Joanna Newsom’s ‘Sapokanikan’ is Delightful, Quirky and Strange — Repeat Rotation Video

March 18, 2016

joanna newsom Sapokanikan

I watched singer, harpist and actress Joanna Newsom on Late Night with Seth Meyers this week talking about how she met her husband Andy Samberg, and it reminded me how much I love her song ‘Sapokanikan‘, an amazing achievement with its pretty piano and her high-pitched almost elf-like Kate Bush style voice.

And so ‘Sapokanikan‘ is my Repeat Rotation Video today as, arriving back in the United States after over 18 months away, I wanted to listen to something uniquely American, and you definitely have to say that about Joanna Newsome.



‘Sapokanikan‘ is from Joanna Newsom’s new album Divers, which was released in late October last year to massive critical acclaim, with several critics saying it was easily one of the albums of the year.

And I love ‘Sapokanikan’ because not only is the song a bit mystical and strange, with lyrics that are hard to understand, and with a queer mix of utterly modern and absolutely traditional, Joanna Newsom has an even more delightful funky quirkiness to her here than she normally does.

Watch the official video for ‘Sapokanikan‘ in the video below to see what I mean.

Michelle Topham
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