Andrew Bird and Phoebe Bridgers share “I Felt A Funeral In My Brain”

The pair set Emily Dickinson’s poem to music on their new collaboration.

October 26, 2022
Andrew Bird and Phoebe Bridgers share “I Felt A Funeral In My Brain” David Black/Ky Kasselman

Andrew Bird has recruited Phoebe Bridgers for a musical rendition of the Emily Dickinson poem, "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain." Bridgers sings the words to Dickinson's poem, written in 1861, with Bird providing vocals a sparse acoustic backdrop. Check it out below.

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"I came across this Emily Dickinson poem and found it to be the most vivid description of an inner world I’ve ever encountered," Bird says in a statement. "It became an inspiration for the songs on Inside Problems. Who better to sing it with than Phoebe Bridgers? I sent her a demo and so, here we are.

"Thanks to Ms. Dickinson’s publisher at Harvard University Press for allowing us to use this poem. As I understand, her poems weren’t published as she intended them until the 1950s - that is, without the heavy hand of her male editors."

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Bird released his latest solo album Inside Problems in June. Bridgers, meanwhile, was recently confirmed as appearing in an upcoming live version of The Nightmare Before Christmas in London this December.

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Andrew Bird and Phoebe Bridgers share “I Felt A Funeral In My Brain”