Beth/Rest


"Beth/Rest" is a song by Bon Iver. It is the closing track from the 2011 album Bon Iver and was released as the fourth and final single. The song was written by frontman Justin Vernon, who has stated that this is the song from the album that he is the proudest of. On February 4, 2012, Bon Iver performed "Beth/Rest" on Saturday Night Live.

Writing

The songwriter, Justin Vernon, said "I've never gone through as much as I went through writing a song as that". He said "Beth/Rest" was an uplifting song about "finding true love" and feeling that nothing would ever be as meaningful again. Most of the sounds were created using a Korg M1 synthesizer.

Reception

The song has polarized critics and listeners. Stephen Thompson of NPR called the song "the year's most divisive song", whereas Jillian Mapes of Billboard named the song as one of the best songs of 2011. Justin Vernon himself stated that he is "most proud" of the song when compared to the rest of the album, and that the song is his favorite song from the album.

Music video

The music video was directed by Vernon and Dan Huiting, who also directed the video for the album's lead single, "Calgary".

Track listing

All songs written by Justin Vernon.
  1. "Beth/Rest" – 5:16
  2. "Beth/Rest" – 5:38