10 Greatest Songs About Other Musicians

Athens, Georgia indie superheroes Deerhunter are generally better known for sound collages, psych-leaning repetition, and bizarre characters than naked emotion, but “He Would Have Laughed” is a beautiful exception to that rule. The closing track to 2010 masterpiece Halcyon Digest, the song is written in the memory of late rocker Jay Reatard, though even without that knowledge, it drips with loss and is more than capable of breaking hearts.

Reatard died in 2010 at just 29 years old, and his sudden and tragic passing led Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox to enter the studio alone to cap off his band’s latest album. “He Would Have Laughed” is typically oblique, with no direct references to its subject, but captures Cox’s loss perfectly.

The song begins with a repetitive synth and delicate harpsichord part before Cox’s vocals begin. They sound hastily recorded, distorting at times, as though one or two takes was all he could manage. The first half is loosely structured, resting on one chord, before five minutes in shifting to a loose shuffle, a wall of acoustic guitars, and a more forceful Cox working his way towards acceptance. Without making any specific allusions to death, it’s relatable to anyone who’s lost.