22, A Million

22, A Million is the third studio album by American indie folk band Bon Iver, released on September 30, 2016.^[3] Recorded in lead member Justin Vernon's April Base studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the album marks a major shift in the band's sound and incorporates elements of electronic music and hip hop production influenced by Vernon's prior work with Kanye West. Most of the lyricism concerns Bon Iver's rise in popularity and how Vernon's relationship with the world has changed as a result.

22, A Million first premiered at Vernon's Eaux Claires Music Festival, and upon release the album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, receiving widespread acclaim from critics who praised its original sound and colorful lyricism. Several publications, including Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and The Guardian, listed 22, A Million as one of the best albums of 2016. It also received nominations for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package at the 2017 Grammy Awards.^[4] In 2019, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone included it in their list of best albums of the decade, at number 91 and 47, respectively.^[5][6] The album's artwork is featured on a mural in downtown Eau Claire, Vernon's hometown.^[7]

Background

22, A Million is composed of songs written and produced from 2012 to 2016. It makes extensive use of samples, synths and brass instruments. Many of the sounds on the record were created and manipulated using a Teenage Engineering OP-1 synthesizer, along with a harmonizer designed for the band by engineer and producer Chris Messina.^[8]

Critical reception

22, A Million received acclaim from critics, garnering a score of 87 out of 100 on Metacritic, signifying "universal acclaim" based on 41 critic reviews.^[9] Writing for Pretty Much Amazing, Peter Tabakis praised the album in his review, giving it an A, and remarking, "Not since Kid A has an album so superb pushed away and pulled closer its audience, simultaneously and with such aplomb."^[10] In his review for Rolling Stone, Will Hermes opined, "Vernon remains an oblique lyricist, but the knottiness can be compelling." It gave it four stars out of five.^[11] Paul Bridgewater of The Line of Best Fit awarded the record full marks, writing that "22, A Million captures personal crisis and resolution better than any album this century".^[12] Writing for No Depression, John Amen commented that 22, A Million "integrates the high points of Bon Iver's first three recordings ... his most focused and ambitious permutation to date."^[13]

Accolades

Commercial performance

22, A Million debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 71,000 units, of which 58,000 were traditional album sales. It was the highest-selling album of the week.^[28]

Track listing

Sample credits

• "22 Over Soon" contains a sample of "How I Got Over", as written by Clara Ward and performed by Mahalia Jackson.
• "10 Death Breast" contains a sample of "Wild Heart", as written and performed by Stevie Nicks.
• "33 'God'" contains samples of "Dsharpg", as written and performed by Sharon Van Etten, "Morning", as written by Willis S. Graham and performed by Jim Ed Brown, "Iron Sky", as written by Paolo Nutini and Dani Castelar and performed by Paolo Nutini, and "All Rendered Truth", as written and performed by Lonnie Holley.
• "666 Upside Down Cross" contains a sample of "Standing in the Need of Prayer", as written by Dave Kingsby and performed by The Supreme Jubilees.
• "21 Moon Water" contains samples of "A Lover's Concerto", as written by Denny Randell and Sandy Linzer, and performed by The Toys.
• "00000 Million" contains a sample of "Abacus" as written and performed by Fionn Regan.^[29]

