Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst have been pretty chummy in recent days. Oberst contributed vocals to Bridgers’ “Would You Rather,” from her debut album Stranger In The Alps, and the pair covered Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy” along with Soccer Mommy earlier this year. Just a couple days ago, Bridgers joined Oberst for a new rendition of his song “LAX” as an Amazon Music exclusive. Now they’ve teamed up again for another Amazon recording, this time Bridgers’ cover of (Sandy) Alex G’s “Powerful Man,” on which Oberst plays harmonica.
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On the original version of the Rocket cut, (Sandy) Alex G spends time contemplating the meaning of manhood, with lyrics like, “Had a dream about a promised land / Walkin’ round with a big gun in my hand […] I’m gonna be a powerful man / Red blood running down the broken sand,” before reaching the conclusion, “I couldn’t tell you / What it means to me.” It a song from an overtly male perspective, so it’s interesting to hear Bridgers sing it and offer a different prism through which to view the exaggerated masculinity of the track.
Listen to Bridgers’ cover of “Powerful Man” above, and read our interview with Bridgers (and her Boygenius compatriots Dacus and Baker) here.
