When it comes to heart-wrenching love songs, very few artists can hold a candle to Phoebe Bridgers. Her ability to craft intricate and honest lyrics that capture the complexity of love and relationships is truly remarkable.
As someone who has spent countless hours listening to her music, I feel uniquely qualified to compile a list of her best love songs. These are the kind of tracks that will make you want to lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling as you contemplate the meaning of true love.
From haunting ballads to catchy indie-pop anthems, Phoebe Bridgers has something for everyone.
Get ready to be transported into a world of heartbreak, hope, and everything in between as we take a deep dive into the best Phoebe Bridgers love songs.
1. “Moon Song” (2020)
Album: Punisher
Release Date: 2020
Song Duration: 4 minutes 38 seconds
“Moon Song” by Phoebe Bridgers from the album “Punisher” is a heart-wrenching tale of unrequited love and longing. With poetic lyrics and a haunting melody, Bridgers captures the sadness and frustration of watching someone you love fall for someone else.
The metaphor of being unable to touch the bottom of someone, combined with the imagery of a dog waiting at a door, emphasizes the feeling of being powerless and loyal to someone who doesn’t reciprocate those feelings. Despite the pain, there is a sense of beauty in the love being expressed, as shown in the desire to give someone the moon.
This song is a perfect representation of Bridgers’ ability to capture the complexities of human emotion.
2. “Savior Complex” (2020)
Album: Punisher
Release Date: 2020
Song Duration: 4 minutes 2 seconds
“Savior Complex” by Phoebe Bridgers is a haunting love song, with captivating lyrics that showcase the complexities of relationships. Bridgers talks about her lover’s emotional affairs, crocodile tears, and bad dreams that they both hide.
She wants to help her lover overcome their issues, but she realizes she has a savior complex, and is incapable of saving anyone. The chorus perfectly sums up the song’s mood, with Bridgers delivering a powerful message about how it’s essential to show vulnerability in a relationship, and encourages her lover to come clean about their past.
Overall, “Savior Complex” is a raw and emotional song that will leave you in awe of Bridgers’ poetic abilities.
3. “Garden Song” (2020)
Album: Punisher
Release Date: 2020
Song Duration: 3 minutes 40 seconds
In “Garden Song,” Phoebe Bridgers paints a vivid picture of her future. She envisions herself living in a house on a hill, planting a garden in the yard, and finding contentment.
The hauntingly beautiful melody is accompanied by lyrics that explore themes of growth and reflection. Bridgers’ dreamlike state in the second verse, where the screen turns into a tidal wave and a dorm room becomes a hedge maze, creates a sense of unease.
Despite this, the chorus finds comfort in the idea of growth and regeneration, both in the garden and within oneself. “Punisher” is a stunning album, and “Garden Song” is a standout track that showcases Bridgers’ immense talent for introspection and storytelling.
4. “Graceland Too” (2020)
Album: Punisher
Release Date: 2020
Song Duration: 3 minutes 56 seconds
In “Graceland Too,” Phoebe Bridgers tells the story of a woman who is no longer a danger to herself or others and decides to go on a spontaneous adventure. As she drives towards Memphis to the sound of Elvis, she reflects on life and wonders if songs could come true.
Bridgers’ dreamy vocals and melancholic melody create a surreal sense of longing and self-discovery. The power of the song lies in its emotional depth and Bridgers’ ability to make the ordinary extraordinary.
“Graceland Too” is a standout track on her album “Punisher,” and a testament to Bridgers’ songwriting skills.
5. “ICU” (2020)
Album: Punisher
Release Date: 2020
Song Duration: 3 minutes 10 seconds
“ICU” is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that showcases Phoebe Bridgers’ raw and honest songwriting. The lyrics describe a feeling of detachment from the world, as if the narrator is playing dead and watching their own life pass them by.
However, the refrain shifts the focus onto a specific person, implying that this individual makes the narrator feel alive again. The song is filled with vivid imagery, like the speaker laying on the lawn or seeing brush strokes on a work of art.
The ending cements the feeling of disconnection, with the narrator climbing through a window and letting in the “dystopian morning light.”
6. “Smoke Signals” (2017)
Album: Stranger in the Alps
Release Date: 2017
Song Duration: 5 minutes 25 seconds
“Smoke Signals” by Phoebe Bridgers is a hauntingly beautiful ballad about nostalgia and the complexities of love. Bridgers paints vivid pictures of memories – from singing “Ace of Spades” when Lemmy died to watching the stars diminish on the street.
Her lyrics drip with melancholy as she contemplates the unrequited love and the feeling of not belonging. Yet amidst the gloom, there’s an undeniable bond between the two protagonists who communicate through smoke signals and pelicans circling.
Overall, it’s a poignant song that showcases Bridgers’ lyrical prowess and her ability to craft evocative and moving music.
7. “Georgia” (2017)
Album: Stranger in the Alps
Release Date: 2017
Song Duration: 4 minutes 7 seconds
“Georgia” by Phoebe Bridgers is a contemplative and melancholic love song that showcases the singer’s soft yet powerful vocals. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is deeply in love with someone from Georgia, praising their son’s beautiful bones and honesty.
Despite the love, there is a sense of uncertainty and fear that permeates the song, as the singer wonders whether their love will be reciprocated or rejected. The hauntingly beautiful melody and poetic lyrics make “Georgia” a standout track from Bridgers’ acclaimed debut album, Stranger in the Alps.
8. “Friday I’m In Love” (2018)
Album: Spotify Singles
Release Date: 2018
Song Duration: 3 minutes 41 seconds
Phoebe Bridgers’ version of “Friday I’m in Love” is a dreamy and contemplative take on The Cure’s upbeat classic. The song’s lyrics express a love for the excitement and joy that comes with the end of the workweek, and Phoebe’s haunting vocals and muted guitar chords add a layer of depth that highlights the melancholic undertones of the song.
Phoebe’s version is a reminder that sometimes, even in the midst of happiness, there can still be a hint of sadness lurking beneath the surface. It’s a beautiful interpretation of one of the most beloved love songs of all time.
9. “Sidelines” (2022)
Album: Sidelines
Release Date: 2022
Song Duration: 4 minutes 24 seconds
“Sidelines” is a poignant reflection on how love pushes us out of our comfort zones and propels us into the world. Phoebe’s usual melancholic tone is replaced with a more upbeat and hopeful sound as she sings about no longer being content watching the world go by from the sidelines.
The chorus, with its soaring melody, captures the thrill and vulnerability of falling in love and gaining something to lose. Phoebe’s willingness to try again, to take risks and to live fully in the moment, is a beautiful reminder to us all to embrace the joy and excitement of life.
10. “Halloween” (2020)
Album: Punisher
Release Date: 2020
Song Duration: 4 minutes 31 seconds
In “Halloween,” Phoebe Bridgers paints a picture of love in the midst of unsettling surroundings. Amidst the constant hum of sirens by the hospital, she finds comfort in her significant other who tells her the truth, even under the guise of a mask.
The song takes a dark turn as she laments the senseless violence and death that surrounds her, but that doesn’t stop her from reveling in the magic of Halloween, where they can be anything. Bridgers’ haunting vocals, paired with Conor Oberst’s harmonies in the outro, make this song an eerie and beautiful addition to her love song repertoire.
Alexandra loves playing the piano and guitar. She has always been a music lover, but it wasn’t until she was in high school that she realized how much she loved to play. It allowed her to express herself without having to be verbally expressive, which is something she found very empowering.