The Sinéad O’Connor track Phoebe Bridgers called “a motherfucker of a song”
Much of the appeal of Phoebe Bridgers comes from her vulnerability and relatability. Cultivating a distinctive sound around sad girl indie guitars, intimate lyrics, and vocals that are equal parts soft and wailing, the Californian singer-songwriter has become one of the biggest names in indie. By discussing her own contemporary anxieties, volatile relationships, and healing processes, her melancholic music has mirrored the experiences of young girls worldwide.
Though it rarely takes the focus of her lyricism, Bridgers also openly takes an interest in progressive politics. On Punisher, she made some subtle references to her politics on ‘ICU’, a song about her political disagreement with family members. She sings, “I hate your mom, I hate it when she opens her mouth, it’s amazing to me how much you can say when you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Her lyrical discussion of politics is usually understated, taking a backseat to more personal discussions of anguish and boredom. Outside of her music, however, Bridgers has been vocal about her progressive views, previously expressing her support for abortion, police abolition, and trans rights. It’s no surprise, then, that Bridgers is a huge fan of the late Sinéad O’Connor.
Like Bridgers, O’Connor was open about her experiences with mental illness, but she was also an outspoken activist, both in her music and outside of it. O’Connor used her platform to speak out about a number of issues, from women’s rights to child abuse.
One of her most overtly political works was ‘Black Boys On Mopeds’, released in 1990 on her second studio album, I Do Not Get What I Haven’t Got. Asked to curate a playlist by GQ, Bridgers included the track and dubbed it “a motherfucker of a song”, adding: “I could stare at the ceiling and listen to this song all day.”
Bridgers recalls that she first heard the track while in the car with Better Oblivion Community Centre collaborator, Bright Eyes founder and trusted advisor Conor Obest: “At the time, we were just getting to know each other, so I pretended to have heard the song already. I was trying to be cool, you know, but this song just destroyed me. I made my mom listen to it with me this year, and she cried, too.”
‘Black Boys On Mopeds’ is a bold criticism of English police. It begins with direct criticism of Margaret Thatcher before declaring, “England’s not the mythical land of Madame George and roses, it’s the home of police who kill black boys on mopeds”. O’Connor’s striking words are accompanied by subdued folky guitars.
O’Connor at her best, it really is a “motherfucker of a song”, at once unrelenting and devastating. Bridgers’ love for the Irish singer shines through in her outspoken political progressiveness and her own melancholic folk.
