"Not Strong Enough" | ||||
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Single by Boygenius | ||||
from the album The Record | ||||
Released | March 1, 2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:54 | |||
Label | Interscope | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Boygenius singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Not Strong Enough" on YouTube |
"Not Strong Enough" is a song by the American supergroup Boygenius. It was released through Interscope Records on March 1, 2023, as the fourth single from the band's debut studio album The Record. Written by all three members of Boygenius—Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus—"Not Strong Enough" is an indie rock and folk rock song that incorporates elements of numerous genres. Its lyrics primarily concern mental illness and the effects it can have on relationships, with a focus on a narrator experiencing contradictory mental states of self-loathing and self-importance. Music critics also analyzed aspects of gender roles and feminism in the lyrics.
Commercially, the song spent seven weeks at number one on Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay chart, where it was ranked as the most successful song of 2023; it appeared on several other rock-oriented charts in the United States, while also charting in Ireland and Japan. The song was acclaimed by music critics, many of whom lauded the lyrics. Multiple publications deemed it one of the best songs on The Record and of 2023. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, the song received nominations for Record of the Year, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance, winning the latter two. The song's music video chronicles the band spending a day together in various locations around Los Angeles County; it received praise for its candid depiction of the three musicians' friendship, and for having an uplifting aura that contrasted with the relatively dark subject matter of the lyrics. The band regularly performed the song while touring behind The Record; audiences and reviewers generally considered it to be a highlight of each concert.