With the second half of November comes the latest of Phoebe Bridgers’ special holiday covers, a charity tradition now in its seventh year. Released on 17th November in honour of the late Sinéad O’Connor, this year’s choice is ‘The Parting Glass’, a Scottish/Irish folk song. Joined by fellow boygenius members Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, and accompanied by folk band Ye Vagabonds, the song is a touching tribute to the Irish singer/activist who covered the song in 2002.
A traditional ‘parting song’ the song has long been associated with the end of social gatherings, funerals, wakes, and the outset of long journeys. Simultaneously tragic and convivial, the song perfectly encapsulates the confusing intricacies of a goodbye. Both sung to honour a time well spent and to lament the ending or changing of circumstances, ‘The Parting Glass’ holds a heavy mix of emotions in each bar.
The instrumentals are so delicate and deliberate that they weave into the trio’s vocals as a fourth harmony, breaking only to add texture where needed. Ye Vagabonds focus their strings alongside the lightest of percussions to weave a tender mix that may appear simplistic on a surface level but every sound creates a richness that elegantly reflects the complexity of the song.
Taking turns leading each verse, Bridgers, Baker, and Dacus apply their signature blend of harmonious control, flowing together alongside the instruments in perfect cohesion. Though all three voices are perfectly suited to lead their verse, the standout can be found in the second verse sung by Baker, whose solo work best exemplifies traditional folk music qualities. boygenius as a group often explore the complicated nature of emotional vulnerability and their cover of ‘The Parting Glass’ is no outlier in their discography. The track joins ranks alongside two EPs and their debut album The Record which released this year and is currently nominated for 7 Grammys.
The song is perfectly suited for boygenius’ talents and a touching tribute to O’Connor, of whom Bridgers was a fan. In a tribute for Rolling Stone following O’Connor’s death in July, Bridgers spoke of her influence “She made me feel like I was allowed to stand for things. It’s still hard, but I feel so lucky that I can feel validated and my beliefs are taken seriously. And that world exists because of Sinéad’s sacrifice.” Open members of the LGBTQIA+ community, boygenius have been known to honour charities at each concert they put on and have also spoken out against anti-drag and anti-trans laws, using their platform to put their beliefs into action where possible.
The song is available to stream on Spotify with all proceeds going to the Aisling Project, “an after-school project working with children and young people growing up in a disadvantaged area in Dublin, Ireland”.
Words by Camille Murray
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.