Andrew Bird and Phoebe Bridgers Share Spectral Reimagining of Emily Dickinson’s “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain”
Alex H. Krinsky on October 26, 2022
Photo by David Black
Today, Andrew Bird released a harrowing reimagining of Emily Dickinson’s poem, penned in 1861 and published in 1896 “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain.” The raw and spectral arrangement sees Bird collaborate with the ethereal Phoebe Bridgers to offer chilling harmonies and shrieking strings to accompany Dickinson’s timeless stanzas.
The single was recorded this past fall and mirrors the exploration of the inner workings of the human mind seen on Bird’s latest offering, Inside Problems – and arrives with an accompanying video. In the video, Bird walks toward the foreground until he gradually comes into focus. He looks into the camera as if it is a mirror, his vocals ringing as crisp as the newly established picture. Before long, he’s joined by Bridgers in a rare duet.
Together they allow their echos to howel from a faraway realm before they start to fade, making space for stripped-down guitar Bird’s trademark whistling to take the sonic center. It’s not before long that Bridgers’ vocals coax the listener ever closer until they rejoin into their duet. Finally, silence takes its rightful space once again as the song fades, and the two leave the listener to marinate on the beautiful lines they’ve so eloquently displayed.
“I came across this Emily Dickinson poem and found it to be the most vivid description of an inner world I’ve ever encountered,” said Bird of the lyrics. “It became an inspiration for the songs on Inside Problems. Who better to sing it with than Phoebe Bridgers? I sent her a demo and so, here we are. Thanks to Ms. Dickinson’s publisher at Harvard University Press for allowing us to use this poem. As I understand, her poems weren’t published as she intended them until the 1950s – that is, without the heavy hand of her male editors.”
Listen to Andrew Bird’s take on “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain ft. Phoebe Bridgers” below.