X/Z Song Trader: "Kyoto"
A Gen X Rocker Discusses Music With His Gen Z Daughter
About X/Z Song Trader: Steve is a music journalist, author and musician. Lucy is a diehard music fan and college student. They have always enjoyed a father/daughter bond over music. Each week one of them picks a song and they both share their perspectives. These are casual conversations based on musical connections. Opinions are their own. Keeping it positive.
Check out the whole X/Z Song Trader series.
Lucy’s Perspective
There are defining moments in our music sharing when I’m reminded that despite your rock, power pop, and punk interests, you still have a soft spot for straight ahead pop songs.
I recall playing “Kyoto” for you the very first time and your reply being, “Now this is a perfect pop song.” First and foremost, I was excited to impress you with a song I found, but even more than that, I was ecstatic that you also thought this song was perfect.
I have been a fan of Phoebe Bridgers for almost four years now, being first introduced to her through one of my friends. For many, very obvious reasons there is a specific kind of audience that Bridgers’ songs speak to since she writes such gut-punching lyrics and music. The intention of 90% of her songs seems to be leaving the listener more reflective and melancholic than her music found them.
She writes songs that have devastated me and all my friends for years now such as “Waiting Room,” “Graceland Too,” and more recently “Sidelines.” But something about “Kyoto” feels entirely different in its ability to capture almost any listener.
I saw this song live just over two years ago, an experience I’d describe as “jumping up and down and screaming the lyrics along with thousands of other teenage girls.” Not only was this song more rock-intensive live, but it was also even more clear how heartbreaking the lyrics actually are.
There’s something uniting about being at a concert like that and knowing that everybody else around you loves the lyrics and the song in a similar way and that you can all enjoy it together.
This is always the first song I play for my less Phoebe-versed friends as an introduction.
Although the lyrics talk about her heavily-strained relationship with her father, the hurt hides behind a fun beat and poppy vocals. She sings “I'm gonna kill you if you don't beat me to it” while playing head-bopping electric guitar. The mix of happier music and thought-provoking words makes “Kyoto” perfectly crushing.
I think there are a lot of songs that we both enjoy and appreciate together, but this is definitely the one that feels most memorable to me in terms of your appreciation for it. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this perfect pop song and how you relate it back to your own music taste.
Steve’s Perspective
I clearly remember the first time you played this song for me too.
We had spent so many years listening to mainstream pop music together that I was honestly surprised to hear you play something that sounded more like indie rock. In that way, you could say that this is one of the songs that led to X/Z Song Trader.
And, yes, I do still think this is a perfect pop song. In fact, my appreciation for this track has only deepened over time. Much as I love Taylor Swift’s music (also thanks to you!), I’m less likely to play her albums when I’m alone these days. But I listen to Phoebe Bridgers (and her band boygenius) a lot—and “Kyoto” is one of my favorite songs (along with “Garden Song,” “Motion Sickness,” “Souvenir” and “Satanist”).
The opening synth melody is playful, but also menacing—you can just tell it isn’t going to be the fun pop romp that intro hints at. Then the song gets instantly elevated when she deadpans the first line (“Day off in Kyoto…”) as the band kicks in. And, not for nothing, I absolutely love the drumming on this track.
I was completely hooked after 30 seconds. I still am a few years later.
The “payphone” line was what really caught my attention (I love that kind of songwriting specificity), but I assumed she was just singing about touring Japan.
Then I read that the song partially revolves around Bridgers’ relationship with her father, so I looked up the lyrics. It was heartbreaking to grasp how that story ends:
You called me from a payphone
They still got payphones
It cost a dollar a minute
To tell me you're getting sober
And you wrote me a letter
But I don't have to read it
As somebody who finally got sober once he had kids, that’s a good reminder of what things might have been. I know this song is written from the adult child’s perspective, but it lands different listening as a father who has wrestled with similar demons.
Mostly it makes me feel thankful for the clear-headed time I get to spend with you and your sister. (My over-caffeination, iPhone addiction and dad jokes aside.)
Which is a long way of saying I agree with you that this song is absolutely devastating, but it also has the power to makes us smile and dance while reminding us how lucky we are. When I say that I think this is a perfect pop song, I’m talking about all of that.
It really is amazing how much emotional power can be delivered in three hooky minutes. I honestly can’t imagine ever getting tired of this one.
This is such a great project, a great reminder of the intertwined influences parents and children have on one another. I've been getting my 10-year old daughter into Charlie Chaplin and she's been getting me into Gravity Falls.
Kyoto was my intro into Phones Bridgers, and she knew what she was doing in terms of reeling in new fans while still delivering for old ones with this song. Same angst, crunchier licks.
I love this project and reading about how it possibly all began was lovely to read. I actually prefer Phoebe Bridgers solo work to boy genius. I don’t know what it is, but it probably will be understandable in a few years. Or if I had a kid, maybe they’d be able to explain it to me.