"Bags" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter

Clairo Claire Elizabeth Cottrill (born August 18, 1998), known professionally as Clairo, is an American singer-songwriter. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Carlisle, Massachusetts, she began posting music on the internet at age 13. Clairo rose ...

Fader Label Fader Label is an independent record label based in New York City that has released albums by Slayyyter, Clairo, Matt and Kim, Yuna, Neon Indian, and more. It was founded in 2002 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. History Fader Label was founded ...

released it as the first single from her debut studio album ''

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'' on May 24, 2019. The song features drums from

Danielle Haim Danielle Sari Haim (born February 16, 1989) is an American musician. She is the lead guitarist and vocalist of the pop rock band Haim, which also consists of her two sisters, Este Haim and Alana Haim. Danielle also serves as the group's drummer i ...

, and was produced by

Rostam Batmanglij Rostam Batmanglij ( fa, رستم باتمانقلیچ, ; born November 28, 1983), known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whos ...

and Clairo, who also wrote the song. It gained over 20 million streams in 2019, and was nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 2019

Boston Music Awards Founded in 1987, the Boston Music Awards are a set of music awards given annually that showcase talent in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. Past shows have featured such notable talent as Aerosmith, Paula Cole, Esperanza Spalding, Boston, Rubyhor ...

. "Bags" was ranked at No. 5 on the list of Hottest Records of the Year by BBC Radio 1 alongside songs like "

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" by

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with whom ...

, "

Juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...

" by

Lizzo Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After col ...

and "

Earfquake "Earfquake" (stylized in all caps) is a song by American producer and rapper Tyler, the Creator. It is the second song from his fifth studio album, ''Igor'' (2019). It features an uncredited guest appearance from American rapper Playboi Carti an ...

" by

Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future. Okonma self-released his debut mixtape Bast ...

Background

Clairo made her second television appearance performing the song on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...

'' in October 2019.

Dominic Fike Dominic David Fike (born December 30, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Fike first received recognition after releasing several popular songs to the website SoundCloud. Following the release of his debut extended play, '' Don't ...

performed a cover of the song on

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

's ''

Like a Version ''Like a Version'' is a weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves Australian and international artists playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs (an "original") and then a cover version, h ...

'' on October 18, 2019.

Composition and lyrics

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

song, "Bags" draws inspiration from Clairo's first romantic experiences with a girl. She tackles the line between friend and lover with a crush who could possibly be

straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, an LGBT person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * Str ...

. Clairo wonders if the feelings between them are mutual and whether she should make the first move when she sings "Can you see me? I'm waiting for the right time/ I can't read you, but if you want the pleasure's all mine." "The whole song has this nervous energy," Clairo told ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', saying that the song has "a mix of really calculated parts to reflect the calculated energy you have in a first experience with someone," Harry Todd from '' Paste'' praised "Bags" for its layers, stating that "A set of simple guitar chords, understated drum fills, plunking keys" are familiar elements of Clairo's music. Shaad d'Souza from ''

The FADER ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'' described the song as a "gently strummed track" that "builds to a peak augmented by warped guitars and piano." ''

BroadwayWorld BroadwayWorld is a theatre news website based in New York City covering Broadway, Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres ...

'' noted that the song gives a "glimpse into the artist's growth both as a young queer woman, straight out of college". Rachel Hammermueller from ''

Earmilk ''EARMILK'', sometimes stylized in all caps, is a North American online music publication. Launched in the late 2000s by Montrey Whittaker, Blake Edwards and Eric DeFazio, ''Earmilk'' publishes on a variety of music genres, often covering hip h ...

'' claims that the song "explores an adult relationship while still having a fresh background mixing".

Critical reception

Accolades

At the end of 2019, "Bags" appeared on a number of critics' lists ranking the year's top songs.

Mid-year lists

Year-end lists

Decade-end lists

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

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. *

Claire Cottrill Claire Elizabeth Cottrill (born August 18, 1998), known professionally as Clairo, is an American singer-songwriter. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Carlisle, Massachusetts, she began posting music on the internet at age 13. Clairo rose ...

– vocals, songwriter, producer *

– producer, recording engineer *

– drums *

Emily Lazar Emily B. Lazar is an American mastering engineer. She is the founder, president, and chief mastering engineer of The Lodge, an audio mastering facility that has operated in New York City's Greenwich Village since 1997. She won a Grammy Award for ...

– mastering engineer * Shaun Everett – mixer

Charts

References

{{authority control 2019 singles 2019 songs Clairo songs LGBT-related songs Songs written by Clairo Song recordings produced by Clairo