"[5] Vernon later explained the origin of the song in a conversation with Aaron Rodgers: It was Christmas night, and my brother and I watched Inglourious Basterds, of all films.

You know, it's not like it was a subject matter that was, you know, gonna birth a song like that exactly, but it was—I like watching Tarantino's films because they're so complete.

It's easy to stay humble sometimes when, you know, it's like, I've worked hard and everything, but sometimes you just feel like you really are a conduit for describing an idea or something like that, but that's really where all that came from, and the different verses are really about Eau Claire and about my people from there.

[6]The music video, directed by Nabil Elderkin, was filmed in the region of Vík in Iceland with a Red Camera.

It features a blonde Icelandic boy waking up and roaming around the island's volcanic landscape and glaciers, equipped with just a walking stick.

[7] Since the lyrics of "Holocene" describe the idea that the self is part of something greater, the music video highlights the expansive landscapes in contrast to the boy.

"[10] Rolling Stone ranked it as the 22nd best single of 2011, simply stating that "'[Holocene]' takes sensitive-guy poetry somewhere sublime.