Personnel

• Justin Vernon – "Maker", OP-1, guitar, Prophet, bass guitar, drums, M1, Messina
• Chris Messina – "Maker's Maker"
• BJ Burton – "Noble Black Eagle", C1 programming (track 6), C2 programming (track 6), saxophone (track 7), programming (track 8)
• Ryan Olson – "Scream Defence", MIDI capture piano (track 1), sampler (track 7), field recorder (track 7)
• Camilla Stavely Taylor – "Trust Ear", voices (track 7)
• Brad Cook – "Wings"
• Zach Hanson – "Professional Mixer"
• Mike Perry – "Neighbour"
• Andra Chumas – "Mother Nourishment"
• Rob Moose – "The Whisperer", violins arrangement (track 1), violas arrangement (track 1), saxophones arrangement (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8)
• Cherie Minske – "Rookie"
• Jack – "The Prospector"
• Michael Lewis – "The Oracle", saxophones (tracks 1, 6, 7, 8), Messina (track 9)
• Drew – "Key's Grip"
• Sad Sax of Shit – saxophones (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 8)
  • Al Falaschi
  • Anthony Barba
  • Christopher Thomas
  • Clay Lyons
  • Clay Pufahl
  • Dustin Laurenzi
  • Mark Henderson
  • Matt Douglas
  • Nelson Devereaux
  • Peterson Ross
  • Scott Fultz
  • Michael Lewis
• Andy Fitzpatrick – the 22000 (tracks 2, 7, 8), OP-1 (track 6)
• Joe "Squints" Westerlund – bowed cymbals (track 4)
• Trever Hagen – prepared trumpet (track 4)
• Chris Rosenau – electric and acoustic guitars (track 4)
• James Buckley – bass guitars (track 6)
• Sean Carey – drums (tracks 6, 8), percussion (track 6), DX7 (track 7)
• Matt McCaughan – metal drum (track 6), drums (track 8)
• Andrew Broder – V3 programming (track 6), audible programming (track 9)
• Jessica Stavely Taylor – voices (track 7)
• Elise Carey – voices (track 7)
• Colin Stetson – saxophones (track 8)
• Michael Vincent Vognar Noyce – voice (track 8)
• Huntley Miller – mastering
• Eric Timothy Carlson – art

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

1. ^ Cooper, Leonie (September 27, 2016). "Bon Iver – 22, A Million Review". NME. Archived from the original on September 28, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
2. ^ Sacher, Andrew (30 September 2016). "Bon Iver reinvents himself again with the masterful '22, A Million' (stream it)". Brooklyn Vegan. Archived 20 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
3. ^ Kreps, Daniel (August 12, 2016). "Bon Iver Announce New LP '22, A Million,' Unveil Two Tracks". Rolling Stone. Archived August 13, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
4. ^ "Bon Iver's "22, A Million" nominated for Grammy Awards". Leader-Telegram. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
5. ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
6. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Rolling Stone. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
7. ^ "Discover the Best Murals in Eau Claire: A Street Art Guide". Visit Eau Claire. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
8. ^ Tingen, Paul (1 January 2017). "Inside Track: Bon Iver '22, A Million'". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
9. ^ "Reviews for 22, A Million by Bon Iver". Metacritic. Archived September 30, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
10. ^ Tabakis, Peter (September 23, 2016). "Review: Bon Iver, 22, A Million". Pretty Much Amazing. Archived September 26, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
11. ^ Hermes, Will (September 28, 2016). "Review: Bon Iver's 22, A Million Brings Futurism to Justin Vernon's Cabin". Rolling Stone. Archived September 29, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
12. ^ Bridgewater, Paul (September 26, 2016). "Bon Iver's 22, A Million captures personal crisis and resolution better than any album this century". The Line of Best Fit. Archived October 1, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
13. ^ "Anima ex Machina". No Depression. Archived 2022-02-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
14. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Mojo. November 22, 2016. Archived November 22, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
15. ^ "NME's Albums of the Year 2016". NME. November 24, 2016. Archived July 23, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
16. ^ "Best 50 Albums of 2016". NPR. December 5, 2016. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
17. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Paste. November 30, 2016. Archived December 1, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
18. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. December 13, 2016. Archived December 13, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
19. ^ "The 20 Best Rock Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. December 7, 2016. Archived December 9, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
20. ^ "The 200 Best Albums of 2010s". Pitchfork. October 8, 2019. Archived February 15, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
21. ^ "The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016". The Quietus. December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
22. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. November 29, 2016. Archived November 29, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
23. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. December 3, 2019. Archived December 9, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
24. ^ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. November 14, 2016. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
25. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2016". The Skinny. December 1, 2016. Archived December 2, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
26. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Stereogum. December 1, 2016. Archived December 3, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
27. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2016". Variance Magazine. Archived December 20, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
28. ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 9, 2016). "Solange Scores Her First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'A Seat at the Table'". Billboard. Archived November 1, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
29. ^ "All of the songs sampled on Bon Iver’s ’22, A Million’". www.thecurrent.org. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
30. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2016 Albums". Hung Medien. Archived December 29, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
31. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Archived April 11, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 6, 2020.