Beth/Rest

"Beth/Rest"
Single by Bon Iver
from the album Bon Iver
Released	October 6, 2012 (2012-10-06) [1]
Genre	Soft rock [2] [3]
Length	5:16
Label	4AD Jagjaguwar
Songwriter	Justin Vernon
Bon Iver singles chronology
"Towers" (2012) "Beth/Rest" (2012) "22 (OVER S∞∞N)" (2016)
Music video
"Beth/Rest" on YouTube

"Beth/Rest" is a song by Bon Iver. It is the closing track from the 2011 album Bon Iver and was released as the fourth and final single. The song was written by frontman Justin Vernon, ^[1] who has stated that this is the song from the album that he is the proudest of. ^[4] On February 4, 2012, Bon Iver performed "Beth/Rest" on Saturday Night Live . ^[5]

Writing

The songwriter, Justin Vernon, said "I've never gone through as much as I went through writing a song as that". ^[6] He said "Beth/Rest" was an uplifting song about "finding true love" and feeling that nothing would ever be as meaningful again. ^[6] Most of the sounds were created using a Korg M1 synthesizer. ^[6]

Reception

The song has polarized critics and listeners. Stephen Thompson of NPR called the song "the year's most divisive song", ^[7] whereas Jillian Mapes of Billboard named the song as one of the best songs of 2011. ^[8] Justin Vernon himself stated that he is "most proud" of the song when compared to the rest of the album, ^[4] and that the song is his favorite song from the album. ^[9]

Music video

The music video was directed by Vernon and Dan Huiting, who also directed the video for the album's lead single, "Calgary". ^{[10] [11]}

Track listing

All songs written by Justin Vernon. ^[1]

1. "Beth/Rest" – 5:16
2. "Beth/Rest" (Rare Book Room) – 5:38

References

1. Bon Iver - Beth/Rest (Vinyl) at Discogs. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
2. Wood, Mikael (June 1, 2011). "Bon Iver, Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar)". Spin. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
3. Costa, Maddy (June 16, 2011). "Bon Iver: Bon Iver – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
4. Why Bon Iver Had to Relearn Everything He Knows | Music News | Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
5. Navaroli, Joel (February 4, 2012). "SNL Archives | Episodes | 02.04.2012 #12". SNL Archives. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
6. Jackson, Josh (7 December 2011). "Bon Iver: 2011 Album of The Year". Paste . Retrieved 2025-10-29.
7. Bon Iver On World Cafe : NPR. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
8. Bon Iver's 'Bon Iver': Track-By-Track Review | Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
9. Bon Iver's Justin Vernon Talks About His Band's New Album : All Songs Considered : NPR. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
10. Video: Bon Iver – “Beth/Rest” | Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
11. Bon Iver's 'Beth/Rest' Video: Justin Vernon Visits Rivendell | Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2013.

External links

• "Beth/Rest" at AllMusic