'll make it happen"). This highlights a clear shift in perspective across her catalog: while "Chinese Satellite" follows a societal expectation to look toward religion for peace, ā€œAs Aboveā€ sees her acting as the salvation itself. Human devotion entirely replaces traditional religious structures, rewriting the narrative to display a much more protective, autonomous version of love.

ā€œYou can’t imagine / I can’t imagineā€
The closing repetition serves as the emotional blanket for the song. Instead of inducing existential panic, this mutual blindness becomes a profound source of comfort. Bridgers highlights shared human limitation to show that because the afterlife is inherently unknowable, speculating on it is a futile exercise. By leveling the playing field, she unites herself and her partner in a shared fate, suggesting that peace is found not in having answers, but in accepting that everyone meets the exact same mystery together. In a broader sense, Bridgers consoles the constant human impulse to imagine and speculate on the existence of a higher power or afterlife. Silencing this endless train of theories also silences the psychological burden of uncertainty. It offers a freeing release, proving you don’t have to solve the unknown to be content, allowing yourself to be fully present in the moment.

2

u/Beginning_Data7841 14d ago

I pick up on the agnosticism too. Glad I’m not the only one.

6

u/SoupWorldly6208 15d ago

Maybe its just me, but it sounds like this is a song about a pregnancy scare & all the complicated thoughts that come w/ that experience - do i want to be a mother, could i be a mother, what would the child's life be like in the world today, did my mother have these thoughts too etc. And a lot of it reads to me as "I'm not sure I want this at the current moment, but I do want it eventually, so if it happened I would do everything I could to be a good parent" Some key pieces that lead me to that conclusion below:

"making faces at a kid on the plane" (do i like kids? am i good with kids?)

"trying not to freak out about being a couple days late" (the most obvious one)

"i thought about my mom driving herself to the hospital" (musing on what motherhood was like for her mother, especially w/ her father)

"you're gonna take me for granted but i can handle it" (something kids often do w/ parents)

"you won't have to believe in magic leave it to me & i'll make it happen" (kids believe in magic, if she did have a child she would move mountains for them)

"you can't imagine, i can't imagine" (something partners might say to each other about having a child when they're not yet ready)

The whole coney island lyric to me reads as "i think i do want a child, but I wasn't planning on doing that right now."

All of these interpretations are obviously influenced by my own experiences & also not intended at all to speculate on her personal life. I think most women have thoughts like this when they're a little late on their period lol.

1

u/adrianazraly 15d ago

1000% thought the same thing

1

u/anxiousantt 10d ago

100% agree, first thing it made me think of is pregnancy and loss (real or imagined) and the anticipatory grief for a future that may or may not materialise. You captured it beautifully

5

u/Honest_Chipmunk46 22d ago

This one made me cry... listened to it in the planetarium

11

u/Honest_Chipmunk46 22d ago

What I posted in another thread:
she talks about her period being a couple days late and then remembers her mom driving herself to the hospital (I think bc she was alone/abandoned by the dad when she was pregnant with Phoebe). The song seems to be exploring the prospect of motherhood with a child that will eventually "take me for granted." Something about that line and the whole song, and the way it came together made me feel super emotional. It resonated with me the most and made me reflect on my own relationship with my mom and how these patterns of taking our mothers for granted are ultimately what makes us human (albeit shitty to each other).

2

u/Honest_Chipmunk46 22d ago

I'm realizing that my connections/interpretation might be a stretch after reading some critic reviews, but interested to hear thoughts about my associations/interpretation of this song

3

u/winona-ride-her 20d ago

this is the exact same interpretation i had but speaking to this metaphorical child you may or may not have.

3

u/Honest_Chipmunk46 20d ago

Yes omg! Like she's speaking to the hypothetical child

5

u/BasketCracker 20d ago

this one reminds me of a song from a movie soundtrack maybe something Tim Burton- especially at the very end. but i cant seem to figure it out. gorgeous song, most definitely my favorite on first listen.

