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Sinkin' Soon

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"Sinkin' Soon"
Single by Norah Jones
from the album Not Too Late
B-side"Rosie's Lullaby"
ReleasedMarch 26, 2007
Genre
Length4:38
LabelBlue Note
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Lee Alexander
Norah Jones singles chronology
"Thinking About You"
(2006) 		"Sinkin' Soon"
(2007) 		"Until the End"
(2007)
Music video
"Sinkin' Soon" on YouTube

"Sinkin' Soon" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Norah Jones for her third studio album Not Too Late (2007). It was written and produced by Lee Alexander, and co-written by Jones. A cabaret-influenced lounge-jazz track, it is driven by a piano interspersed with a muted trombone. Lyrically sociopolitical, it describes the state of the US at the time of the song's writing through the metaphor of a sinking ship. The song was released as the second single from Not Too Late outside the US on March 26, 2007, by Blue Note Records.

Upon release, "Sinkin' Soon" received widespread acclaim from music critics, predominantly directed towards Jones' progressed songwriting. However, it was a commercial failure, solely reaching the top 40 in Italy. Its accompanying music video, directed by Ace Norton, incorporates stop motion and shows Jones in various miniature settings. Since the song's release, Jones has included it on set lists for all her concert tours.

Writing and recording

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Lee Alexander wrote most of "Sinkin' Soon", with Jones composing the bridge. According to Jones, they were unable to play the whole song before they recorded it, so they went out for dinner and drank beer. "I guess we needed a little bit of that drunken sailor vibe because we came back and recorded this on the first take", she elaborated.[1] Jones' old friend J. Walter Hawkes contributed a trombone solo, while M. Ward performed backing vocals. Furthermore, Andrew Borger used pots and pans, including Jones' own teapot, as percussion instruments.[1][2]

Music and lyrics

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"Sinkin' Soon" is composed in the key of E minor, according to the sheet music published by Faber Music.[3] Critical commentaries identified the song as a cabaret-influenced lounge and jazz track.[a] Its musical style received frequent comparisons to works of composer Kurt Weill and singer-songwriter Tom Waits,[b] while Dan Aquilante of the New York Post compared it to Louis Armstrong's early recordings.[15] The track's instrumentation incorporates a piano interspersed with a muted trombone, banjo guitar, and pot-and-pan percussion.[c] The song's tempo is a moderate 100 beats per minute in common time, while Jones' vocal range spans one octave and three semitones, from the low note of E3 to the high note of G4.[3]

Sociopolitically-themed, "Sinkin' Soon" lyrically compares the United States and its government to a sinking ship.[6][15] Nick Cowen of Drowned in Sound further insinuated that the song was directed to George W. Bush, then-President of the United States,[5] while Robert Christgau, writing for Rolling Stone, speculated that the lyrical content referred to Hurricane Katrina.[19]

Critical reception

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Upon the release of Not Too Late, "Sinkin' Soon" received widespread acclaim from music critics. Nick Cowen of Drowned in Sound,[5] John Fordham for The Guardian,[10] and the website Sputnikmusic[20] all highlighted it as a standout track from the album. Staff of Los Angeles Times emphasized the song as a testament to Jones becoming "an entirely different singer, with an edgy tone and an animated personality".[12] Sarah Liss of Now listed the track among examples of Jones' evolution as a songwriter and a musician,[14] as did Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe, who further called it "as feisty as anything in Jones' solo catalogue".[17] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Sia Michel also praised the song, labeling it as a "catchy hobo-cabaret jam",[6] while Elizabeth Newton from PopMatters complimented its "sassy, mourning" trombone instrumentation.[18]

Music video

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Jones with her backing band in the music video for "Sinkin' Soon"

The accompanying music video for "Sinkin' Soon" was directed by Ace Norton, who also directed the music video for Jones' previous single "Thinking About You".[21] It was shot in one day in November 2006, at an industrial strip south of downtown Los Angeles, and incorporates special effects and stop motion.[22] The video premiered via YouTube on March 1, 2007.[21]

The music video for "Sinkin' Soon" begins with various household items in a darkly lit utility room assembling themselves into Jones's backing band. Jones performs the song with the band, as a doll in a doll's house and on a miniature stage, and she dances with an empty tuxedo before performing the song in a mouse hole, dressed in a mouse costume. The video ends with the items assuming their original positions in the room.

Live performances

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In 2007, Jones performed "Sinkin' Soon" in concerts promoting Not Too Late, and included it on the set list for the Not Too Late Tour; a live rendition was included on Jones' live album Live from Austin, TX (2008).[13][23][24] In October 2010, she performed it at Farm Aid 25.[25] The song was further included on the set lists for The Fall Tour (2010),[d] Little Broken Hearts Tour (2012–2013),[29] Day Breaks World Tour (2016–2017),[30] and Visions Tour (2024–2025).[31] Jones also performed the song with Sasha Dobson during one of Jones' "Live from Home" concerts, in July 2020;[32] the performance was included on the deluxe edition of Jones' seventh studio album Pick Me Up Off the Floor (2020).[33]

Track listings and formats

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2-track digital single and European CD single[34][35]

  1. "Sinkin' Soon" (album version) – 4:38
  2. "Sinkin' Soon" (live from Rehearsals.com) – 4:17

3-track digital single and European maxi CD single[36][37]

  1. "Sinkin' Soon" (album version) – 4:38
  2. "Sinkin' Soon" (live from Rehearsals.com) – 4:17
  3. "Rosie's Lullaby" (live from Rehearsals.com) – 4:10

Japanese promotional CD single[38]

  1. "Sinkin' Soon" (radio edit) – 3:57

Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Not Too Late.[2]

