‘Sorrow’: Adrianne Lenker’s favourite sad song
Her entire life, Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker has been surrounded by music. Both in her solo work and in her career as the vocalist and primary songwriter for Big Thief, Lenker has become well-known for her deeply personal lyrics and folk-infused indie rock musicality. Releasing her very first solo record at just 13 years old, Lenker soon went on to join Big Thief in 2015. The band released their debut album Masterpiece the following year, and have since released four more full-length albums over the years.
Big Thief’s most recent album, 2022’s Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, earned the group several Grammy nominations, including nominations for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Alternative Music Performance for the song ‘Certainty’. Two years later, Lenker released her sixth solo LP, Bright Future, which was nominated for Best Folk Album at that year’s 67th Annual Grammy Awards. A deeply personal and introspective record, Bright Future is a project that explores deep emotions, identity, and change.
In a 2019 interview with Zan Rowe on Double J, Lenker shared five different songs that impacted her life through the ability to deeply connect with the songwriting and compositions of each piece. Such songs included ‘Point Breeze’ by Sheer Mag, ‘Impulse Crush by Ithaca, and ‘Sorrow’ by Life Without Buildings -the song Lenker refers to as her favourite song on earth.
“I actually first heard them when we were recording Masterpiece, our first album, and James, the drummer in Big Thief, he showed me Life Without Buildings,” Lenker recalled. “And he actually played a song called ‘The Leanover,’ and it got me so excited that I was jumping all around. I just couldn’t contain it. I felt like a kid. I just think that the sound of the music is super nostalgic for me.”
Featured on Life Without Buildings’ first and only album Any Other City, ‘Sorrow’ is the closing track on the album. Vocalist Sue Tompkins combines her signature art rock-inspired artistry fuels the song, creating something more reminiscent of a poetic piece of performance art rather than an indie rock number.
“Sue Tompkins basically crafts these beautiful sort of spoken word, poetic phrases that seem off the cuff, but I also gather that they’re incredibly intentional because they’re so perfect,” Lenker said. “They’re so beautiful and musical. It’s just really unique, I’ve never heard anything like it. And this song is the one on the record that to me is the most melancholic musically, but also it kind of feels like a big sigh. It just encompasses the bittersweetness of so many things.”
Reflecting on the song, Lenker admits she can’t tell if Tompkins is speaking to herself, a lover, or another impactful figure in her life. It is most likely a mix of all of these.
“It’s just so so beautiful, and it’s simultaneously so uplifting,” Lenker said. “I think it’s just this recognition that feels uplifting. To have permission to feel sadness. And it’s like an embrace at the same time.”
