Father John Misty’s Long-Awaited Return
“Funny Girl” is a jazzy, romantic ballad, marking Father John Misty’s return to the scene. The single comes with the announcement of his fifth studio album, Chloë and the Next 20th Century, the follow-up to 2018’s God’s Favorite Customer. 2018 feels like eons ago, so what has Joshua Tillman been up to since then? Firstly, he gathered writing credits on Post Malone and Khalid’s 2019 albums, released a pair of singles and an EP in 2020, then shaved his head, and got a tiny earring.
Old Hollywood Influence
The track is a nod to Barbra Streisand’s 1964 broadway musical, “Funny Girl.” Listening to the track, you feel wrapped up in the essence of Old Hollywood. The piano with the addition of the lush orchestra is dripping in decadence and glamour, capturing the story of an unreciprocated romance. However, the trope of unrequited love starts to blur into a creepy obsession. For instance, Tillman sings, “Funny girl, you seem pretty indifferent/But you knocked me out when you charmed the pants off Letterman.” Nicholas Ashe Bateman directs the single’s bizarre music video, depicting a jellyfish floating through a Hollywood film set.
Awaiting the Album
Chloë and the Next 20th Century is due April 8 via Sub Pop and Bella Union. It’s produced by Tillman’s longtime collaborator Jonathon Wilson. Father John Misty surprised some fans by sending them a spoken word vinyl announcing the album’s release. Keep an eye out for the album’s limited deluxe edition, which comes in a hardcover book with two 7″ singles. One is Lana Del Rey covering Tillman’s “Buddy’s Rendezvous.” The other is Jack Cruz’s cover of “Kiss Me (I Loved You).” In addition to the deluxe version, the album will arrive on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital formats. Check out the album’s artwork and tracklist below.
Chloë and the Next 20th Century:
01 Chloë
02 Goodbye Mr. Blue
03 Kiss Me (I Loved You)
04 (Everything But) Her Love
05 Buddy’s Rendezvous
06 Q4
07 Olvidado (Otro Momento)
08 Funny Girl
09 Only a Fool
10 We Could Be Strangers
11 The Next 20th Century