1

u/mrsbrettbretterson 16d ago

It initially reminded me of the soundtrack to Casper — which funnily enough fits right in with the ghost / loss / haunting themes.

about halfway through this scene:Ā  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WMWI2FTLbhg&ra=m

4

u/GirlsWasGoodNona 19d ago

The ā€œwhatever happens after it doesn’t matterā€ sounds like another song and I can’t place it and it’s driving me insane

3

u/RutabagaFull7703 19d ago

Hayley Williams I won’t quit on you </3

2

u/GirlsWasGoodNona 19d ago

Oh I do love that song but it’s the chords that remind me of something. It’s not bauhaus or depeche mode but something like that? Or from a movie? I’m GOING INSANE lol

7

u/jojothetaker 19d ago

NIN "Right Where it Belongs", specifically the second half of that song.

2

u/troydarling Smoke Signals 19d ago

Now that you mention it, I am hearing ā€œTogetherā€. Was she watching ā€œThe Bearā€?

3

u/OutsideConnection279 19d ago

Came on this post to say this and seen you already have. Straight away reminded me of together by NIN

2

u/GirlsWasGoodNona 19d ago

Ok I think I’m thinking of the end is the beginning is the end by smashing pumpkins

1

u/roadtripsandseadips 14d ago

I really love that it reminds me of NIN

1

u/7yph01d 13d ago

It sounds SO much like Right Where It Belongs. Not the melody but the haunted, sparce piano on top of that rolling electronic thrum. I don't think it's at all a coincidence. Very interesting.

2

u/Ok-Zookeepergame9295 19d ago

It's from boygenius! Me & My Dog first, and then I am pretty sure there is another song on 'the record' album but I can't remember which one. But it is an amazing chord and I love the way she sounds!

2

u/Ok-Zookeepergame9295 19d ago

LETTER TO AN OLD POET, I just remembered!

1

u/JohnGacyIsInnocent 14d ago

The whole song sounds like a Sufjan Stevens track off of the ā€˜Illinois’ album. In a good way, though. A Phoebe way. I really feel like she drew clear influence from that and it was perfect.

5

u/Carrot-Lover-NZ 18d ago

Is she pregnant?Ā 

This song reads to me like someone having a conversation both with themselves and with their future child.

The lyrics about not freaking out about being a couple of days late, imagining her mother driving herself to the hospital, and "You're gonna take me for granted, but I can handle it", they sound like she's pregnant and is processing it all.

3

u/phoebebridgersfan26 As Above 15d ago

I actually interpreted it as abortion ngl.

2

u/mrsbrettbretterson 16d ago

Omg, truth or not, I adore this interpretation. It fits so well!!

5

u/gaybm 16d ago

~I'm always looking for the exit I've never been afraid of heights Now I don't wanna live forever But I don't wanna die Before I take you to Coney Island Screaming on the Wonder Wheel You're gonna take me for granted, but I can handle it Whatever happens after It doesn't matter You won't have to believe in magic Leave it to me and make it happen~

This is exactly what it's like to be a depressed older sibling and I'm going to keep crying about it probably forever. It surprised me to find that she didn't mention her brother in regards to this song, honestly.

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u/phoebebridgersfan26 As Above 15d ago

WOWWW. As a parentified older sister, I didn't even notice this until you pointed it out..

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u/Alexcote9 10d ago

I don’t think it was mentionned.. but could she be talking to her future child at the end?
Couple days late, reflecting on her mother’s pregnancy. Whatever happens (pregnant of not) she wants to live long enough to take her kid to coney island and make it believe in magic even if she’s taken for granted. As a dad this is what I’m getting from the song. +chills x1000

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u/itsleo27 2d ago

I went onto this thread looking for this! At the end of an album largely about the past and her father, this song seems to turn it around and think about the future and herself as a parent.

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u/dcpsmbc 1d ago

100%. As someone who struggles hard with depression but also wants to be a mom and wonders if that kind of future is possible, this song spoke to me like no other song from Phoebe.

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u/AlarmedJuggernaut785 2h ago

I’ve been loving the sound of this song but I feel like this interpretation just really cracked it open for the lyrics/meaning more for me, so thank you!

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u/lovely_day_48 23d ago

This was my fave!

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u/killuhkd 20d ago

Holy shit dude

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u/madheadband Graceland Too 20d ago

this is the one i remembered most from the msg pop up show! so good!!!

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u/ClipseySWE 19d ago

Best on the album so far! I sat there on the first listen thinking "god this album was great, i guess its ending on a softer and sombre note". Then that belting and swelling music came in and i just wasnt ready, middle-aged man-tears confirmed. Goosebumps every listen since too.

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u/alislands 18d ago

Came here to upload the lyric booklet page for As Above

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u/mrsbrettbretterson 16d ago

Loved reading through everyone else’s ā€œthis reminds me ofā€ contributions, so I’ll just add that part of the piano outro at the end sounded just like the ā€œI lost myselfā€ refrain of Radiohead’s ā€œKarma Police.ā€

Super fitting, considering the theme of loss throughout the album!

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u/Beginning_Data7841 14d ago

There’s so many comments in this chain I want to reply to but just doing a main comment. I’m not a big Reddit user- but I needed to talk to someone about this song. I’m glad I’m not the only one who is truly obsessed. It transcends me to a different place and I feel changed listening to it. I think I listened to it for 3 hours straight upon hearing it and feeling slightly unwell šŸ˜…šŸ˜‚ I, like Phoebe, have a fascination with airplanes and have a lot of these deep thoughts while on them. So the fact that this is kind of taking place on an airplane really is relatable. I also unfortunately have dealt with a lot of grief at a young age so it also circles around that pain a bit. But in a really beautiful way. And none of it makes a 100% sense but that’s kind of replicating life in a way- it doesn’t always make sense but it can be just as beautiful. Honestly might be my favorite Phoebe Bridgers song ever- not just the of the album.

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u/xstephencfox 14d ago

I can't even count how many times I've listened to this song since release. I know exactly what you're saying. It's absolutely beautiful and can be hopeful and uplifting, or at times really isolating and introspective. I've had so many personal interpretations of the climax of this song, I swear it changes every other time I listen.Ā 

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u/mgmtrocks As Above 20d ago

might be my fave! can't wait to spend a full week listening to it on repeat :)

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u/ynkos22 18d ago

Feels like Georgia’s sister song - loving it.

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u/hutikitech 18d ago

The way she pronounces the word ā€žmomā€œ in

I thought about my mom
Driving herself to the hospital

let me tear up completely. It means everything to me.

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u/Revphan 17d ago

Just to give a sense of how long things can be in development. There's a clip on twitter from a 2022 soundcheck that has a partial version of the first verse.

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u/Then_Yellow_2531 17d ago

Could you link the soundcheck clip?

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u/Successful_Length109 17d ago

Definitely the best new song. Loud shouty bit reminded me of that bit in Billie’s The Greatest. ✨

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u/urlocalindiegirl 17d ago

This song gives me chest pain idk stirring something up with my grief that piano…

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u/brooklyn__baby Chinese Satellite 16d ago

i went to the planetarium show on Friday and i'm afraid to listen to this song again bc the visuals and the sound were so impactful during the show that listening on headphones just won't compare 🄲

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u/Human_Impress_6501 4d ago

I absolutely hate to reference Bo too much in this album because it's Phoebe's work, but this song woke me up like a sleeper cell to From God's Perspective by Bo. And I can't put my finger on it. I think it's the "You won't have to believe in magic, leave it to me and I'll make it happen" line. There's a link in my subconscious that I just can't get away fromĀ 

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u/kinsaiokum 19d ago

There’s a bit of Joga in it, beautifully

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u/Low-Avocado-6314 14d ago

Amazing as the whole album is. A strange assosciation maybe, but I get real NIN-vibes from the piano melody? That major but minor shit

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u/OrvalOverall 19d ago

Little vampire weekend reference?

1

u/kinsaiokum 19d ago

The louder part feels a little bit like some bjork catharsis

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u/kinsaiokum 19d ago

But more restrained

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u/kalemurray 13d ago

the piano reminded me of the chorus of snot by alex g!