"Beth/Rest" is a song by Bon Iver. It is the closing track from the band's eponymous second album and was issued as the album's fourth and final single. The song was written by frontman Justin Vernon,[1] who has stated that this is the song from the album that he is the proudest of.[4]
| "Beth/Rest" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| SinglebyBon Iver | ||||
| from the album Bon Iver | ||||
| Released | October 6, 2012 (2012-10-06)[1] | |||
| Genre | Soft rock[2][3] | |||
| Length | 5:16 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) | Justin Vernon | |||
| Bon Iver singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Beth/Rest"onYouTube | ||||
On February 4, 2012, the band performed "Beth/Rest" on Saturday Night Live.[5]
The song has polarized critics and listeners. Stephen Thompson of NPR called the song "the year's most divisive song",[6] whereas Jillian Mapes of Billboard named the song as one of the best songs of 2011.[7] Justin Vernon himself stated that he is "most proud" of the song when compared to the rest of the album,[4] and that the song is his favorite song from the album.[8]
The music video was directed by Vernon and Dan Huiting, who also directed the video for the album's lead single, "Calgary".[9][10]
All songs written by Justin Vernon.[1]