Charts

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2007 weekly chart performance for "Sinkin' Soon"
Chart Peak
position
Italy (FIMI)[39] 36

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Sinkin' Soon"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Various[e] March 26, 2007 Digital download[f] EMI
[34][36][40]
Germany April 27, 2007 Maxi CD
[41]

References

[edit]

Notes

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  1. ^ attributed to Andy Strickland of Dotmusic,[4] Nick Cowen of Drowned in Sound,[5] Sia Michel in Entertainment Weekly,[6] and Tom Woods of MusicOMH[7]
  2. ^ attributed to Woods,[7] Jim Caligiuri of The Austin Chronicle,[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine on AllMusic,[9] John Fordham in The Guardian,[10] the website I Like Music,[11] staff of Los Angeles Times,[12] Jon Pareles in The New York Times,[13] and Sarah Liss of Now[14]
  3. ^ attributed to Caligiuri,[8] Michel,[6] Jon Garelick of The Phoenix,[16] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine,[17] and Elizabeth Newton of PopMatters[18]
  4. ^ attributed to NPR,[26] Robert Price of New Jersey Herald,[27] and Denise Neil of The Wichita Eagle[28]
  5. ^ excluding the US
  6. ^ "Sinkin' Soon" was made available for digital download in 2-track and 3-track variants.

Citations

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  1. ^ a b "Norah Jones – Not Too Late / Thinking Of You". I Like Music. Archived from the original on March 24, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Jones, Norah (2007). Not Too Late (CD liner notes). Blue Note Records. 0946-3-74516-2-5.
  3. ^ a b "Norah Jones 'Sinkin Soon' Sheet Music in E Minor". Faber Music. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Musicnotes.com.
  4. ^ Strickland, Andy (February 1, 2007). "Norah Jones – 'Not Too Late'". Dotmusic. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Yahoo! Music.
  5. ^ a b c Cowen, Nick (February 12, 2007). "Norah Jones – Not Too Late". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d Michel, Sia (January 26, 2007). "Not Too Late". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Woods, Tom (January 29, 2007). "Norah Jones – Not Too Late". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Caligiuri, Jim (February 2, 2007). "Review: Norah Jones". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  9. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Not Too Late – Norah Jones". AllMusic. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Fordham, John (January 26, 2007). "Norah Jones, Not Too Late". The Guardian. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  11. ^ "Norah Jones – Not Too Late / Thinking Of You". I Like Music. Archived from the original on March 24, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Cromelin, Richard; Nichols, Natalie; Baker, Soren (January 28, 2007). "Jones plays it safe and comfortable". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (January 21, 2007). "Norah Jones, Now in Her Own Words". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Liss, Sarah (February 15, 2007). "Norah Jones". Now. Vol. 26, no. 21. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  15. ^ a b Aquilante, Dan (January 28, 2007). "Norah Jones: 'Not Too Late'". New York Post. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  16. ^ Garelick, Jon (February 6, 2007). "Norah Jones". The Phoenix. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Keefe, Jonathan (March 11, 2007). "Review: Norah Jones, Not Too Late". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  18. ^ a b Newton, Elizabeth (February 6, 2007). "Norah Jones: Not Too Late". PopMatters. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  19. ^ Christgau, Robert (January 22, 2007). "Not Too Late: Norah Jones". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  20. ^ "Norah Jones – Not Too Late". Sputnikmusic. February 1, 2007. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  21. ^ a b "New Release: Norah Jones 'Sinking Soon'". Video Static. March 1, 2007. Archived from the original on April 28, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  22. ^ Davis, Reid (March 2007). "Norah Jones: Ready for her closeup". Paste. No. 29. Archived from the original on March 3, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  23. ^ "Norah Jones (2007)". BBC Radio 2. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  24. ^ Stafford, Charity. "Live From Austin, TX [Video]". AllMusic. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  25. ^ "Norah Jones – Sinkin' Soon (Live at Farm Aid 25)". Farm Aid. October 3, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2025 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ "Bonnaroo 2010: Norah Jones in Concert". NPR. June 12, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  27. ^ Price, Robert (August 13, 2010). "Norah Jones gets a little edgy". New Jersey Herald. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  28. ^ Neil, Denise (August 18, 2010). "Norah Jones plays Century II". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  29. ^ Mahindru, Megha (March 4, 2013). "Concert Review: Norah Jones, Mumbai". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  30. ^ Levy, Piet (June 3, 2017). "Norah Jones returns to her roots, and branches out, at Milwaukee concert". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  31. ^ Vettese, John (May 16, 2024). "Norah Jones' creative vision(s) shine at The Met". WXPN. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  32. ^ "Norah Jones – Sinkin' Soon (Live From Home 7/16/20) ft. Sasha Dobson". Norah Jones. October 16, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2025 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ "Pick Me Up Off The Floor (Deluxe Edition)". Blue Note Records. September 15, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2025 – via Spotify.
  34. ^ a b "Sinkin' Soon – Single". EMI. March 26, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2025 – via Apple Music.
  35. ^ Jones, Norah (2007). Sinkin' Soon (CD single). EMI. 0946-3-92446-2-1.
  36. ^ a b "Sinkin' Soon – Single". EMI. March 26, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Apple Music.
  37. ^ Jones, Norah (2007). Sinkin' Soon (CD single). EMI. 0946-3-92447-2-0.
  38. ^ Jones, Norah (2007). Sinkin' Soon (CD single). Toshiba EMI. 0946-3-90535-2-0.
  39. ^ "Norah Jones – Sinkin' Soon". Top Digital Download. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  40. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. March 24, 2007. p. 29. Retrieved January 11, 2025 – via World Radio History.
  41. ^ "Sinkin' Soon". EMI. April 27, 2007. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2025 – via Amazon.
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