Phoebe Bridgers offers a holiday cover of ‘So Much Wine’
Phoebe Bridgers is a British folk singer whose live performances include songs with tales from her family’s past.
Over the last few years, she has performed “So Much Wine” live in pubs and clubs as a regular part of her musical repertoire.
It was originally a gift for her son, but when he started school she began writing the song as a way of capturing the memories she had of her father, Paul, who had died last year. This was originally a song written by his father, Tom, who died in 1979. The recording of “So Much Wine” was included on her 2004 album “The Great White Whale” which was also released independently.
The song tells the story of Paul, a self-employed carpenter from a small village in Norfolk, who was married to Phoebe, but, after her mother’s death, left with their son John to live in London. When his health began declining and he had to return home with his son, Phoebe was left alone to raise John aged six years old. Although she loved her father and believed he was the best person she ever knew, her life began spiralling out of control.
She moved out of the family home and had to move into a hostel when she had to return to Norfolk. As the memories of her father’s deteriorating health continued to return to her, she began to experience panic attacks and nightmares. She then returned to London where she worked and saved to buy a caravan and live with her son until he began school. In the last months of her father’s life, he died of heart failure in his sleep as he lay in bed with his wife and son.
However, since her father’s death Phoebe became consumed with the memories of life in London. This is when the idea of the song was born