Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon is one of those artists who refuses to rest on his laurels, preferring to push the boundaries of his music with each new release. His 2016 album 22, a Million represented a stark contrast from previous releases, although he brought it all home with the touching, somewhat traditional balladry of “00000 Million.”
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What is the song about? How did it represent Vernon’s preferred style of lyric writing? And what pushed him into such a unique stylistic shift with 22, A Million? Here is the story behind “00000 Million,” a stunning track from one of modern music’s most visionary artists.
A Return from Hiatus
Most people understand success is rarely a panacea for inner demons or emotional scars. Yet we often overlook that top musicians are in the same boat in that regard. That all came into play for Justin Vernon, the mastermind behind Bon Iver, in the process of making his third album.
Vernon released his first album under the Bon Iver moniker in 2007. For Emma, Forever Ago took a while to find an audience. Once it did, people also found out about the story behind its making, how Vernon sequestered himself in a Wisconsin cabin in the middle of a personal crisis and cranked out a series of haunting folk dirges.
When he came back with the Bon Iver album in 2011, the sound was much more filled-out and somewhat brighter. It was another critical winner, even earning Vernon Grammy love. But he struggled with the demands of his newfound fame, leading to a long hiatus in between Bon Iver albums at a time when the demand for them was at its highest.
Once he started recording again, he mostly set aside standard instrumentation, instead building songs out of samples and Auto-Tune effects. His lyrics, which always tended toward stream-of-consciousness, became harder to parse. Yet 22, a Million still soared, as the thrilling nature of its innovative recording techniques was matched by its emotional potency.
The title of “00000 Million” might make it seem impenetrable, but that’s only a nod to Vernon’s fascination with numerology that permeates the album. In truth, the song is a singer/songwriter confessional piece, set apart by the creaky upright piano that forms the musical foundation and the multi-tracking effects that turn Vernon’s voice into an entire chorus.
What is the Meaning of “00000 Million”?
As mentioned above, individual lyrics from Vernon can sometimes be hard to interpret, as he often builds the songs based on the sound of the words that pop into his mind as much as the meaning. Yet it’s hard to deny that “00000 Million” relates to his personal journey, the lessons learned, and perhaps more importantly, the realization that much will remain unknown and vexing.
The song looks back to the narrator’s past: Must have been forces / That took me on them wild courses. I worried about rain / I worried about lightning, Vernon sings, only to come back to suggest that perhaps he was unnecessarily concerning himself with meaningless things: But I watched them off / To the light of the morning. His sense of humor shines through when he suggests that self-discovery and immersing himself in deep philosophical concepts will only get him so far: A word about Gnosis / It ain’t gonna buy the groceries.
The journey has him wondering, Robert Frost-like, about his decisions: And I worry ’bout a worn path / And I wander off / Just to come back home. Suppose you can’t hold s–t / How high I’ve been, he sings, perhaps nodding to the illusory rewards of his musical success. How long I’d last, Vernon muses in the final verse, implying his questing will have an end, whether or not he finds what he seeks.
Well, it harms me, it harms me, it harms me / I’ll let it in, Justin Vernon sings as the refrain of “00000 A Million.” It’s an acknowledgement that all lives endure their share of pitfalls, but trying to shrug them off without dealing with their psychic and emotional consequences isn’t the way to go. Bon Iver keeps challenging us with their music, even as their leader keeps sending us rivetingly relatable messages like the ones within this beautiful song.
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