He and his father had often spent weekends at the 80-acre rural property—an area they dubbed "the land"—when he was growing up. crazy that 500 people put this ONLY colored record for this release on their wantlist, and it doesn't even exist. The album's title comes from the middle name of Jensen, though he refrained from confirming that she was the central inspiration behind the album. The fact that they haven't just run their course, that they're not old hat after a year is really exciting.

He mulled over thoughts about his relationship with Jensen, a break-up he had struggled to get over. it's about that time in a relationship that I was going through; you're in a relationship because you need help, but that's not necessarily why you should be in a relationship. V. Club characterized it as "quietly startling," opining, "The power is in how these songs sound rather than what the opaque lyrics don't quite spell out.He suggested in one interview it could have been a reaction to his favorite black singers, such as the Staple Singers, Mahalia Jackson, and Sam Cooke. Our album of the year 2008, 'For Emma, Forever Ago' was recorded during a three month stay in a log cabin somewhere in the woods of America. He killed two deer in his period at the property, which lasted the entire three months "and then some," according to Vernon. Composition [ edit ] Vernon's method of arranging his vocals was inspired by the Vienna Boys' Choir.

Vernon felt comfortable performing the album live, though it was very personal: "It's weird that I'm still behind these songs," he told PopMatters. Over the course of his time in Raleigh, he became frustrated with his songwriting as well as his personal life. He gained freedom in singing in a higher register, feeling he accessed "painful melodies" unattainable in his previous work. After three weeks, Vernon grew tired of his "self-indulgent, lazy behavior" and began forming song ideas. Now there is only a "crack" these places, but the lines can still be heard and the rhythm/flow doesn't change.

Darcie Stevens of the Austin Chronicle described the record as a "paradigm of uninhibited closure, a gentle touch on a sad day," writing, "[Vernon]'s pain is so visceral it provides warmth, the therapeutic definition of music. He considered this method a "back-door way," as they fit more to his unintelligible syllables than words. The album was recorded by frontman Justin Vernon in a remote cabin in Wisconsin, and features a stripped-down sound with Vernon's haunting falsetto vocals accompanied by acoustic guitar and sparse percussion. Tim Sendra of AllMusic wrote that " For Emma captures the sound of broken and quiet isolation, wraps it in a beautiful package, and delivers it to your door with a beating, bruised heart.

Though he did not intend to make an album, he received strong encouragements from friends and decided to self-release For Emma, Forever Ago in July 2007. For Emma, Forever Ago is the 2007 debut album by Bon Iver, who at the time consisted solely of Justin Vernon.

While living in Raleigh, North Carolina, Vernon fell ill with mononucleosis and a liver infection, and grew frustrated with his songwriting and life. It took several months for him to have thoughts on his recordings, [12] which he viewed as potential demos that he would later re-record. DeYarmond Edison became his next musical project, as he graduated from college and relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina in August 2005.