Ebert also accused groups like the Lumineers of mimicking the song’s “stomp-clap” sound.
Alabama, Arkansas, Edward Sharpe likes his own song.
“Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros has prompted widespread discourse on social media after a viral post on X declared it the “worst song ever made.” In response to renewed interest in (and criticism of) the tune, the band’s frontman, Alex Ebert, offered his two cents.
“Here’s how you know a song is good, alright? the “Home” songwriter said at the beginning of a two-minute Instagram video on Thursday. “If the bones are good.”
Ebert argued that “if the bones let the song survive” the context of its original recording and can find continued life throughout other arrangements and recordings, then “if it works, it’s a good song.”
He then pointed to evidence of “Home” being repeatedly covered by artists like Edith Whiskers (“shout-out whatever that is”) and achieving further popularity, thus meeting the criteria of Ebert’s definition of a truly good song.
However, Ebert conceded that Edward Sharpe’s original rendition of “Home” leaves something to be desired.
“‘Home’ isn’t a good recording, it’s just a good song,” the singer opined. “But it not being a good recording is what I love about ‘Home.’ It’s like a moment. We recorded on tape, we didn’t even know how to record on tape. It sounds like it’s made in some muffled garage.”
Elsewhere in the video, Ebert claimed his band had primary ownership of the folk influence in 2010s pop music.
“We were the first to do the stomp-clap f—in’ folk-pop thing,” he argued. “To the point where Lumineers, they sought out one of our ‘co-producers’ — it wasn’t actually our co-producer — they were like, ‘Hey, do that Edward Sharpe thing for us.’ For real, that’s a real story.”
Representatives for the Lumineers did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment.
The Lumineers released their self-titled first album in 2012, three years after Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros debuted with their album Up From Below, which included “Home.”
“Home” was featured in an IKEA commercial in 2011, and also appeared on the soundtracks of Glee, Community, and The Book of Life.
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Ebert said that he hoped the song’s influence would manifest differently.
“I wanted to spread the porous happenstance incidentalism of Edward Sharpe,” he recalled. “And instead, what I spread was stomp-claps taken and recorded better, and that’s depressing.”
He concluded, “But other than that, yeah, ‘Home’ is apparently a good song.”
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