Joanna Newsom - Soft as Chalk (Live) at Jimmy Fallon

[shizzle31]

i really love this song, and as a straight male, i feel a lil weird saying that haha

[the1musiclad]

@shizzle31 - Doesn't matter if you're straight or gay. You've gotta be inhuman to not love this.

[chomouri]

I don't know much about music theory, but this song seems amazingly complicated, even compared to Ys or the EPs. Like crazy complicated.

Ms. Newsom would advance quantum physics light years if she set her mind to that field. I don't know if I want my personal teleporter/replicator or another album. I can wait for the teleporter/replicator.

[caudelluna]

An amazing live performance, as usual. I heart her new record so much.

[elouaililili]

oh my when she sings she looks like a little girl! cute! :D :))

[JustinHSabaj]

best songwriter ever.

[fuzzymugs]

Just try singing this song. It is so complicated. And calculated.

[shizzle31]

She's so fucking cute!! i just wanna drink coffee, smoke cigs and just hang out with her, haha im sucha dork :)

[shizzle31]

She is so beautiful, i jsut have a feelign that she is 100x smarter than me haha :)

[K1DKOLERA]

@shizzle31 yeah i thought the same with me

[shizzle31]

@K1DKOLERA haha :)

[TheDreamAndTheSeed]

Man, thats such a wicked note at 3:05! Joanna and her lovely Joanna-isms. Very bold! Also..I'm glad to see that her live voice seems to sound more like how she has in the past and not completely changed like it sounded on the record! Tho! Don't get me wrong, the new record is nothing short of amazing!

[withinhouyhnhnm]

God, I love this woman.

[GaineSomerset]

roger that, squishykitty.....she's so cool and original..whatever she has to do to get that sound and look is FINE with me =]

[go863]

strange...i like

[pauxecide]

I love you, Joanna (come to fckn California!!!)

[voodooprunes1984]

deliciously insane and boldly bizarre :) i'm in love!!!

[LanIost]

I saw her live and hadn't.. I know, I know.. somehow hadn't had the entire album open up to me yet.

I had never listened to the 3rd disk yet and.. when I heard this song. It blew my girlfriend and I away. Id say this is the best song on the album overall.

Am I the only one who loves You and Me, Bess?

[0casteloencantado0]

@LanIost

they are all spectacular, albeit musch easier to listen than the second album. i really like the first track of 'have one on me'.

[TeamEspeland]

Do you want to marry me?

[TheBmoChannel]

@TeamEspeland no, but thank you anyways.

[TeamEspeland]

@TheBmoChannel - You wish! My heart belongs to Joanna!

[kekePower]

Hmm. I love this song!

[theragingbull14]

this is insanely spectacular

[NoodleRamensaki]

She is so fantastic.

[stabbykelly]

shes Midas from Charlie Brown.. lol.

[0casteloencantado0]

there are such stupid comments here. she's absolutely incredible and it's a shame people don't understand the act.

[sixwilliams]

I was asleep on the couch when this came on. I woke up and didn't know what it was for a few minutes. It was kind of like that "what English sounds like to foreigners" video. What I really want to know is what the hell she keeps looking at, especially at :43 seconds.

[chi1000springs]

she's conducting with her head and counting, 1-2-3, the song seems like it's in 4/4 time, thus if your hands are tied (playing the piano) it hinders one a bit from conducting with ones hands.

[stabbykelly]

Still cant believe she dates andy samburg.. seems as though opposites really do attract. I'm sure he makes her laugh constantly and who wouldnt want to live a life of laughter and creativity. Bless them both.

[bigchief70]

She's so different I love it. I was super ripped when I watched this on tv, it put me in a weird trance-like state.... Her music has an odd effect on my mind when its under the influence.

[squishykitty3]

like i said ppl she shapes her tongue and moves her face to help form her words and sounds. nothing wrong with her at all. lol quite frankly i know she doesnt give a shit what ppl say about it. i love her

[Lapsanglover]

@squishykitty3 Right on! And I really dig your name squishy!

[NIMRODakaNIMROD]

Fuck, she's great!

[brmc2009]

And the light, through the pines in brassy tines

Lays over me, dim as rum

This is insanely brilliant. Never heard of her until now. So glad that Jimmy Fallon would take a risk and put a 6 minute piano opus on his show.

This is an auteur performance. I feel like she has complete control over all of the elements. Like the tambourine ruffles and banjo plucks are birds and fawns ebbing to Pan's flute.

