"Spanish Doors" | ||||
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Single by Liz Phair | ||||
from the album Soberish | ||||
Released | April 14, 2021 | |||
Studio | Sea Grass Studio (Los Angeles) | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 3:57 (album mix) 3:25 (single mix) | |||
Label | Chrysalis | |||
Songwriter(s) | Liz Phair | |||
Producer(s) | Brad Wood | |||
Liz Phair singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Spanish Doors" on YouTube |
"Spanish Doors" is a single by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair. The song was written by Phair, with Brad Wood producing the song. It was released on April 14, 2021, by Chrysalis Records as the third single from Phair's seventh studio album, Soberish . The song speaks about the struggles of divorce, and about how a life can be fractured in its wake. "Spanish Doors" received mixed reviews from critics, with some saying that the song harkened back to her earlier releases, while others criticised the mixing of the track. The single received airplay on US adult album alternative radio, peaking at number 31 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart.
"Spanish Doors" was released on April 14, 2021, alongside the tracklist and release date for Soberish . Liz Phair wrote that "'Spanish Doors' is "about the fracturing of a beautiful life, when everything you counted on is suddenly thrown up for grabs". [1] Phair said that while she did "draw inspiration" from the divorce of a friend in writing "Spanish Doors", the actions described in the song were her own, explaining that "I relate to hiding out in the bathroom when everyone around you is having a good time but your life just fell apart...just a few moments ago you were a whole, confident person and now you wonder how you'll ever get the magic back." [2]
"Spanish Doors" contains elements of 1990s alternative rock, grunge [3] and layered vocal production. [4] Lyrically, it was described by Rolling Stone as "addressing the struggles of divorce". [5] The album mix of "Spanish Doors" is 32 seconds longer than the single release, at 3:57 of length. [6] "Spanish Doors" was written by Phair, and produced by Brad Wood, who also served as the mixing engineer for the song. [7]
In a piece for Rolling Stone, Jon Dolan observed similarities between "Spanish Doors" and "Divorce Song"—an earlier track of Phair's from Exile in Guyville —and also noting what he called a "cleverly turned Fleetwood Mac-steeped slickness" on "Spanish Doors". [8] For Pitchfork , Peyton Thomas wrote that "poor mixing keeps the chorus of "Spanish Doors" from fully blasting off", with the backing vocals being brought to the front making Phair's vocals "nearly inaudible". [9] Daniel Sylvester of Exclaim! labeled the song a "muddled mess", saying that the "strong verses and driving rhythm" were covered with "electronic beats, vocal effects, and layered chorus". [10] In an Under the Radar web exclusive, Austin Saalman wrote of "Spanish Doors" as "a frantic breakup anthem not unlike something Phair might have recorded 28 years ago". [11]
The music video for "Spanish Doors" was released on April 30, 2021. It reflects shortcomings in a relationship with "mirror-like visual effects". [5] In an interview with Billboard , Phair said that "the video for me is about the different selves we play", and that in the context of her romantic life, she will often present herself as a more "idealized self", but when the relationship collapses, Phair is "left looking at that ambassador-self, envying her and also wondering if that's the whole reason it fell through in the first place". [12]
Liz Phair performed "Spanish Doors" at an NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, alongside a backing band of Connor Sullivan and Cody Perrin on guitar, Neal Daniels on drums, and Ben Sturley on bass. Phair also played guitar, while providing her vocals. [13]
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
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US Adult Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [14] | 31 |
Elizabeth Clark Phair is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career in San Francisco, but returned to her home in Chicago, where she began self-releasing audio cassettes under the name Girly-Sound. The tapes led to a recording contract with the independent record label Matador Records.
Exile in Guyville is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released on June 22, 1993, by Matador Records. It was recorded at Idful Music Corporation in Chicago between 1992 and 1993 and produced by Phair and Brad Wood. The album received critical acclaim and in 2020, it was ranked No. 56 by Rolling Stone in its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. It was certified gold in 1998.
Whip-Smart is the second album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released in 1994, the follow-up to Phair's critically well received debut, 1993's Exile in Guyville. Despite not being as critically well received as her previous record, Whip-Smart debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 and ultimately achieved gold status. As of July 2010, it had sold 412,000 copies.
Whitechocolatespaceegg is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released in 1998. It peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200. As of July 2010, the album had sold 293,000 copies. Unlike her previous two albums, with themes of sex and relationships, Whitechocolatespaceegg focused more on motherhood and family, as Phair had recently gotten married and given birth to a son.
