The Importance of Location in Bon Iver’s Discography, IDV Assignment
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Greece: In an interview with NME, Vernon said while vacationing in Greece, “I just heard this chorus in my head: ‘This feeling might be over soon.’ That ended up turning into the opening line of the album’s first song.”
Perth
Perth, Australia: In an interview with NPR, Vernon said that “Perth”, “is this awakening or this birth. It’s sort of that moment when you have decided to wake up and take control.”
Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Despite never having visited Calgary, Justin Vernon said he felt connected to the town, “like when you think there’s someone out there that you could be in love with but you haven’t met yet. And, [the album] sort of became this metaphor for places you haven’t been yet but you feel like you know.”
Salem
Salem, Massachusetts: “Salem” is possibly named after the the Salem Witch Trials. The lyrics, “Salem burns the leaves / The she / Returns to cure and see / Heavy fate / After years of waiting,” suggests that the “she” in the song is referring to a witch that is brewing a potion.
Michicant
Michigan: Vernon told Q Magazine “Michicant” is about, “the things you can’t do anymore. If you do, you’ll be sent to West Michigan for ever.” West Michigan is Hell.
Holocene
Portland, Oregon: While the song is named after a bar in Portland, Holocene is the current ecological epoch. “Most of our lives feel like these epochs. That’s kind of what that song’s about. Our lives feel like these epochs, but really we are dust in the wind. But, I think there’s a significance in that insignificance that I was trying to look at in that song,” Vernon said.
Lisbon, OH
Lisbon, Ohio: It is named after Lisbon, Ohio. The song is an instrumental.
Hinnom, TX
The Valley of Hinnom, Jerusalem and La Grange, Texas: The biblical Valley of Hinnom was the site of the sacrificial burning of children for the Ammonite god Moloch. The lyrics, “I got outta La Grange,” are also found in Lucinda Williams’ “Fruits of My Labor.”
Brackett, WI
Brackett, Wisconsin: A small town 10 miles from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where Vernon grew up and went to elementary school.
715 — CREEKS
Eau Claire, Wisconsin: The area code for Eau Claire, Wisconsin is 715.
Minnesota, WI
Minnesota and Wisconsin: Minnesota, Wisconsin isn’t a place. An excerpt on genius.com explains that that song, “touches on the experiences of the Hmong People who were “relocated” when the Chinese built the Three Gorges Dam. The dam flooded the valley where they’d lived for many generations forcing them to dispel into other areas, one of which being Minnesota, Wisconsin.”
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Eau Claire, Wisconsin: An apartment complex where Vernon lived in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Beth/Rest
St. Paul, Minnesota: Despite being named after Dr. Ellen Beth Rest, the song has nothing to do with her, just her name. “Beth’ is the death, but it’s a good death. It’s good winter. But, it’s a ‘Rest;’ it’s not this final thing. ‘Beth’ seems like this really cool name for a place you just go to be in paradise forever,” Vernon said.
Towers
Eau Claire, Wisconsin: The name of the dorm Vernon lived in while attending college was Towers.
Wash.
Washington and Eau Claire, Wisconsin: Despite being name after Washington, the song’s lyrics, “Claire, all to sore for sound,” “Claire, we nearly forfeit” and “Claire, eyes too sore for sight,” all reference weather in Vernon’s hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
