Not Strong Enough

in August 2023. Bridgers, Baker, and Dacus appear from left to right.|alt=Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus sit at microphones in front of an audience. Bridgers is smiling slightly while she and Dacus are looking at each other past Baker, who is blankly looking straight ahead. Boygenius is a band consisting of three American singer-songwriters: Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. The trio formed in 2018 and released an extended play (EP), Boygenius, in October of that year. Each musician then worked on their solo projects, releasing their respective albums—Punisher by Bridgers, Little Oblivions by Baker, and Home Video by Dacus—over the course of 2020 and 2021. Roughly a week after Punisher June 2020 release, Bridgers began writing new material to keep herself busy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The song "Emily I'm Sorry", which was later released as a single and as the third track on The Record, originated during this period; Bridgers sent a demo of the song to Dacus and Baker, believing that it felt more fitting for a full band than a solo recording. The three decided to start sharing demos and ideas for songs in a Google Drive folder and a group chat, convening in California twice in 2021 to write together in person. On November 19, the band performed together for the first time in three years as part of a charity concert for Bread and Roses Presents. The band recorded the album at Shangri-La in Malibu for much of January 2022 with contributions from several session musicians, including bass guitar work from Jay Som and percussion from Carla Azar of the American alternative rock band Autolux. Additional recording was completed at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys. The band was secretive about the writing and recording processes while they were ongoing; when individual members were asked in interviews whether they would reunite, they generally gave oblique and evasive responses. On January 18, 2023, the band's debut album The Record and its tracklist were announced, with a release date of March 31. Three singles were released at this time: "$20", "True Blue", and the aforementioned "Emily I'm Sorry". The collaboratively written "Not Strong Enough" appears as the sixth track out of 12. It was serviced to adult album alternative radio stations in the United States on March 13, followed by addition to alternative radio stations in the country 15 days later. ==Writing and composition==

Music "Not Strong Enough" primarily falls within the genres of indie rock and folk rock. Writing for Stereogum, Tom Breihan called it a "twinkling headrush rocker". For Exclaim! and Clash, the song evoked the Laurel Canyon music scene of the early 1970s. Cat Zhang of Pitchfork and Jeremy Winograd of Slant Magazine explicitly described it as country pop, and Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian categorized it as pop rock. Chris Willman of Variety classified it as jangle pop, with Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan also finding similarities to the genre. Willman, Carl Wilson of Slate, and Rachel Syme of The New Yorker perceived the song to have commercial appeal, while Syme and Sacher compared it to early singles by Sheryl Crow. The synthesizers were compared to music of the 1980s by Kyle Petersen of No Depression and the American rock band the War on Drugs by John Vettese of WXPN. Nuss contrasted the cleanliness and warmth of the synthesizers and guitars with what she observed to be great turmoil at the heart of the song, comparing the effect to porcelain being "hurtled at a wall". All three members take lead vocal duties at varying points in the song: Bridgers leads the first verse and chorus; Baker leads the second verse and chorus; and Dacus leads the bridge and final chorus. Bridgers and Baker sing their respective verses alone, with the rest of the group adding vocal harmonies during each chorus. A short instrumental interlude follows the second chorus, after which Dacus quietly sings solo with minimal musical accompaniment. The song reaches its climax near the end of the bridge, carried by "thundering instrumentation" according to NPR Music, as Baker's and Bridgers's voices raise drastically. The instruments abruptly but briefly quiet underneath the vocals, leading into the final chorus. Lyrics The lyrics of "Not Strong Enough" touch on issues like mental illness and resultant relationship dysfunction. The band explained the meanings of the song in a video interview with Genius—Bridgers elucidated that the song was about using self-pity to escape the responsibility that comes with accountability, while Baker described the lyrics as expressing self-consciousness of one's abilities to do their part in a relationship but lacking the commitment to do so. Dacus responded to Bridgers and Baker by humorously labeling the song as "fuckboy-genius". Other critics determined aspects of gender roles Vulture and Flood Magazine summarized the verse as portraying the effects of depression on the perception of one's surroundings. It namechecks the song "Boys Don't Cry" by the English rock band the Cure, Spin Daniel Kohn wrote that it "express[ed] ... how to manage your own expectations and emotions while dealing with your own shit". ==Response==

