Fiona Apple dropped her first new song in five years on Tuesday (May 6), the Intense tribute to mothers trapped in jail, 'Pretrial (Let Her Go Home).'
spent two years as a “court watcher,” taking notes and observing thousands of bond hearings. Those countless hours have inspired the singer’s first new song in five years, “Pretrial ,” an intense, percussion-heavy broadside against the U.
S.’s cash-bail system.In a statement at the top of the video for the song that dropped on Tuesday , Apple wrote, “I saw so many people get caged away simply because they could not afford bail. Before they even got a trial… while still presumed innocent.” As her unaccompanied voice swells up, she sings, “They wouldn’t let her/ They wouldn’t let her/ They wouldn’t let her, wouldn’t let her go home,” and the words “Jail didn’t just hurt them. It hurt their families. It hurt all of our communities” scroll across the screen along with a montage of women impacted by a system that keeps people in jail if they can’t afford to post bail. Apple said the personal images were shared with her by women who have been trapped in pretrial detention, jailed despite the court system’s presumption of innocence because they could not post bond. Over a second montage, hand drums and a flute bubble up as Apple sings, “They wouldn’t let her go home/ And now there’s no more home.” The singer said in an accompanying statement that for the past five years she’s been volunteering with the Free Black Mamas DMV bailout while witnessing “the stories of women who fought for and won their freedom with the tireless and loving support of the leadership.”“I hope that this song and these shared images will help to show what is at stake when someone is touched by a system that won’t let them go,” Apple wrote. The accompanying track produced by Zealous and Special Operation Studios is a tribal-beat homage to mothers who “took on extra shifts/ Still couldn’t pay the bail/ No danger, no flight risk/ But she will stay in jail,” she sings over images of smiling mothers dancing with and hugging their children. “She was not convicted of anything/ Won’t you let her go home/ Won’t you let her go home,” Apple sings. “At home she’s got two kids/ And grandma needs her care/ Who’ll pack the lunch and give meds/ If she’s in jail not there?” The track also illuminates the cascading effects of mother’s jailed without bail, including falling behind on rent and kids missing school to see their grandma in the hospital after a fall, triggering teachers calling child protective services to report their absence and authorities then taking the children into custody. “Can’t afford a new phone card, because nobody’s home/ Shame and isolation, economic deprivation/ And there’s no more home” Apple sings. By the fifth verse, Apple’s measured tone turns red as she recounts, “Preliminary hearing’s short, only witness is the cop/ He doesn’t even show up in court and all the charges get dropped/ What the f–k’s the point of all the f–king hell he put her through?/ Took her whole world away and set her up to start ’round two.”where fans can find a local bail fund to contribute to on which she notes that “on any given day, 190,600 women and girls are incarcerated in the United States. Over 60,000 women are detained pretrial, presumed innocent, caged in U.S. jails simply because they cannot afford to pay bail. Their average yearly income is just $11,000. Over 66% are mother with minor children.” The site also features images of some of the women Apple observed with their names and home cities as well as some descriptions, such as: “genuine, generous & creative genius,” “resilient, visionary & determined” and “assertive, authentic & unapologetic.” Apple has long“Pretrial ” is Apple’s fist new original song since the release of her fifth album, 2020’sWhich Musician Had the Best 2025 Met Gala Look? Vote! Linkin Park Talk Upcoming ‘Let You Fade’ Single and Why Mike Shinoda’s Daughters Think Emily Armstrong Is Coolest Member Bebe Rexha Reveals Pregnancy Loss After Azealia Banks’ Met Gala Criticism: ‘I’m Tired of People Commenting on My Weight’. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google
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