Album: St. Vincent
Year: 2014
. . .
Guitarist and singer Annie Clark had been making records under the nom de song St. Vincent since 2007 when 2014’s self-titled record came out. While I think she had previously crossed my radar — and I’d checked out the album she made with David Byrne, Love This Giant, a couple of years prior — St. Vincent was the first time I listened to a whole St. Vincent album.
And the song that jumped out at me was the final track on the album, “Severed Crossed Fingers,” a achingly gorgeous synth-led torch song about hanging with someone who was having some issues.
When your calling ain’t calling back to you
I’ll be side-stage mouthing lines for you
Humiliated by age, terrified of youth
I got hope but my hope isn’t helping you
“Severed Crossed Fingers” is relatively sparse and slow, with the only embellishment some backing vocals during the lovely chorus.
Spitting our guts from their gears
Draining our spleen over years
Found my severed crossed fingers in the rubble there
Well you stole the heart right out my chest
Changed the words that I know best
Found my severed crossed fingers in the rubble there
The coolest part is the bridge, in which over a synth hook, those backing vocals — no doubt St. Vincent herself — come from the center of the earth and end up covering the sky all the while chanting “enough enough enough enough enough” while stopping just short of bringing the entire song to a halt.
St. Vincent was both a critical and commercial hit: not only did it make it to #12 on the Billboard Albums chart and topped a lot best-of the year lists, making to #4 on the Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop Poll. Oh, and it was also the first album by a female artist to win the Grammy for Best Alternative Album since Sinead O’Connor won for I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.
“Severed Crossed Fingers”
“Severed Crossed Fingers” live on KCRW, 2018
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