Liz Phair is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released on June 24, 2003, on Capitol Records. It was produced by Phair, Michael Penn, Pete Yorn, R. Walt Vincent and the Matrix songwriting team.
"Why Can't I?" is a song by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair. It was released on May 5, 2003, as the lead single from her self-titled fourth album. It reached number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Phair's highest-charting single and only top-40 single. The song was certified gold in the US, having sold 500,000 copies there.
Juvenilia is an EP by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released in 1995. The EP is essentially a single for the song "Jealousy" from the album Whip-Smart, though this release includes a few songs recorded by Phair under her Girly-Sound moniker in 1991, namely "California," "South Dakota," "Batmobile," "Dead Shark," and "Easy."
Somebody's Miracle is the fifth album by Liz Phair, released on October 4, 2005 on Capitol Records. From September 2004 through April 2005, she composed fourteen tracks spanning from lo-fi guitar-driven to high-gloss produced tracks. Much like her debut album, Exile in Guyville, Somebody's Miracle was originally modeled after another canonical album, Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder, though only elements of this exist in the final product. The first single, "Everything to Me" was released to radio on August 1, 2005. Somebody's Miracle debuted at number 46 on the Billboard 200, and has sold over 83,000 copies in the U.S.
Girly-Sound is the name under which singer-songwriter Liz Phair recorded three self-produced cassettes in 1991. The cassettes were later made available as bootlegs, some songs saw official releases, and the tapes were released in their entirety in 2018. Girly-Sound is also the name used to refer to the demos or bootlegs collectively. The recordings have been called "legendary" by Spin Magazine and by AllMusic "one of the most popular and sought-after alternative rock bootlegs of all time".
This discography of rock music singer-songwriter Liz Phair consists of seven studio albums, three extended plays, eighteen singles, three compilations, two video albums, seventeen music videos and one box set. She recorded three self-produced cassettes as Girly Sound in the early 1990s.
"We All Go Back to Where We Belong" is the final single from American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 2011. The song is the lead single from the band's final album, the career-spanning greatest hits compilation Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011. The song was made available over the Internet on October 17, 2011.
"Supernova" is a song by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair from her second album, Whip-Smart, released in 1994.
"Red" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the title track of her fourth studio album (2012). The song was produced by Swift, Dann Huff, and Nathan Chapman. Big Machine Records released the song onto the iTunes Store on October 2, 2012, as Red's second promotional single, and to U.S. country radio on June 24, 2013, as an official single. Musically, "Red" combines country, roots rock, pop rock, soft rock over acoustic banjo, guitars, and electronic vocal manipulation. Lyrically about a tumultuous relationship, the refrain likens the conflicting emotions to a spectrum of colors, including the color red which symbolizes the ensuing intense feelings.
"Never Said" is a song by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair from her debut studio album Exile in Guyville (1993). It was released as the lead single from the album in 1993 by Matador Records.
"Bollywood" is a song by American recording artist Liz Phair. The song was her first release after breaking from Capitol Records and Dave Matthews' record label, ATO Records, and discusses the discrimination and bureaucracy present in the music industry. It was released as the lead single from her sixth album, Funstyle, and was subject to negative reviews from critics, who criticized Phair's vocal performance and the production.
"Extraordinary" is a song by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair from her self-titled fourth studio album (2003). It was released to radio as the second single from the album on March 1, 2004, by Capitol Records. The song was written by Phair and the production team the Matrix, which consists of Lauren Christy, Scott Spock, and Graham Edwards. Production on the song was solely helmed by the Matrix. According to Phair, the song is about wanting others to see you for who you are.
In the Morse Code of Brake Lights is the eighth studio album by Canadian indie rock band the New Pornographers, released on September 27, 2019. The album was preceded in August by its lead single, "Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile".
Soberish is the seventh studio album from American singer, Liz Phair. It is her first studio album in close to eleven years since 2010's Funstyle and was preceded by five singles: "Good Side", "Hey Lou", "Spanish Doors", "In There", and "The Game". The album was released on June 4, 2021, and is produced by Brad Wood.
Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night is the third studio album by American indie pop act Bleachers, released on July 30, 2021, by RCA Records. Jack Antonoff began working on the album in 2019 and finished it during the COVID-19 pandemic. It received generally positive reviews from critics, and peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard 200.
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