00:00 [Music]
00:07 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most
00:11 devastating words in Phoebe Bridger's catalog.
00:15 [Music]
00:22 Number 10.
00:23 And I can feel myself becoming someone only you could want.
00:27 Emily, I'm sorry.
00:28 [Music]
00:35 With her celebrated supergroup Boy Genius,
00:38 Phoebe Bridger sings this heartfelt apology to a former flame.
00:42 This particular gut-wrenching lyric from the chorus looks at the line between being right
00:47 for someone and being trapped.
00:49 [Music]
01:02 Many fans believe this song is about voice actress Emily Bannon, whom Phoebe was reportedly
01:07 involved with, first alongside Bannon's partner, producer Chris Nelson, and later alone, after
01:14 Bannon and Nelson broke up.
01:16 Either way, it's clear from the lyrics that feelings from the relationship linger.
01:20 This key line reflects on the complicated nuances and imperfections of love.
01:25 [Music]
01:29 Number 9.
01:30 Can the killer in me tame the fire in you, or is there nothing left to do for us?
01:35 Killer.
01:36 [Music]
01:40 Identifying herself as a killer, Bridger's digs into the toxic energy within.
01:45 These closing lines of the chorus question whether a relationship is doomed from the
01:49 outset.
01:50 [Music]
02:04 That question looms over the verses, never really answered.
02:08 The singer-songwriter has described the song as being about feeling controlling and hating it.
02:13 It's hard to admit our own darkest impulses, but whether we like it or not, many of us
02:18 can relate to bringing our own toxic feelings to a relationship, and to wondering whether
02:23 it's just a dead end.
02:25 [Music]
02:31 Number 8.
02:32 I want to believe.
02:33 Instead, I look at the sky and I feel nothing.
02:36 You know I hate to be alone.
02:37 I want to be wrong.
02:39 Chinese Satellite.
02:40 [Music]
02:46 In what some call her saddest song, Chinese Satellite finds the artist searching for a
02:51 greater meaning.
02:52 The idea comes alive in the chorus as she gazes up at the sky.
02:56 [Music]
02:59 Instead of wishing on a shooting star, she wishes on a satellite, an image contrasting
03:04 the fantastic with the mundane reality.
03:07 In the next lines, she longs for the comfort of belief, but can't make that leap.
03:12 [Music]
03:16 Bridgers has connected this track to her fascination with cults with their convenient
03:21 belief systems.
03:22 Both relatable and heartbreaking, these lyrics about the eternal search for more will have
03:27 you struggling to answer the same questions.
03:30 [Music]
03:40 Number 7.
03:41 The doctor put her hands over my liver.
03:43 She told me my resentment's getting smaller.
03:46 Garden Song.
03:47 [Music]
03:55 Phoebe Bridgers has said that the horror-themed imagery throughout the song comes from her
04:00 own nightmares.
04:01 The final verse brings out references to haunted gardens and anatomy.
04:05 [Music]
04:10 Blending fantasy into reality, she uses this line about a medical visit to talk about her
04:15 emotional baggage.
04:16 With the liver often identified as the seat of anger, she considers her feelings of resentment
04:22 and their place in her dreamlike journey.
04:24 It's all too easy to carry around bitter sentiments that hold us back, making this
04:29 line one we can connect to only too well.
04:32 [Music]
04:37 Number 6.
04:38 Jesus Christ, I'm so blue all the time.
04:41 And that's just how I feel.
04:43 Always have and I always will.
04:45 Funeral.
04:46 [Music]
04:50 As you can guess from the title, this ranks among the darkest songs in Phoebe Bridgers'
04:55 catalog.
04:56 Funeral is inspired by the death of a friend who overdosed.
05:00 Struggling with grief, the singer considers her own feelings of depression.
05:03 [Music]
05:15 On one hand, feeling sorry for herself.
05:18 On the other, realizing that someone has just lost their child.
05:22 [Music]
05:25 In the self-aware lines of the chorus, she sounds both exasperated at herself and resigned
05:32 to feeling this way.
05:33 Funeral covers dark territory, but demands attention with these cathartic words.
05:38 [Music]
05:42 Number 5.
05:43 And I get this feeling whenever I feel good.
05:46 It'll be the last time.
05:48 I see you.
05:48 [Music]
05:52 This Punisher track confronts a breakup with complete honesty.
05:56 It's arguably too real, considering that Bridgers wrote this song with Marshall Vore,
06:01 her former partner and touring drummer.
