Song of the Day 6/10: The National, “Karen”

There aren’t many songs written for anyone named Karen, and given the events of the past few weeks I wouldn’t expect any flattering ones will get written anytime soon. Matt Berninger of The National is an exception. “‘Karen’ is very much about my wife, whose name is ‘Carin’ — I protected her innocence by changing it to Karen,” he said. The song is on the 2005 “Alligator” LP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxL_xRM0Wug

I actually enjoy the song more when it’s sped up a bit. The song turns into a Beatlesque baroque-pop confection, and Matt Berninger’s natural voice is so deep he still doesn’t sound like a Chipmunk.