Phoebe Bridgers’ 2020 album Punisher yielded a good handful of singles, but “Chinese Satellite” wasn’t one of them. Today is a good day for fans of the album track, though, as Bridgers has shared a new acoustic version of it, which she recorded at legendary Los Angeles studio Sound City (the one from the Dave Grohl documentary, yes).
The recording is part of Secretly Canadian’s 25th anniversary singles series SC25, which has the goal of raising $250,000 for Bloomington, Indiana shelter New Hope For Families.
Bridgers previously told Apple Music of the song:
“I have no faith — and that’s what it’s about. My friend Harry put it in the best way ever once. He was like, ‘Man, sometimes I just wish I could make the Jesus leap.’ But I can’t do it. I mean, I definitely have weird beliefs that come from nothing. I wasn’t raised religious. I do yoga and stuff. I think breathing is important. But that’s pretty much as far as it goes. I like to believe that ghosts and aliens exist, but I kind of doubt it. I love science — I think science is like the closest thing to that that you’ll get. If I’m being honest, this song is about turning 11 and not getting a letter from Hogwarts, just realizing that nobody’s going to save me from my life, nobody’s going to wake me up and be like, ‘Hey, just kidding. Actually, it’s really a lot more special than this, and you’re special.’ No, I’m going to be the way that I am forever. I mean, secretly, I am still waiting on that letter, which is also that part of the song, that I want someone to shake me awake in the middle of the night and be like, ‘Come with me. It’s actually totally different than you ever thought.’ That’d be sweet.”
Listen to “Chinese Satellite (Live From Sound City)” above.
