"Digital Witness" is the second single from ''
St. Vincent'', the eponymous fourth album by American musician
St. Vincent. It was released with another single, "
Birth in Reverse", on a gold vinyl triangle packaged with the album. The song, whose lyrics deal with dependence on
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
, and its music video have both received positive attention from critics.
Darkside produced a remix soon after the song's release.
Release
"Digital Witness" was released as an advance single from ''
St. Vincent'' on 6 January 2014.
The music video premiered on 31 January 2014.
Prior to its release, the single was available to pre-order on a die-cut vinyl triangle with "
Birth in Reverse" as its
B-side. The record was a limited edition of 1,000 copies, packaged with CD and LP copies of ''St. Vincent''.
Composition
Annie Clark has said that the song "encapsulates this idea where we've become very dependent on other people
..a million digital eyes, validating our experience". The lyrics are a clear commentary on
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
, including Clark's own experience on websites such as
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, which self-deprecatingly she describes as "pathetic". In an
existential
Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...
sense, the lyrics question how people evaluate what is and is not important in the digital age.
Writing for
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
, Katherine St. Asaph compared "Digital Witness" to "I Should Watch TV", a track from ''
Love This Giant
''Love This Giant'' is a studio album made in collaboration between musicians David Byrne and St. Vincent (Annie Clark), released on 4AD and Todo Mundo on 10 September 10, 2012, in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. ...
'', Clark's 2013 collaboration with
David Byrne; she concluded that Clark likely took a cue from Byrne in composing "Digital Witness". St. Asaph noted similarities between the
funky rhythms and
brass instruments in both tracks, as well as their shared lyrical themes. She calls "Digital Witness" "celebratory as it's cautionary", like "I Should Watch TV", which she describes as "half-embracing" and "half-disdaining" popular television culture.
Reviewer Heather Phares expressed a similar sentiment, calling "Digital Witness" a song with "close kinship" to ''Love This Giant''.
Critical reception
"Digital Witness" received positive attention from music critics. Cady Drell, in a review for ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', gave the song 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "the sound of an
art-pop
Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...
weirdo throwing a curveball by playing it delightfully straight".
Heather Phares, in an
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
review of ''St. Vincent'', cited "Digital Witness" as an example of Clark's "razor-sharp wit". The track is designated as an Allmusic "pick".
It placed 14th on ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
''s 2014
Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abs ...
critics' poll.
Music video
The music video for "Digital Witness" was directed by Chino Moya and was recorded in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
. The video is
surreal in nature, featuring Annie Clark moving robotically, surrounded by pastel colors and geometric architecture. The style is reminiscent of the 1927 German
epic film ''
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big ci ...
''.
Upon its release, the video was praised for its visual appeal and subtle critique of contemporary music videos.
Writing for ''
SPIN'', Marc Hogan described the video as depicting "
dystopian conformity" in conjunction with the song's lyrical commentary on social media.
The music video was rated as the tenth-best video of 2014 by ''Rolling Stone''.
Remix
Darkside produced a remix of "Digital Witness", which was released on March 30, 2014. The remix
pitch shift
Pitch shifting is a sound recording technique in which the original pitch of a sound is raised or lowered. Effects units that raise or lower pitch by a pre-designated musical interval ( transposition) are called pitch shifters.
Pitch and tim ...
s Clark's vocal into a lower range. Although Darkside preserved the song's prominent
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
, it was mixed down in favor of a bass synthesizer that they introduced. The remix was released as a 12" vinyl single, with the
a cappella track from "Digital Witness" as its B-side.
The track is also included with the deluxe edition of ''St. Vincent'', which was released in February 2015.
Track listing
7" vinyl
Triangular 7"
Personnel
*
Annie Clark – songwriting, vocals, guitar
*
Homer Steinweiss
Homer Steinweiss is an American drummer, songwriter, and producer known as a prominent drummer in the New York soul revival scene. He is a founding member and drummer of groups including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Lee Fields & The Expression ...
– drums
*Ralph Carney – horns
Technical personnel
*
John Congleton
John Congleton is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, engineer, mixer, writer and musician.
In addition to his production work, Congleton has fronted the alternative rock band the Paper Chase, and writes music for a newer project e ...
–
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
*Greg Calbi –
mastering
References
{{authority control
2014 songs
2014 singles
Republic Records singles
St. Vincent (musician) songs
Songs written by St. Vincent (musician)
Song recordings produced by John Congleton