Japanese Breakfast Covers Brandi Carlile’s Hit Song “The Story”

Japanese Breakfast has achieved rare air as of late. Not only is she one of many music lovers’ favorite indie rock acts, but she’s also a best-selling memoirist.

With the release of her 2021 LP, Jubilee, and 2021 memoir, Crying in H Mart, the artist (born Michelle Zauner) is seemingly on the tips of tongues near and far.

Well, Zauner’s latest triumph is a cover of the 2007 hit song by the Grammy Award-winning songwriter and performer Brandi Carlile, “The Story,” which was written originally by Carlile’s longtime collaborator, Phil Hanseroth.

Now, Zauner has added her name to the prestigious list of artists who have covered it, including LeAnn Rimes and Dolly Parton.

“I think the song captures the depths of human tenacity and the spirit of the journey so well,” said Zauner of the track.

The new rendition comes as part of a soundtrack for North Face’s new “It’s More Than a Jacket” campaign. Check out the new cover below.

“It was a joy to take on the iconic ballad, ‘The Story,’” Zauner said in a press statement. “I think the song captures the depths of human tenacity and the spirit of the journey so well. We wanted to keep our rendition sparse and acoustic. A beautiful string arrangement written by Craig Hendrix and performed by our violinist, Molly Germer, and Quartet 121 soars in to sweep you up to the mountains.”

This isn’t the first time Japanese Breakfast has dropped a prominent cover tune. Less than a year ago, Zauner released a new EP in conjunction with Spotify called Live at Electric Lady EP. On the album, the famed Philadelphia-born musician and best-selling author also covered the popular Weezer song, “Say It Ain’t So.” 

“Recording at Electric Lady was truly the perfect experience,” Zauner said. “The longer I’ve worked as a recording artist, the more I’ve realized it’s the simple, stripped-down songs that are the hardest to get right. Having the opportunity to revisit the core catalog of my songwriting in a room with so much history, surrounded by engineers and gear of the highest caliber, was just a dream come true.

“I played a very sloppy basement cover of ‘Say It Ain’t So’ once with my band in college, so it was fun to revisit it from the opposite angle, stripped down with a string quartet. Craig Hendrix did the arrangement and Quartet 121 performed the hell out of it.”

Photo Credit: Tonje Thilesen