Commercial performance "Not Strong Enough" appeared on several rock-related single charts in the United States. It debuted at number 17 on Billboards Adult Alternative Airplay chart on the week ending March 25; it reached number one on the week ending June 3, becoming the first song by any member of Boygenius to summit a Billboard airplay chart. It remained at number one for seven weeks and spent a total of 24 weeks on the chart; Billboard ultimately ranked it as the most successful song of 2023 on adult alternative radio. On Billboards Alternative Airplay chart, the song debuted at number 40 on the week ending April 8, peaking at number 11 on the week ending September 2 and charting for a total of 23 weeks. On Billboards overall Rock Airplay chart, which measures audience impressions across mainstream rock, alternative, and adult album alternative radio stations, the song debuted at number 39 on the week ending March 25 and peaked at number 12 on the week ending June 17, charting for a total of 24 weeks. On the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, which ranks songs based on streaming figures and digital sales in addition to radio airplay, it debuted at number 43 on the week ending March 18 and peaked at number 26 on the week ending June 10, spending 22 weeks on the chart; Outside of the United States, "Not Strong Enough" had a limited presence on record charts. In Ireland, the song debuted and peaked at number 78 on the week of April 6 and fell off the chart the following week; it re-entered at number 84 on the week of August 31 for a second and final week on the chart. On Billboard Japans Hot Overseas chart, the song debuted at number 15 on the week of March 20 and has since charted for nine non-consecutive weeks. It peaked at number nine on the week of May 1; as of May 2024, its most recent appearance was on the week of February 19, when it was ranked at number 15. Critical reception "Not Strong Enough" was met with critical acclaim. Multiple publications named it a highlight of The Record in their reviews of the album, including Alternative Press, NME, DIY, PopMatters, Beats Per Minute, Exclaim!, Flood Magazine, Paste, and Uncut. Tyler Golsen of Far Out gave the song four out of five stars, writing "It's just fun and that's all it needs to be. If you make songs as good as this, you don't need anything more." Lola J. DeAscentiis of The Harvard Crimson was extremely positive, hailing the song as "a stunning masterpiece that manages to turn the most gruesome mental breakdown into a work of art, yet still avoids the romanticization of these struggles." Writing for American Songwriter, Alex Hopper praised the song's unconventional approach to relationship-based lyrical themes. A lukewarm view of "Not Strong Enough" was given by No Ripcord David Coleman, who rated The Record six out of 10 in his review of the album. Coleman considered the song to be emblematic of his reservations toward the album; he was unimpressed with the songwriting and arrangements, and criticized the album for falling short of its promise, although he did praise the harmonies. Spin, Uproxx, and the Los Angeles Times crowned "Not Strong Enough" as the best song of 2023. Many other publications and media organizations included it in their year-end lists, such as BBC Music (number two), Billboard (number six), Clash (number 15), Consequence (number 22), DIY (number three), Elle (unranked top 42), Entertainment Weekly (number two), Esquire (unranked top 20), Far Out (number 22), The Guardian (number 19), NPR Music (unranked top 123), Paper (unranked top 17), Pitchfork (number 32), Rolling Stone (number 13), Slant Magazine (number 10), Time Out (number 20), and Variety (unranked top 65). Far Out considered it to be the fourth-best Boygenius song, while Exclaim! placed it eighth on a list of the best songs written and performed by Bridgers. Triple J ranked it at number 30 on their Hottest 100 of 2023. In September 2024, Pitchfork placed it at number 72 on a mid-decade ranking of the best songs of the 2020s. ==Music video==

