"Not Strong Enough" | ||||
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Single by Boygenius | ||||
from the album The Record | ||||
Released | March 1, 2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:54 | |||
Label | Interscope | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Boygenius singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Not Strong Enough" on YouTube |
"Not Strong Enough" is a song by the American supergroup Boygenius. It was released on March 1, 2023, as the second single from their debut studio album The Record, where it appears as the sixth track. Written by all three members of the band—Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus—"Not Strong Enough" is an indie rock, folk rock, and country pop song about mental illness and resultant relationship dysfunction.
Commercially, the song spent seven weeks at number one on Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay chart, where it was ranked as the biggest hit of 2023; it was moderately successful on several other charts. The song was acclaimed by music critics, many of whom lauded the lyrics and the band's synergy. It appeared on multiple year-end lists and was named the best song of the year by Spin, the Los Angeles Times, and Uproxx. The song's music video depicts the band spending a day together in various locations around Los Angeles County; critics and commenters complimentarily noted the contrast between the song's dark lyrics and the video's uplifting atmosphere.
At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, "Not Strong Enough" received nominations for Record of the Year, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance, winning the latter two.
After the 2018 release of Boygenius' self-titled EP, the trio worked on their solo projects. Each musician released their respective albums—Little Oblivions by Julien Baker, Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers, and Home Video by Lucy Dacus—over the course of 2020 and 2021. Roughly a week after Punisher's June 2020 release, Bridgers began writing new material to keep herself busy during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][2] "Emily I'm Sorry", which would later be released as a single and as the third track on The Record,[3] originated during this period; Bridgers sent a demo of the song to Dacus and Baker, believing that it felt more fitting for a full band than a solo recording. The three decided to start sharing demos and ideas for songs in a Google Drive folder and a group chat, convening in California twice in 2021 to write together in person.[1][4] On November 19, the band performed together for the first time in three years as part of a charity concert for Bread and Roses Presents.[5] The band recorded the album at Shangri-La in Malibu for much of January 2022 with contributions from several session musicians, including bass guitar work from Jay Som and percussion from Carla Azar of the American alternative rock band Autolux. Additional recording was completed at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys.[1][6]
The band was secretive about the writing and recording processes while they were ongoing; when individual members were asked in interviews whether they would reunite, they generally gave oblique and evasive responses.[1] Rumors about a debut album from Boygenius began spreading in late 2022 to 2023, following a photoshoot in November 2022 and the announcement of their inclusion on the 2023 Coachella lineup.[7][8][9] On January 18, 2023, the band's debut album The Record and its tracklist were announced, with a release date of March 31. Three singles were released at this time: "$20", "True Blue", and the aforementioned "Emily I'm Sorry".[3] According to Bridgers, the album's first half consists of songs which were near completion by the time she, Baker, and Dacus shared them with each other; the second half is informed by the album's creative process itself, as well as the bond shared by the three band members.[10] The collaboratively written "Not Strong Enough" appears as the sixth track out of twelve.[3] On March 1, the song was released as the album's fourth single, along with an accompanying music video.[11] It was serviced to adult album alternative radio stations in the United States on March 13, followed by addition to alternative radio stations in the country fifteen days later.[12][13]
"Not Strong Enough" has been primarily classified as an indie rock song,[14][15][16][17] though it has also been described as folk rock[4][15][18] and country pop.[19] Built on basic rock instrumentation of guitars, bass, and percussion,[14] the song makes extensive use of vocal harmonies.[20] It also incorporates synthesizers, which were compared to music of the 1980s by Kyle Petersen of No Depression and the American rock band the War on Drugs by John Vettese of WXPN;[21][22] Jon Pareles of The New York Times detected new wave influences in the recording.[14] According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Hal Leonard Music Publishing, the song is set in common time at a tempo of 126 beats per minute and composed in the key of D♭ major. It opens with a suspended G♭ chord before following a chord progression of D♭–A♭sus4–E♭m7–B♭m in the verses, switching to a frequently modulating basic progression of G♭sus2–D♭–A♭–B♭m7 for the chorus.[23] All three members take lead vocal duties at varying points in the song: Bridgers leads the first verse and chorus; Baker leads the second verse and chorus; and Dacus leads the bridge and final chorus.[20][24] In a November 2023 interview with Julia Jacobs of The New York Times, the band stated that the song was partially written for radio play and that they wanted the song to be catchy and enjoyable; Dacus believed that the results were unconventional for what was ultimately a successful radio single.[25] Carl Wilson of Slate and Rachel Syme of The New Yorker noted the song for its commercial appeal,[26][27] while Syme and BrooklynVegan's Andrew Sacher compared the song to early hits by Sheryl Crow.[4][27]
Phoebe [Bridgers] has expressed it as self-hatred plus having a God complex – like, sometimes, you feel like you're the best thing ever – and both of these states can be happening at the same time.
— Lucy Dacus[28]
The lyrics of "Not Strong Enough" touch on issues like mental illness and relationship dysfunction caused by mental illness. Baker described the lyrics as expressing self-consciousness of one's abilities to do their part in a relationship, but lacking the commitment to do so.[28] The song's chorus alludes to Crow's 1994 single "Strong Enough". Bridgers had thought of the referential lyric, "Not strong enough to be your man", long before the song was written and had been waiting for the right opportunity to include it.[1] Though the song details feelings of depression, Bridgers told Newsweek that she did not experience these emotions during the writing process, likening the discrepancy to "talking to your friends about the things you struggle with mentally, like you're not actually emotionally activated in the moment when sharing or talking about it." She further stated that "the lightness is weirdly also thematic in the lyrics, just because you can only feel so bad when you're sharing something with your friends."[10] Baker's verse namechecks the Cure's song "Boys Don't Cry",[29] which Alex Harris of Neon Music perceived to reference how people are expected by society to keep their emotions hidden.[24] The bridge consists of the line, "Always an angel, never a god", repeated twelve times;[20] Dacus initially sings solo before Bridgers and Baker add harmonies, during which the bridge gradually builds intensity.[15][30] The song climaxes with its final chorus.[15]
"Not Strong Enough" appeared on several rock-related single charts in the United States. It debuted at number seventeen on Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay chart on the week ending March 25;[31] it reached number one on the week ending June 3, becoming the first song by any member of Boygenius to reach the top of a Billboard airplay chart.[32][33] It remained at number one for seven weeks and spent a total of twenty-four weeks on the chart;[34] Billboard would ultimately rank the song as the biggest adult alternative hit of 2023.[35] On Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart, the song debuted at number forty on the week ending April 8,[36] peaking at number eleven on the week ending September 2 and charting for a total of twenty-three weeks.[37] On Billboard's overall Rock Airplay chart, which measures audience impressions across mainstream rock, alternative, and adult album alternative radio stations, the song debuted at number thirty-nine on the week ending March 25[38] and peaked at number twelve on the week ending June 17, charting for a total of twenty-four weeks.[39] Billboard would later rank the song at numbers twenty-seven and twenty-six on the 2023 year-end tallies for Alternative Airplay and Rock Airplay, respectively.[40][41] On the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, which ranks songs based on streaming figures and digital sales in addition to radio airplay, it debuted at number forty-three on the week ending March 18[42] and peaked at number twenty-six on the week ending June 10, spending twenty-two weeks on the chart;[43] it was ranked at number seventy-four on that chart's year-end listing.[44]
Outside of the United States, "Not Strong Enough" had a limited presence on record charts. In Ireland, the song debuted and peaked at number seventy-eight on the week of April 6 and fell off the chart the following week; it re-entered at number eighty-four on the week of August 31 for a second and final week on the chart.[45][46] On Billboard Japan's Hot Overseas chart, the song debuted at number fifteen on the week of March 20 and has since charted for nine non-consecutive weeks. It peaked at number nine on the week of May 1; its most recent appearance was on the week of February 19, 2024, when it was ranked at number fifteen.[47][48][49]
