Kyoto

Who it's for

The song validates ambivalence: love, empathy and anger toward a parent can coexist, which eases the guilt many people feel about resenting family.

Feelings it meets

• Family Conflict
• Identity
• Family Roles

What it is

"Kyoto" is a 2020 song by Phoebe Bridgers, released as the second single from her album Punisher and written by Bridgers, Morgan Nagler and Marshall Vore. She wrote it on her first trip to Japan in 2019, and has described it as being about impostor syndrome and feeling as if she were living someone else's life while touring there.

Where to find it

Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music (widely available).

Before you start

Heads up: A parent's substance use and recovery.

Age: Ages 14+

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, Part 1, Chapter 1 (tr. Constance Garnett)