of the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, as seen from the main building in April 2012. At approximately 1:10 in the music video, a clip of this area from a similar angle is shown as the band walks toward the gardens.|alt=A long and rectangular fountain, with a gray statue in it, at the center of a courtyard. The fountain is flanked by shrubbery, trees, and flowers; around the perimeter of the courtyard is a building with white pillars and mahogany roofs. The music video for "Not Strong Enough" documents Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus spending a day together in various locations around Los Angeles. It starts with images of roadside scenery, interspersed with a clip of members headbanging while driving, before the band arrives at the Santa Monica Pier. At the pier, the band prances along the boardwalk, plays arcade games—where Baker tests her strength at a high striker and Bridgers plays a virtual reality game—and rides a carousel, a Ferris wheel, and a roller coaster. After this, the band goes to the Getty Villa, where they explore the area and observe multiple statues and art displays. In one sequence, the screen continually moves to the right as Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus stand erect in between several busts, attempting to mimic their stoic facial expressions. Next, the band practices softball in a batting cage before visiting a miniature golf course, where Baker and Bridgers climb a small castle used as a prop. The band then goes for a hike, where they descend a long staircase and traverse a dark tunnel. During the second half of the song's bridge, the video progresses through clips at a dramatically increased rate; these clips include a monster truck rally, Bridgers viewing tarot cards, Dacus in a bookstore, rehearsal in the studio, and the band preparing and eating meals. The video finishes with the band having a beachside bonfire, where in one scene, they are running around while waving brightly colored smoke bombs through the air. Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus expressed to i-D magazine that their intention had been to create a video that represented their friendship; they recorded the video themselves so that the result would be more authentic. It was edited by Bridgers's brother Jackson. Lola J. DeAscentiis of The Harvard Crimson, Robin Murray of Clash, and Will Schube of uDiscover Music opined that the presentation of the video resembled that of a home movie. DeAscentiis felt that the carefree aura of the video contradicted the dark themes of the lyrics, adding more depth to the song. Cron wrote: "It's as fun as it is endearing, and it underlines why Boygenius' members work so well together. From the joy on their faces, it's clear that the music – vital as it is – is not the most important part of Boygenius." Derrick Rossignol of Uproxx commented that the video made apparent the strength of the band's bond, further stating that it "echo[ed] the album's mission statement, which was described in previous press materials as being 'about recapturing joy.'" Newsweek David Chiu remarked that the unassuming nature of the video contrasted Boygenius against past supergroups, whom he noted to have been afflicted with "commercial pressures and ego". == Live performances ==

in July 2023|alt=A brightly lit rectangular concert stage at sunset with puffs of smoke, television screens on the backdrop, and an audience watching Boygenius first performed "Not Strong Enough" at Carnegie Hall as part of a benefit concert for Tibet House US on March 1, 2023, coinciding with the release of the single. The band's inclusion was arranged shortly before the concert; the only other song in their setlist was fellow The Record track "Cool About It", which was also performed live for the first time. It became a regular part of their setlist during the Tour in support of The Record, usually near or at the end of the main set. In a four-star review of an August 20 performance at Gunnersbury Park, Kitty Empire of The Guardian described the song as a "theme tune" for the band. Billboard Stephen Daw praised an October 2 rendition at Madison Square Garden—the trio's first concert at that venue—as "top-notch". Reviewing a June 13 concert at Harrah's Cherokee Center, Brian Postelle of Asheville Stages described a visceral crowd reaction to the song, writing that "If [the audience] had all been suddenly lifted into the air and spirited away, it would not have seemed so out of place." Concurrently with the first several weeks of the Tour, Bridgers opened for Taylor Swift at 10 dates on the Eras Tour; at the first of these, a May 5 show in Nashville, Baker and Dacus joined Bridgers onstage to perform "Not Strong Enough". When the Tour concluded with a concert on Halloween at the Hollywood Bowl, the band dressed as the Trinity—Dacus as the Father, Bridgers as the Spirit, and Baker as the Holy Son—to perform the song in a move which Variety compared to the "always an angel, never a God" lyric. The band also played the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (April 21) and Saturday Night Live (November 11). For the latter performance, the band donned black suits in an homage to the Beatles' February 9, 1964, appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show; Boygenius's kick drum design mimicked the one the Beatles used that night, using the same font as the latter band's logo. In the same episode, the band appeared in a skit alongside Timothée Chalamet as four likenesses of Troye Sivan—all of them approximating Sivan's own fashion style and choreography—which were sleep paralysis demons hallucinated by a character played by Sarah Sherman. ==Accolades==

"Not Strong Enough" was nominated in three categories at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards (2024): Record of the Year, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance. It lost the first award to "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus, but won the latter two awards; they were, together with The Record win for Best Alternative Music Album, the first Grammys for all band members. In an interview with Billboard, Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus stated that they were pleased by the amount of LGBT representation at the 2024 Grammys, which they described as indicative that the LGBT community was being taken more seriously as an artistic force than it had been previously. ==Credits and personnel==

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Record. • Boygenius – performance, songwriting, production • Carla Azar – assistant performance • Tony Berg – production • Jacob Blizard – assistant performance • Anna Butterss – assistant performance • Melina Duterte – assistant performance, production • Barbara Gruska – assistant performance • Ethan Gruska – assistant performance, production • Owen Lantz – engineering • Will Maclellan – engineering • Catherine Marks – assistant performance, production, recording • Mike Mogis – mixing • Rob Moose – assistant performance • Bobby Mota – engineering • Kaushlesh "Garry" Purohit – engineering • Sebastian Steinberg – assistant performance • Pat Sullivan – mastering • Sarah Tudzin – assistant performance, production, engineering • Marshall Vore – assistant performance ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications ==