The Meaning Behind a Song of Adoration, “Waiting Room” by Phoebe Bridgers

Is Phoebe Bridgers the biggest name in rock today? The 29-year-old California-born artist who garnered praise and (undue) criticism for smashing her guitar on Saturday Night Live several years ago certainly has a case to make.

Thanks to her solo work as well as her work in the trio boygenius, Bridgers and her immediately recognizable platinum hair are beloved for her style, sound, and substance. For Bridgers, who released her debut solo studio album, Stranger in the Alps, in 2017, the past handful of years have rocketed her to stardom.

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But while she may not quite have the reputation as, say, Dave Grohl or Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bridgers is on her way and may just be the proverbial No. 1 draft pick to succeed those well-known acts sooner rather than later.

And part of that is because of her song, “Waiting Room,” which we dive into more below.

She Was 16

Bridgers spoke to NPR about the song in 2020, saying she first wrote the track when she was 16 years old around the year 2000. “I have a really old song called ‘Waiting Room,’ where—yeah, I wrote it when I was, like, 16,” she said. “And people find it every once in a while and tag me in it. And I think I’m just—one, it’s super sincere, and I meant everything. But it’s so emotionally raw, and I’m so pining for someone.”

The song’s subject matter is befitting of a teenager as it’s one of romantic devotion. Bridgers formally released the song earlier this year in May of 2023 on Bandcamp. She donated proceeds from the sales to New Jersey charity Music Will, which encourages kids to play music.

The Lyrics

Bridgers’ song, which is reminiscent of indie rocker Sera Cahoone’s track, “Up To Me,” describes situations that the singer would endure if it meant she could be closer to the object of her affection.

If you were a teacher, I would fail your class
Take it over and over ’til you noticed me
If you were a waiting room, I would never see a doctor
I would sit there with my first aid kit and bleed

I want to be the power ballad that lifts you up and holds you down
I wanna be the broken love song that feeds your misery
And I can wish all that I want, but it won’t bring us together
Plus I know whatever happens to me, I know it’s for the better

It’s a dreamy, hopeful, though somehow also realistic song, about the uplift from hope and love and the downshift of real life. Bridgers performed the emotive song during a live in-studio at KEXP several years ago and in that moment, she imparts the swelling emotion she felt at 16 and seems to continue to feel (or at least channel).

Conclusion

Songs are many things, but when they feel like a true window into a single artist’s soul, that, perhaps, is when they are most compelling. When that artist may just be the (next) biggest thing in rock music—it’s especially affecting. And, yes, worth waiting for.

(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Coachella)