The lyrics: “You only want me for my body.” Imagine saying that to somebody! I would literally never say that to anybody. That’s what is so beautiful about it.
“How Simple” by Hop Along
This song was on our playlist on tour, so I could sing every word of it. This whole record is amazing. Francis’ voice is insane; I love how it is so punk rock and sweet. And then there of course are the words, like, “Don’t worry we’ll both find out, just not together.” Basically, that means, we’ll be alright but we’re not going to date. I mean, fuck.
“Black Boys on Mopeds” by Sinéad O’Connor
This song is a motherfucker of a song. I could stare at the ceiling and listen to this song all day. My favorite way to listen to a playlist is with headphones on in your bed looking at the ceiling. No social media. I feel way too addicted to social media because I’ll start to feel something for a second then I’m like, “Wow, I have to distract myself.” I’ve been forcing myself in quarantine to just … like a teenager, stare at the ceiling and listen to a playlist. Like this one.
I was in the car with Conor [Oberst] the first time I heard this song. At the time, we were just getting to know each other so I pretended to have heard the song already. I was trying to be cool, you know, but this song just destroyed me. I made my mom listen to it with me this year, and she cried, too.
“On The Floor” by Perfume Genius
When this song came out, I listened to it all day. It reminds me of making my record in the studio. I’m in the chorus. There is definitely a meme of this, that’s like, “Oh, you felt something when you listened to that song? How about you listen to it 400,000 more times so you never feel anything again?” It can feel like that when you record. You can get to a point where you’re not even listening anymore. I still love this song, though.
“Places/Plans” by Skullcrusher
My drummer sent this to me. He’s sorta all over the place with what he sends me. Some of it is amazing and some is really random. This song though, I’ve put on playlists for every platonic crush I’ve ever had. I think that’s because it’s such a hot song. It sets a mood. It has the tone of a lot of instrumental music that I love, but with words.
“Oxbow” by Waxahatchee
This song is straight up poetry. I love this whole record, and I think she has the coolest voice on earth. I saw Waxahatchee at Coachella. I love Coachella so much. I love that I can see, like, 300 of my favorite bands at once. When they performed, I made sure to get all the way to the front. She had cool green hair at the time. This record was released right at the beginning of quarantine.
I’m a sucker for an outro. The lyrics—Depressing by design / A speck in the oxbow / depressing by design / if I go along with it, am I lying to you?’ It’s like, what? I can’t even find words.
“Haile Selassie” by Bright Eyes
I think that this record is a lyrical masterpiece. I put Bright Eyes on almost every playlist. When Conor [Oberst] and I first met, I was so excited to show him the music and make him playlists. Then I kept getting to the end and feeling this absence. Then I realized, Bright Eyes was missing. I can’t put Bright Eyes on a playlist for Connor.