"Holocene" is a song by American indie folk band Bon Iver. It was released as the second single from their album Bon Iver, September 5, 2011. The single is backed with a cover of Peter Gabriel's song "Come Talk to Me" as a B-side, which was previously released as a limited edition song for Record Store Day.[1] The song was named one of the best songs of 2011 by various music publications. It was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the 54th Grammy Awards,[2] and is featured in the Cameron Crowe film We Bought a Zoo,[3] Zach Braff's film Wish I Was Here, the 2014 film The Judge and the Dutch film Just Friends (Gewoon Vrienden) in 2018.
| "Holocene" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bon Iver | ||||
| from the album Bon Iver | ||||
| B-side | "Come Talk to Me" | |||
| Released | September 5, 2011 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:36 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Justin Vernon | |||
| Bon Iver singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Holocene" on YouTube | ||||
On February 4, 2012, Bon Iver performed "Holocene" on Saturday Night Live.[4]
Background
editFrontman Justin Vernon explained the song title in an interview with Mojo: "It's partly named after the (geological) era, but it's also the name of a bar in Portland where I had a dark night of the soul." He also stated that "the title is a metaphor for when you're not doing well. But it's also a song about redemption and realizing that you're worth something; that you're special and not special at the same time."[5]
Vernon later explained the origin of the song in a conversation with Aaron Rodgers:
It was Christmas night, and my brother and I watched Inglourious Basterds, of all films. You know, it's not like it was a subject matter that was, you know, gonna birth a song like that exactly, but it was—I like watching Tarantino's films because they're so complete. They're just complete creative ideas executed at such a high level, you know. And we had a little smokey-smoke and took a walk down our road, and it was so quiet and it was like a really icy night and it was already quiet 'cause there's not a lot of people traveling, and it was really kind of spooky night. The air's just hanging, and we went and walked over to this bridge over I-94, and there just wasn't a single car. There was nothing for miles and miles, and the air was hanging in such a way with the ice storm kinda going on, and it looked like this sheet of ice on the road and this glow of the distant lights of Eau Claire, and it was just—it really just came out, like at once I knew I was not magnificent, you know, and the highway aisles of ice and all that, and it was one of those moments where you're not really sure if you're the creator of something or not or if you've just been handed something to share. It's easy to stay humble sometimes when, you know, it's like, I've worked hard and everything, but sometimes you just feel like you really are a conduit for describing an idea or something like that, but that's really where all that came from, and the different verses are really about Eau Claire and about my people from there.[6]
Vernon also explained how Wisconsin influenced his perception and songwriting:
There's a lot of humble people around. Growing up in Wisconsin, I never felt like anybody was really trying to prove too much. The winter slows us down enough that, you know, we're not Hollywood. We don't seem to think achievement is the biggest thing. It's family and togetherness and having a beer at The Joynt or whatever. It's more like that, and I've always resonated with it and it's another one of the reasons I can't seem to leave.[6]
Music video
editThe music video, directed by Nabil Elderkin, was filmed in the region of Vík in Iceland with a Red Camera. It features a blonde Icelandic boy waking up and roaming around the island's volcanic landscape and glaciers, equipped with just a walking stick.[7] Since the lyrics of "Holocene" describe the idea that the self is part of something greater, the music video highlights the expansive landscapes in contrast to the boy.[8] The video was debuted on the National Geographic Channel.[5][7] In January 2012, music video blog Yes, We've Got a Video! ranked it at number 10 in their top 30 videos of 2011, saying that the video "should serve as proof that the art of the music video is not dead."[9]
Reception and legacy
editThe song was highly acclaimed by critics. Pitchfork named it as the second best song of 2011, saying "the rising and falling chord changes create a sense of motion that develops throughout the whole song, a tide-like ebb and flow that ends with an abrupt denouement, so swift it withholds almost as much pleasure as it yields."[10] Rolling Stone ranked it as the 22nd best single of 2011, simply stating that "'[Holocene]' takes sensitive-guy poetry somewhere sublime."[11] The song also won 2nd place in Stereogum's annual Gummy Awards.[12] It was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost both to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep".[13] It was voted 52nd in the 2011 Triple J Hottest 100.[14]
"Holocene" was also included in the book "1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die". In 2019, NPR's listeners named "Holocene" as the best song of the 2010s.[15]
Charts
edit| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[16] | 9 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100)[17] | 39 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[18] | 18 |
| US Heatseekers Songs (Billboard)[19] | 22 |
| US Rock Digital Songs (Billboard)[20] | 19 |
| UK Physical Singles (OCC)[21] | 17 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[22] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[23] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[25] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Bon Iver "Holocene"/"Come Talk To Me" Details". Stereogum. July 20, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ Amy Phillips (November 30, 2011). "Bon Iver Nominated for Four Grammys". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ "We Bought A Zoo - Complete Soundtrack". The Uncool. 29 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ "Bon Iver - Holocene (Live on SNL)". Vimeo. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Holocene by Bon Iver Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Aaron Rodgers and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon Have an Epic Conversation". GQ Sports. 4 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Nabil Elderkin shoots Bon Iver Holocene music video in Iceland". webwire.com. August 24, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ Carly Wolkoff (August 18, 2011). "Bon Iver's Icelandic Stunner: Watch the 'Holocene' Video". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ "Top 30 Videos of 2011: The Top 10! « Yes, We've Got a Video!". Archived from the original on 2012-07-06. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
- ^ "Staff Lists: The Top 100 Tracks of 2011". Pitchfork Media. December 12, 2011. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ "50 Best Singles of 2011: Bon Iver, 'Holocene'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ "The Gummy Awards: Your Top 10 Tracks Of 2011". Stereogum. December 12, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ "Past Winners Search". Grammy Awards. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ "Revisiting triple j's Hottest 100s of years gone by: 2011". Tone Deaf. 2019-01-20. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
- ^ "The 2010s: NPR Listeners Pick Their Top Songs of the Decade: All Songs Considered". NPR.org.
- ^ "Bon Iver – Holocene" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Bon Iver Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Bon Iver Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Bon Iver Chart History (Heatseekers Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Bon Iver Chart History (Rock Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Official Physical Singles Chart Top 100 – 11 September 2011". Official Charts Company. September 11, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Danish single certifications – Bon Iver – Holocene". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Bon Iver – Holocene" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 26, 2020. Select "2018" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Holocene" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
- ^ "British single certifications – Bon Iver – Holocene". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ "American single certifications – Bon Iver – Holocene". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 26, 2020.