"Not Strong Enough" was met with critical acclaim. Multiple publications named it a highlight of The Record in their reviews of the album, including NME,[50] DIY,[51] PopMatters,[52] Exclaim!,[53] and Belwood Music.[54] Tyler Golsen of Far Out Magazine gave the song four out of five stars, writing "It's just fun and that's all it needs to be. If you make songs as good as this, you don't need anything more."[15] Writing for Consequence, which selected "Not Strong Enough" as its Song of the Week, Spencer Dukoff described it as a "worship song for non-believers" and praised the vocals and lyrics.[55] Lola J. DeAscentiis of The Harvard Crimson was extremely positive, hailing the song as "a stunning masterpiece that manages to turn the most gruesome mental breakdown into a work of art, yet still avoids the romanticization of these struggles."[20] In a track review for The Indiependent, Ben Carpenter praised the song's "honest introspection" and compared its production favorably to Taylor Swift.[56] Atwood Magazine's collaborative review of The Record saw five of the review's seven contributors cite "Not Strong Enough" as one of the album's best songs, complimenting its "colorful instrumentation", "spunky admission of inadequacy", and the synergy between Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus.[57] Ben Tipple of DIY referred to the song as "a shining moment in a sound of friendship that doesn't take itself too seriously, but comes built on an unshakable admiration for every facet of their beings."[51] Adam Feibel of Exclaim! stated that it "showcases each of them equally and sounds like them, all at once."[53] Nashville Scene's Hannah Cron remarked on each member's individual strengths and praised the song as being "somehow even greater than the sum of the three artists' contributions."[58] Spin, the Los Angeles Times, and Uproxx crowned the song as the best of 2023.[59][60][61] Several other publications also included it in their year-end lists, such as Billboard (number six),[18] The Guardian (number nineteen),[62] and Pitchfork (number thirty-two).[63] Triple J ranked it at number thirty on their Hottest 100 of 2023.[64]
The music video for "Not Strong Enough" documents Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus spending a day together in various locations around Los Angeles. It starts with images of roadside scenery, interspersed with a clip of members headbanging while driving,[11][66] before the band arrives at the Santa Monica Pier.[67][68] At the pier, the band prances along the boardwalk, plays arcade games—where Baker tests her strength at a high striker and Bridgers plays a virtual reality game—and rides a carousel, a Ferris wheel, and a roller coaster. After this, the band goes to the Getty Villa, where they explore the area and observe multiple statues and art displays. In one sequence, the screen continually moves to the right as Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus stand erect in between several busts, attempting to mimic their stoic facial expressions. Next, the band practices softball in a batting cage before visiting a miniature golf course, where Baker and Bridgers climb a small castle used as a prop. The band then goes for a hike, where they descend a long staircase and traverse a dark tunnel. During the second half of the song's bridge, the video progresses through clips at a dramatically increased rate; these clips include a monster truck rally, Bridgers viewing tarot cards, Dacus in a bookstore, rehearsal in the studio, and the band preparing and eating meals. The video finishes with the band having a beachside bonfire, where in one scene, they are running around while waving brightly colored smoke bombs through the air.
Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus expressed to i-D magazine that their intention had been to create a video that represented their friendship; they recorded the video themselves so that the result would be more authentic. It was edited by Bridgers' brother Jackson.[68][69] Will Schube of uDiscover Music and Lola J. DeAscentiis of The Harvard Crimson opined that the presentation of the video resembled that of a home movie.[20][70] DeAscentiis felt that the carefree aura of the video contradicted the dark themes of the lyrics, adding more depth to the song.[20] Cron wrote: "It's as fun as it is endearing, and it underlines why Boygenius' members work so well together. From the joy on their faces, it's clear that the music – vital as it is – is not the most important part of Boygenius."[58] Derrick Rossignol of Uproxx commented that the video made apparent the strength of the band's bond, further stating that it "echo[ed] the album's mission statement, which was described in previous press materials as being 'about recapturing joy.'"[66]
Boygenius first performed "Not Strong Enough" at Carnegie Hall as part of a benefit concert for Tibet House US on March 1, 2023, coinciding with the release of the single. The band's inclusion was arranged shortly before the concert; the only other song in their setlist was fellow The Record track "Cool About It", which was also performed live for the first time.[71] It became a regular part of their setlist during the Tour in support of The Record, usually near or at the end of the main set. In a four-star review of an August 20 performance at Gunnersbury Park, Kitty Empire of The Guardian described the song as a "theme tune" for the band.[72] Billboard's Stephen Daw praised an October 2 rendition at Madison Square Garden—the trio's first concert at that venue—as "top-notch".[73] Reviewing a June 13 concert at Harrah's Cherokee Center, Brian Postelle of Asheville Stages described a visceral crowd reaction to the song:
In front of me, there was a sea of flailing hands, bodies bouncing, and ecstatic, hair-flinging joy. Behind me, in the balcony seats lit by the glow of stage lights turned on the audience, there were tears, people dancing, and others frozen in place, hands folded over hearts, and the kind of open-mouth smiles you see on people who are being transformed. The floor trembled, the music rushed out in tectonic waves, and the dazzle of lighting and illuminated phones scrambled in the air like television static made of fireflies. If we had all been suddenly lifted into the air and spirited away, it would not have seemed so out of place.
— Brian Postelle, Asheville Stages[74]
When the Tour concluded with a concert on Halloween at the Hollywood Bowl, the band dressed as the Trinity to perform "Not Strong Enough" in a move which Variety compared to the lyric of the song's bridge. Dacus' costume represented the Father with a white jacket and a halo; Baker referenced the Son with a white robe, a red cloth extending from her left shoulder to her right hip, a crown of thorns, and tears painted onto her cheeks; and Bridgers, resembling the Holy Spirit, wore a headband and a cross, both of which were pearled, with the latter being worn across her torso under a transparent white dress.[75]
Concurrently with the first several weeks of the Tour, Bridgers opened for Taylor Swift at ten dates on the Eras Tour;[76] at the first of these, a May 5 show in Nashville, Baker and Dacus joined Bridgers onstage to perform "Not Strong Enough".[28][77] The band also played the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (April 21)[78] and Saturday Night Live (November 11).[79] For the latter performance, the band donned black suits in an homage to the Beatles' February 9, 1964, appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show; Boygenius' kick drum design mimicked the one the Beatles used that night, using the latter band's iconic typeface.[80][81] In the same episode, the band appeared in a skit alongside Timothée Chalamet as four likenesses of Troye Sivan—all of them approximating Sivan's own fashion style and choreography—which were sleep paralysis demons hallucinated by a character played by Sarah Sherman.[82]
"Not Strong Enough" was nominated in three categories at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards (2024): Record of the Year, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance. It lost the first award to "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus,[83] but won the latter two awards; they were, together with The Record's win for Best Alternative Music Album, the first Grammys for all band members.[a][84] Several media outlets remarked that Boygenius was amongst a large number of LGBT artists whom had received nominations and awards, including Cyrus, Sivan, Brandy Clark, Billie Eilish, Victoria Monét, and Romy.[85][86][87] In an interview with Billboard, Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus stated that they were pleased by the amount of LGBT representation at the 2024 Grammys, which they described as indicative that the LGBT community was being taken more seriously as an artistic force than it had been previously.[85] In the same interview, and later upon accepting the awards, the band detailed feelings of excitement and disbelief. Dacus expressed that she "need[ed] a whole new bucket list" and that "[she, Baker, and Bridgers] were all delusional enough as kids to think that this might happen to [them] someday"; Bridgers pontificated about "what weird shit [she could] do next" and Baker emphasized the importance of music in her life.[85][88]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Record.[6]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
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