Not (song)


"Not" is a song by American indie rock band Big Thief, released as the first single from their fourth studio album Two Hands. It was released on August 13, 2019, by 4AD as a digital single alongside the album's announcement.
The song was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Background

Big Thief debuted the song during a concert at Point Éphémère in Paris, France on March 28, 2018. Getting the recording of the song exactly right was important to the band, and they later re-recorded it at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California.

Composition

Written by Adrianne Lenker, the song's lyrics uses negation to describe something, with Lenker repeating the use of "not" or "nor" at the beginning of each line. Bob Boilen of NPR described the song's subject as "the inability to describe what that something is, only to be able to explain what it is not."
The second half of the song is instrumental and features a guitar solo played by Lenker.

Performances

"Not" was performed live by Big Thief on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on October 10, 2019. Claire Shaffer of Rolling Stone described the performance as a "hard-rock spin" on the song with "distorted" guitars and "manic" drums, comparing Adrianne Lenker's "wailing" vocals to that of emo music. Ben Kaye of Consequence of Sound called it "an impassioned performance that demonstrated why they're one of the most engaging groups to emerge from the folk scene in some time."
The band performed "Not" as well as "Two Hands" and "Forgotten Eyes" on CBS This Morning on October 26, 2019, as part of the program's Saturday Sessions segment.

Critical reception

The song was praised by Pitchfork, who named it Best New Track upon release and called it "a towering statement from a group constantly leapfrogging over themselves." BBC Music compared Lenker's guitar solo to that of "Neil Young at his peak." At the end of 2019, Barack Obama listed the song among his favorites of the year.

Accolades

"Not" was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Year-end lists

"Not" appeared in several publications' year-end lists. NPR Music named it the best song of 2019 with Bob Boilen writing, "No song in 2019 felt more searing, more perfect, than 'Not'".
PublicationListRank
BBC MusicThe 20 best songs of 201919
BillboardThe 100 Best Songs of 201956
Consequence of SoundTop 50 Songs of 201924
Flood MagazineThe Best Songs of 20193
The GuardianThe 20 best songs of 201912
NPR Music25 Best Songs of 20191
PasteThe 50 Best Songs of 20197
PitchforkThe 100 Best Songs of 20199
UproxxThe Best Songs of 201910
ViceThe 100 Best Songs of 201920

Cover versions

In November 2019, "Not" was covered by Matt Berninger, vocalist and frontman of The National, during a solo live performance at the sixth annual Dream Serenade benefit concert in Toronto.
In April 2020, a cover was released by former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer under the pseudonym of Pluralone.
On September 4, 2020, Hamilton Leithauser released the live album Live! at Café Carlyle, collecting 10 recordings made during his residency at the New York City Café Carlyle. It includes a cover of "Not".

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Two Hands.