“Phantom Limb” by The Shins

"Phantom Limb" is the fourth track on Wincing the Night Away, the Shins' third album, put out by Sub Pop in 2007, and it was the song picked to lead the record into the world as its first single. James Mercer wrote the words and the music on his own, and it sounds like it: chiming guitars, a bright, galloping beat and that high, slightly pinched voice stacking up melodies faster than you can file them away. Phil Ek lent a hand on production, and Anita Robinson's background vocals thicken the choir.

Under all that sunshine sits a darker story. Mercer described it as an invented tale about two girls, a lesbian couple in high school, stuck in a small town they can't stand, and the song's jangle turns that claustrophobia into something close to a jailbreak. It's the sound of an indie band stepping out into daylight without losing its oddball heart.

Rolling Stone later ranked it at number 75 on its list of the 100 best songs of 2007.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.