"'Smoke Signals' is a love song about waking up to your reality, in a way, finding someone who shares the same interests as you." ― Phoebe Bridgers[1]
"Smoke Signals" is the first track from Phoebe Bridgers' debut album, Stranger in the Alps. It was released as the second and lead single on January 9, 2017 through Dead Oceans.
Background[]
A reference to The Smiths’ "How Soon is Now" present in "Smoke Signals". The deaths of Lemmy and David Bowie are both mental markers for different memories — a trip to the subject’s hometown, a conversation about the current state of Los Angeles, and a stay at an anonymous Holiday Inn.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
I went with you up to the place you grew up in
We spent a week in the cold
Just long enough to Walden it with you
Any longer, it would've got old
Singin' "Ace of Spades" when Lemmy died
But nothing's changed, LA's alright
I'm sleepin' in my bed again and gettin' in my head
And then, walk around the reservoir
[Chorus]
You, you must've been looking for me
Sendin' smoke signals, pelicans circling
Burning trash out on the beach
[Verse 2]
One of your eyes is always half-shut
Somethin' happened when you were a kid
I didn't know you then and I'll never understand
Why it feels like I did
"How Soon Is Now" in an 80s sedan
You slept inside of it because your dad
Lived in a campground in the back of a van
You said that song will creep you out until you're dead
[Chorus]
And you must've been looking for me
Sendin' smoke signals, pelicans circling
Burning trash out on the beach
[Verse 3]
I wanna live at the Holiday Inn
Where somebody else makes the bed
We'll watch TV while the lights on the street
Put all the stars to death
It's been on my mind since Bowie died
Just checkin' out to hide from life
And all of our problems, I'm gonna solve 'em
With you riding shotgun, speeding 'cause fuck the cops
[Chorus]
And you, you must've been looking for me
Sendin' smoke signals, pelicans circling
Burning trash out on the beach, mm
[Verse 4]
I buried a hatchet, it's comin' up lavender
The future's unwritten, the past is a corridor
I'm at the exit, looking back through the hall
You are anonymous, I am a concrete wall
Audio[]
References[]
- ↑ Leas, Ryan (June 18, 2020). "The Story Behind Every Song On Phoebe Bridgers’ New Album Punisher". Stereogum.
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| Stranger in the Alps |
|---|
| "Smoke Signals" • "Motion Sickness" • "Funeral" • "Demi Moore" • "Scott Street" • "Killer" • "Georgia" • "Chelsea" • "Would You Rather" • "You Missed My Heart" • "It'll All Work Out" |