# 50 Song Memoir

50 Song Memoir is the eleventh studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, released on March 10, 2017. 50 Song Memoir is an autobiographical concept album that chronicles the first 50 years of lyricist Stephin Merritt's life, with one song for each year that he has lived.

## Recording

The album was produced by Merritt with additional production by Thomas Bartlett and Charles Newman. Merritt sings on all fifty tracks.

## Tour

The fully staged live shows in support of 50 Song Memoir were directed by José Zayas with an expanded Magnetic Fields lineup that included three additional musicians for the tour for a total of seven musicians, each playing a different instrument. On the tour the band played the entirety of 50 Song Memoir in two halves across two nights at each venue.

## Release

50 Song Memoir is available in five-L.P. and five-C.D. editions that include an interview by Daniel Handler and facsimile handwritten lyrics by Stephin Merritt, and as a bound book.

## Reception

Professional ratings :
| Aggregate scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.2/10 |
| Metacritic | 86/100 |
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The A.V. Club | A− |
| The Guardian | |
| The Independent | |
| Mojo | |
| The Observer | |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10 |
| Q | |
| Uncut | 9/10 |
| Vice | A− |
Upon release, the album received near universal acclaim, with the average critical score being an 86 out of 100 according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

### Accolades

| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
| The Independent | The 20 Most Underrated Albums Ever | 2024 | 7 | |
| Uncut | Albums of the Year | 2017 | 67 | |

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Stephin Merritt

## Personnel

The Magnetic Fields
* Stephin Merritt – lead vocals, Roland vocoder, ukulele, resonator ukulele, bass ukulele, 8-string ukulele, classical guitar, 12-string guitar, electric guitar, baritone guitar, electric bass, acoustic bass, mandola, autoharp, marxolin, bass banjo, charango, cavaquinho, harp, hammered dulcimer, bowed psaltery, electric sitar, Prophet-5, ARP String Ensemble, Moog Voyager, Casio VL-Tone, piano, keyboards, Wurlitzer electric piano, Rhodes Piano Bass, organ, pianet, celeste, toy piano, prepared piano, Omnichord, audio pattern generator, kazoo, melodica, xylophone, glockenspiel, bass drum, log drum, slit drum, ocean drum, cymbal, tubes, rainstick, wind chimes, chimes, maracas, conga, bongos, triangle, tambourine, washboard, steel drum, shakers, finger cymbals, guiro, djembe, cajon, woodblock, bells, sleighbells, fingersnaps, thunder sheet, cabasas, cowbells, tongs, bottle, abacus, drum machines, tapes, feedback
* Claudia Gonson – background vocals, piano
* Sam Davol – cello, musical saw
* John Woo – guitar
* Shirley Simms – background vocals
Additional personnel
* Thomas Bartlett – mellotron, clavinet, omnichord, rhodes, piano, Moog synthesizer, optigan
* Christopher Ewen – synthesizers, kazoo, angklung, stylophone, omnichord
* Pinky Weitzman – viola, Stroh violin, musical saw
* Daniel Handler – background vocals, accordion, vibraphone, piano, Hammond organ, celeste
* Johny Blood – tuba, flugelhorn, mouthpiece
* Brad Gordon – trombone, pocket trumpet
* Randy Walker – background vocals
* Anthony Kaczynski – background vocals
* Otto Handler – spoken word

## Charts

| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 155 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 77 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) | 29 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 96 |