Song · Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
“We the Common (For Valerie Bolden)” by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
From the album We the Common (2013)
“We the Common (For Valerie Bolden)” by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down appears on 4 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2013 and 2025. It was first released in 2013 on the album We the Common. Its best result is #36 on the CD101 Top 102.5 Songs of 2013. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #256 alternative song of 2013 and #7,654 alternative song of all time.
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The title track of We the Common, the album Thao & the Get Down Stay Down released on Ribbon Music in February 2013, is dedicated to the woman who inspired it. After 2009's Know Better Learn Faster, Thao Nguyen stepped away from touring and recording to volunteer in her new home of San Francisco, including with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, a group that advocates for prisoners' health care. On those prison visits she met women serving long sentences, Valerie Bolden among them, and Nguyen has said the work shaped much of the album emotionally.
Nguyen wrote it; John Congleton produced, recorded and mixed. Adam Thompson arranged it and sings with Nguyen, Mirah, Kacey Johansing and Emily Ritz, over a band that includes Ralph Carney's horn, Darren Johnston's trumpet, Dina Maccabee's violin, Jessica Ivry's cello and Jesse Cafiero's double bass.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 36 | CD101 Columbus, OH | CD101 Top 102.5 Songs of 2013 | 103 |
| 2013 | 52 | The Current Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | The Current Top 89 Songs of 2013 | 89 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1988 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2025 | 879 | The Current | 893 Essential Songs of The Current: 2005 to Now | 893 |
Also listed as: We The Common (For Valerie Bolden).
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