[antistar1000]

jesus....it just goes on and on and on and on.....and I don't know about you but chalk is HARD not soft, last time I looked.

[SyntheticEspionage]

The title of the song is ironic and so is the line in the song, do you expect an established song writer to miss such an obvious flaw. It was on purpose dumb ass....

[Paullove89]

Yea, that's why we rub it on surfaces in order to mark it. Cos it's hard. Dickhead.

[dalmirog]

@antistar1000

There is no STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN last time i 'looked' too, but nobody complains about that right?.

[antistar1000]

@dalmirog Fuck Huuuuuuughhhh.

[dalmirog]

@antistar1000

Its always nice to talk with a troll ^^

[hoosiercreek86]

I saw this on its original broadcast and I was completely drawn and pulled along as the song progressed. This is the most original act I have seen in the last 15 years. Outstanding!

[EffinPiss]

@Everyone asking why she makes the facial expressions she does... it's called fucking "singing". It's this thing where you move your face to make certain sounds come out of your fucking body, are you all seriously that dense? Listen to her technique, and the way she sings. It's really not that hard to figure out her style, and regardless, who cares? She's a performer as well, and is supposed to be interesting to look at while playing. herpp derpp

[tekurider259]

can someone tell me why her facial expressions are like that? I'm not hating, i'm just curious and finding an answer. We watched this performance in my class and i was just curious why her facial expressions are like that.

[Figeroo]

@tekurider259 Allows her to be more comfortable singing i'm guessing

[soysauce18]

id eat her pussy

[Vindrag]

She is amazing.

[marianexiop]

she's fantastic

[konradharla]

chills down my back. fucking beautiful.

[StuartTV]

Marry me.

[marradaskateboards]

Awesome and Beautiful.

[bccThis]

I'm a big fan of Jimmy Fallon, but did he just walk up to her and say only "that was good" after THAT performance? and in a completely nonchalant manner? seriously, what a tool.

[DookNun]

@bccThis "I'll pay you any figure for a blowjob" was the real quote...

[BamCky5]

"I lay, as still as death, until the dawn"

Is it me, or did that verse sound awesome?

[deannat]

yes, and every other ... i think i'm in love, and i'm a girl.,.. and not a lesbian... :-)

[TylerMontana]

Andy Samberg eats pandas burgers! Please marry me! :D

[cautionhorsey]

she's evolving...Its great to see something new from her as its been awhile, im excited to hear the rest of her new album. I have to say...i do miss the harp tho

[unaieten]

Miss?? She plays the piano in a wonderful way too...

[drmJB23]

original talent, great lyrics, great song, great performance - i believer her absolutely

[03PEDROMEZA]

shes awesome

[johnnytluxury]

Love this girl, she's such talent. Love that high @ :26, that Autistic retardedness(!) @ :46, Bjork me @ 1:13, her "pip" @ 1:32, percussion respect @ 2:08. I LOVE this girl! I need to see her live. I really do.

And And Samberg (SNL) hits that. I'm just saying that to say this: The worlds not fair. Not at all.

[kouklasou81]

Andy Samberg is a FOX! I've had many a fantasy about that cat..

[johnnytluxury]

You can have him, I'll take her! I see a plan developing, can you get him to stray and I'll vulture her hurt feeling'd self?

[flavaflavs]

judging by the way you talk, just getting her to break up with Samberg won't get you any closer to her.

[johnnytluxury]

That has no bearing on the spin of the world. STFU.

[KillSwitch2]

I hate that all the live versions I've heard of the HOOM songs are much better than on the album. It seems like she intentionally held back her unique diction for the recordings so that people wouldn't think it was too "weird". Her performance here is terrific. I still wish she would just go back to just being her and a harp and nothing else.

[sundaesmile]

@KillSwitch2: I read a recent interview with her (sorry, I dont remember where...there have been so many!); she said that she wishes she could re-record her albums after touring because the songs sound so much better after being played live. So shes definitely not holding back and would agree with you.

My proposed solution would be that she record a live album to release after her tours. I saw her with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra backing her for Ys and it was AMAZING.

[sundaesmile]

@KillSwitch2: Also, she had vocal nodules removed a year ago and coudn't speak for two months. It's possible that her recovery affected the difference between her vocal performance on her album and her live performances.

[japieee]

Hahah look at all these people commenting on the beauty of her voice (and thank god!). I remember when 'Ys' came out everyone was comparing her to Lisa Simpson on crack...

[squishykitty3]

Movement of the lips and tongue change this sound to create individual speech sounds stupid ppl

[YSKite]

Epic voice... parts of this song made me cry. Incredible talent.

