The song St Vincent wishes she had written: “Such a good song”
Some musicians feel comfortable going in different sonic directions, but for St Vincent, it has to feel absolutely right.
Crucially, St Vincent, aka Annie Clark, is one of the hardest-working artists of our entire generation. As someone who staked her claim as a session musician before earning her own name and put in hours and hours in the studio and on the road, it’s safe to say that Clark has more than earned her keep.
On top of all of that, however, she also has the talent to show for it. A name that often comes up when discussing current guitar heroes, Clark is a highly disciplined player who gives whatever it takes to execute her artistic vision, even if it pushes her out of her comfort zone and makes her focus on the things that she feels less comfortable with – like songs that aren’t guitar-driven, for instance.
Clark has encountered countless moments like these over the years, but one of the more recent was while working on All Born Screaming, with ‘Hell is Near’ proving to be especially gruelling in the studio because the difficulty of getting it right resulted in her singing it around 100 times, as well as trying to get her head around servicing a song that she couldn’t solely guide with a guitar.
Moments like those, as Clark recalls, are lessons in doing what’s best for the song, even if it’s uncomfortable. But more than that, it proves Clark’s proficiency in getting things done when they don’t always come naturally, and still managing to get them to fit in seamlessly with her sound and the rest of her discography without feeling too out of place.
This is something that Clark thinks about often. Many musicians feel comfortable with the pinball action of trying out loads of different things, even if, sonically or figuratively, it doesn’t really work with their image or the type of artist that people associate with them. Sticking to a respective lane is usually the more respected approach as it strengthens an artist’s image and makes them more accessible to mass audiences, and while Clark pushes boundaries in her own way, she’s effectively mastered this entire process.
That doesn’t stop her from admiring others, however. In fact, part and parcel of being a successful artist is constantly keeping your eyes and ears open, and knowing how to carry influences without necessarily letting them guide the way if it doesn’t always feel right. For Clark, these types of influences are ten a penny, but the difference is that she knows when to admire them for what they are, and when to incorporate them into her own sound.
Perhaps one of the most telling examples of this is the fact that, of all of Clark’s favourite songs, the one she wishes she had written is one that she also knows she never could have included in her own discography because it simply wouldn’t have made sense. But she loves the song all the same, and knows she would have done a great job vocally, even if the arrangements don’t really fit in with her broader remit.
The song, as she discussed once with NME, is Stevie Wonder’s ‘Maybe Your Baby’. “The groove is impeccable. It wouldn’t fit well into my repertoire, though – it would be horrible! I wouldn’t be able to lock the gospel choirs in the song,” she said. “I could hit the notes, I could practice and do the licks, but it would be such a fucking bad look. It would be corny if I covered it, but it’s such a good song.”
Given that her comments were made in 2014, it’s likely that, should she give it a go now, she’d no doubt be successful. After all, of all the current artists trustworthy enough to take on major classics outside of their wheelhouse and actually do it right, Clark undeniably sits among those at the top. Even if sometimes she doesn’t feel entirely at home with her own challenges, her successful streak proves that she can pull off anything she puts her mind to.