06:04 In this poignant lyric, she considers the fleeting nature of happiness, and how she
06:08 wonders every time whether she'll ever feel that way again.
06:12 [Music]
06:18 It's both incredibly sad and a very human reaction to love, relationships, and life
06:24 in general.
06:25 You might cry at these lyrics, but you certainly won't regret listening to this stellar composition.
06:30 [Music]
06:36 Number 4.
06:37 You're the gun in my lips that will blow my brains out.
06:41 Waiting Room.
06:41 [Music]
06:49 Written when she was just 16 years old, Waiting Room showcases the promise of Phoebe Bridgers'
06:54 songwriting talents.
06:56 There's also this line that stops you in your tracks.
06:58 [Music]
07:06 The songwriter has described the song as emotionally raw, and about pining for someone,
07:12 something that's reflected in the violent imagery.
07:15 Looking back, she's seen the song as somewhat dramatic, since she went on to have a wonderful
07:20 three-year relationship with the person it's about.
07:22 [Music]
07:27 But it's that rawness that powerfully expresses those first feelings of unrequited love.
07:33 Still, it's also great to hear her being able to put those dark feelings at the time
07:37 into a new perspective.
07:38 "I think the fact that I'm complaining so much in the song is, especially in retrospect,
07:45 like, dude, you're fine."
07:48 Number 3.
07:49 Stuck your tongue down the throat of somebody who loves you more.
07:53 So I will wait for the next time you love me.
07:55 Moon Song.
07:56 [Music]
08:00 Here's another Punisher track where the singer-songwriter pours her heart out in longing.
08:06 It's not easy to let your emotions out like this in such an unguarded way.
08:10 [Music]
08:16 But in Phoebe Bridger's hands, even mundane details,
08:20 like a tongue down a throat, can leave you feeling devastated.
08:23 [Music]
08:33 She's described the lyrics as being about loving someone who hates themselves.
08:37 Whether or not you've been in this kind of relationship before,
08:40 the singer brings every audience member into this intimate world.
08:44 Moon Song ultimately turns a one-sided relationship into an unforgettable story.
08:49 [Music]
09:09 Number 2.
09:10 The end is here.
09:11 I know the end.
09:12 [Music]
09:20 In this three-part suite, apocalyptic imagery builds into a cathartic conclusion.
09:25 The song covers a lot of ground, accepting heartbreak,
09:29 the trials of touring, and, well, the end of the world.
09:32 [Music]
09:38 In a sun-baked American countryside,
09:41 an ominous billboard seems to spell out the future.
09:44 As the music builds, Phoebe Bridger sings the billboard's message over and over.
09:49 [Music]
09:54 The cacophonous final moments of the song sound like some kind of biblical event,
09:58 ending in a ragged scream.
10:00 I know the end was released in the summer of 2020,
10:03 and seemed to encapsulate the whole experience of that turbulent year.
10:08 [Music]
10:15 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:19 "I'm gonna kill you if you don't beat me to it."
10:22 "Kyoto."
10:23 The lyrics reflect Phoebe Bridger's complicated feelings about her father.
10:26 [Music]
10:34 "Had nothing to prove till you came into my life."
10:37 "Sidelines."
10:38 A string portrait of how love can give you a new lease on life.
10:42 [Music]
10:52 "What if I told you I feel like I know you, but we never met."
10:56 "Punisher."
10:56 Phoebe imagines meeting her musical idol, Elliot Smith,
11:00 who tragically took his own life.
11:02 [Music]
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11:33 Number 1.
11:36 "I hate you for what you did, and I miss you like a little kid."
11:39 "Motion Sickness."
11:41 [Music]
11:51 Singing about her former relationship with singer-songwriter Ryan Adams,
11:55 Phoebe Bridgers might be as raw here as she's ever been on record.
11:59 The very first line cuts deep with its combination of stark emotions.
12:04 She feels both longing and hatred as she works through her heartache.
12:08 That brutal line is just the tip of the iceberg,
12:11 as she delves deeper into the abusive nature of the relationship.
12:14 [Music]
12:19 Rarely does the opening of a track hit this hard,
12:22 or capture the mission statement of what's to come.
12:24 The song explores the messy feelings she was left with,
12:28 and those opening lines sum it all up.
12:30 [Music]
12:34 Did we forget one of Phoebe's saddest lyrics?
12:37 Let us know in the comments.
12:39 [Music]
12:44 Do you agree with our picks?
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12:52 [Music]
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