[Anonymite]

Nothing is wrong with her face.. She's sooo adorable!

[MarkFackinOG]

I came home from a good friends on a Friday, unsure of what to watch. I ended up on Fallon. I listen to a lot of music old and new, mainly new hip-hop some new rock and lots of old mixed in genre. This live performance blew me away. Yes I had some refreshments and smokes, but this did give me goosebumps. Don't sleep even if she does make a face like she has tourettes while she sings.

[LfunkeyA]

she's the best!

[aaroplane]

thanks for the info senecawench

[richbristow85]

Good stuff!

[ML49501]

Friday night I was basically passed out from drinking on an empty stomach (mistake). I had fallen asleep with the TV on, and as I slept the sound of this song drifted into my head, and I woke up about half way through. I was completely mesmerized. I'd never seen anyone sing like this, and it was coming out of the mouth of an angel. I had to find out who she was, and here I am. Very unique... I love it!

[sticker14]

<3 1:31

[smushedmarshmallows]

@marshmellowysoftness how can u say she cant sing i liked to to c u sing like that and just because she doesnt sing the way other ppl sing doesnt make her ugly realy THINK B4 U SAY SOMTHING and dont say something if NO ONE ELS CARES

[PlushBlondeBus]

wrong!

[LfunkeyA]

her or you?

[marshmellowysoftness]

@LfunkeyA  Im pretty sure i ment her....

[LfunkeyA]

in that case, that is very sad. i feel sorry for you and your narrow-mindedness.

[music2012]

She's quite the looker but the music is rather odd.

[edbtres]

there's something mesmerizing about this, and I'm sure if I was inside another skin I would love this...

but the way things stand right now I will continue to ignore you and live my life happily Ms. Newsom.

You keep doing your thing tho... keep on... maybe in 30 years we meet again.

[smokyp3nguin]

@edbtres you should give JM Inc. a call.

[crazydogus]

Her song "Only skin" is awesome.

[eltonjam]

Amazing and refreshing. Thnx. I was asleep and this song woke me up on Fallon and i have been trying to find it but could not remember the name of the artist or song. Buying the CD just becoz of this song. :)

[mattisprettycool]

she looks like popeye when she sings. just saying.

[Chris1218218]

@mattisprettycool

Damn you.

WHAT HAS BEEN SEEN CAN NOT BE UNSEEN

[elcakester]

I cracked up when I read that........ Great performance and incredible song, nevertheless.

[ohnoanotherputz]

hah guh guh guh

[nobrain2007]

@mattisprettycool this is one of the funniest comments i've read on youtube... LOL! kudoz :)

[nicochenef]

Yes right, she looks like strange when she's singing.... But I really like her face gestures... She's unique... great song!!

[kilgoretrout321]

i think the 'grimacing' is how she actually voices all those weird accents when she sings. If she ever played Jay Leno the viewers would think she was having a stroke. Weird to watch (and listen to) but hey she's cute and there's some good soundsssss

[oeddawg]

Great username!

[kilgoretrout321]

thanks!

[soertur]

i´m in love even more now.

[canelavmz]

This is wonderful

[U2Boob]

Very impressive! Sometimes a live performance, esp. viewed in these confines, sounds pretty bad, but her voice was razor-sharp and emotive (ignore the grimacing!). I put up the vid with the lyrics, under "Related," kept it on mute and followed along--worth doing, 'cause her lyrics are quite poetic.. She is an amazing talent.

[Skymt]

Ignore the grimacing? But that is what gives life to the whole performance. It is what proves that she is so preoccupied with playing and singing. (Unlike fake artists).

Take it from one who has a tendency to use his tongue to concentrate; she is doing very well. :-)

[WideOpenTuna]

So you need the visual to appreciate the sound? That isn't a good sign... I appreciate the vocalizations, but can also see how someone might be turned off by what they imagine to be an affectation in her facial tics. The music shines through and she always looks cute, so I really don't mind the expressions.

[Skymt]

Well, this is not my favorite genre, so I probably do need a performance to get interested enough to care..

But that does not change my appreciation, or even awe, for her skills in playing the piano and singing. I've tried both, and had only meager success with one of them. ;)

She is amazingly talented, and her expressions are probably just from concentrating too much. And that lends credence to the performance. (which was my original point) :)

[DustedLightbulb]

WHERE ARE THE ROOTS?!

[handsomerob48]

Agreed! ?uestlove needs to drop some beats over this.