"2021" is a song by American indie pop band Vampire Weekend. Alongside "Harmony Hall", it served as the double A-side lead single for their fourth studio album Father of the Bride, and was released on January 24, 2019, by Columbia Records.[2] "2021" was later re-released on December 22, 2021 as a collaboration 12" single alongside "Talking" by Haruomi Hosono.[3]
| "2021" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Vampire Weekend | ||||
| from the album Father of the Bride | ||||
| A-side | "Harmony Hall" (double A-side) | |||
| Released | January 24, 2019 | |||
| Length | 1:38 | |||
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| Composer(s) | ||||
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| Vampire Weekend singles chronology | ||||
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Composition
editThe "sparse lovelorn ballad" is built around a sample of the ambient track "Talking", composed in the 1980s by Haruomi Hosono for Japanese retail company Muji. It features a soft pulsing synth and fingerpicked guitars, along with a distorted vocal sample of the word "boy" sung by Jenny Lewis.[2][4][5]
Personnel
editCredits adapted from Qobuz.[6]
Musicians
- Ezra Koenig – vocals, guitar
- Jenny Lewis – additional vocals
- Ariel Rechtshaid – programming, synthesizer, bass guitar
Engineers
- Ariel Rechtshaid – engineering, mixing
- Chris Kasych – engineering
- John DeBold – engineering
- Ezra Koenig – mixing
- Chris Allgood – assistant engineering
- Emily Lazar – mastering
Charts
edit| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[7] | 38 |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
| Japan (Oricon)[8] | 69 |
References
edit- ^ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ a b Blistein, Jon (January 24, 2019). "Vampire Weekend Return After Six Years With 'Harmony Hall,' '2021'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Watering A Flower". Light In The Attic Records. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew; Bloom, Madison (January 24, 2018). "Vampire Weekend reveal new album title Father of the Bride, share new songs: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ Tencic, Nat (January 25, 2018). "First Spin: Vampire Weekend's '2021' and 'Harmony Hall' were worth the wait". Triple J. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ "Harmony Hall / 2021 | Vampire Weekend". Qobuz. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Vampire Weekend Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ "Watering a Flower / 2021 Haruomi Hosono, Vampire Weekend" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 28, 2022.