Emma Narvaez
In June 2020, a critically acclaimed indie-folk album called Punisher was released by Phoebe Bridgers, an American singer, songwriter, and producer from Los Angeles, California. In the album, Bridgers uses depressive and cynical song lyrics that express human emotions through self-destructive love. Along with the album cover which displays Bridgers in a skeleton jumpsuit standing in a spooky setting, the musical arrangements of each song beautifully encompass the crisp feeling on a Halloween night. Track 5 on Punisher, “Halloween”, further enhances the influence of Halloween on the album. In the song, Bridgers uses Halloween to represent the forced reconciliation of a dying relationship.
The lyrics throughout the song display the mental and physical extremes people go to in consequence of their strong, uncontrollable emotions and how they train themselves to hide them. The song opens with a morbid narrative where Bridgers sings “I hate living by the hospital. The sirens go all night. I used to joke that if they woke you up, somebody better be dying.” The hyperbolic statement supports the theme of the power emotions hold over people. It contradicts the theme of concealing emotions, as Bridgers is wishing death upon people because of a mere inconvenience and a thought like this would typically remain unspoken out of courtesy. Following this lyric, Bridgers sings “But I can count on you to tell me the truth; when… you’re wearing a mask.” This lyric connects the traditional costume attire during Halloween to a person masking their emotions. The gain of trust Bridgers’ partner receives when acting differently suggests that their original persona would have been untruthful.
Following the first verse is the chorus; “Baby, it’s Halloween. And we can be anything. Oh, come on, man. We can be anything.” In the chorus, Bridgers uses Halloween to symbolize a day where she and her partner can disregard the constant tension and discomfort between them for a day.
Verse two displays another way our emotions control how we act. “Always surprised by what I do for love. Some things I never expect. They killed a fan down by the stadium. Was only visiting, they beat him to death.” This verse references the murder of a fan during a Dodgers game in 2003. In an interview with Stereogum, an Internet publication, Bridgers elaborates on this. “It’s always been this obsession of mine — well, I guess, murders in general are such a dark obsession but that one specifically. It’s so dark, that most people just want to have a hot dog and watch a game but people are so worked up that they can kill someone who doesn’t agree with them” (Stereogum). Bridgers uses a real-life example in the song to thoroughly present the drive of emotions.
After the second verse, the chorus repeats; however, an additional line is written. “There’s a last time for everything.” In this line, Bridgers is referring to a last moment of enjoyment in the relationship, which would occur through dissimulation.
The song ends with the outro, where Bridgers sings a repetitive collection of lyrics. The foundation of the pattern is “I’ll be whatever you want. Whatever you want. Be whatever you want.” The outro is Bridgers’ final yearning to save the relationship through counterfeit behavior.
Phoebe Bridgers’ wispy, angelic voice and achingly sad, satirical lyrics are why she is one of today’s popular artists. As Halloween has just recently passed, I recommend listening to Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers to set the mood for another spooky season.
Works Cited
Bridgers, Phoebe. Halloween. Tony Berg Ethan Gruska, 17 June 2020, youtu.be/bVZTMyQ3SsU. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
Stereogum. “The Story behind Every Song on Phoebe Bridgers’ New Album ‘Punisher.’” Stereogum, 18 June 2020, www.stereogum.com/2086915/phoebe-bridgers-interview-punisher-conor-oberst-1975-boygenius/interviews/footnotes-interview/.
Emma Narvaez