Matt Berninger

Matt Berninger
Berninger in 2019
Background information
Birth name	Matthew Donald Berninger
Born	(1971-02-13) February 13, 1971 (age 53) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1991–present
Member of	The National EL VY

Matthew Donald Berninger (/ˌbɜːrnɪŋɜːr/, born February 13, 1971) is an American singer, primarily known as the frontman and lyricist of indie rock band The National. In 2014, he also formed the EL VY project with Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and Menomena. They released the album Return to the Moon in November 2015.^[1] In May 2020, Berninger issued the title track from his solo debut album, Serpentine Prison, released in October 2020.^[2]

Berninger is known for his classic baritone voice.^[3]

Personal life

Berninger is a 1989 graduate of St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[4] He went on to study graphic design at the University of Cincinnati, where he met fellow band member Scott Devendorf in 1991. The two quickly became friends.^[3] Berninger quit a career in advertising in his thirties to start The National. He told The Telegraph: "I was doing well [in advertising]. But, once I entertained the thought that maybe I wouldn't ever have to go and sit in conference rooms with MasterCard to discuss web ads again, I couldn't shake it."^[5]

Berninger is married to Carin Besser, a one-time fiction editor for The New Yorker, who has often contributed to the band's songwriting (in songs such as "Brainy" and "Ada" from the album Boxer, among others) and backup vocals.^[6][7] Together with Hope Hall and Andreas Burgess, Besser also helped direct the music video for "Bloodbuzz Ohio". They have a daughter named Isla.^[8] Berninger has stated the song "Afraid of Everyone" was influenced by his anxiety about being a new father.^[9]

As a child, Berninger knew Neil Armstrong, who was a family friend of his uncle. Armstrong taught him to play pool.^[10]

Berninger has two siblings: Tom (who directed Mistaken for Strangers, a film about The National) and Rachel.^[11][12]

In popular culture

Berninger in 2011

In 2011, a portrait of Berninger was painted by British artist Joe Simpson; the painting was exhibited around the UK including a solo exhibition at The Royal Albert Hall.^[13]

In 2019, Berninger appeared in Between Two Ferns: The Movie. Along with Phoebe Bridgers, they contributed the song "Walking on a String" to its soundtrack.^[14]

In 2020, Berninger was the subject of an episode of the fictional erotic podcast, Dirty Diana, produced by Demi Moore.^[15]

Discography

Albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		US [16]	AUS [17]	AUT [18]	BEL (FL) [19]	FRA [20]	GER [21]	IRE [22]	NLD [23]	SWI [24]	UK [25]
Serpentine Prison	Released: October 16, 2020[26] Label: Book Records	161	32	20	1	82	19	11	18	25	21

Singles

As lead artist

Title	Year	Peak chart positions			Album
		US AAA [27]	US Alt. Dig. [28]	BEL (FL) Tip. [19]
"Walking on a String"[29] (featuring Phoebe Bridgers)	2019	—	24	—[A]	Non-album single
"Serpentine Prison"[30]	2020	—	—	10	Serpentine Prison
"Distant Axis"[31]		—	—	41
"One More Second"[32]		21	—	6
"Pray It Away"[33] (with Hannah Georgas)		—	—	—	All That Emotion
"Let It Be"[34]	2021	—	—	—[B]	Serpentine Prison
"—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released

As featured artist

Title	Year	Peak chart positions				Album
		US Alt. Dig. [28]	US Rock [35]	NZ Hot [36]	SCO [37]
"Representing Memphis"[38] (Booker T. Jones featuring Sharon Jones & Matt Berninger)	2011	—	—	—	—	The Road from Memphis
"Coming Down"[39] (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah featuring Matt Berninger)	2014	—	—	—	—	Only Run
"My Enemy" (Chvrches featuring Matt Berninger)	2019	17	28	—	96	Love Is Dead
"7 O'Clock News/Silent Night"[40] (Phoebe Bridgers featuring Fiona Apple and Matt Berninger)		—	—	—	—	If We Make It Through December
“Coney Island” (Taylor Swift featuring The NATIONAL)	2020					evermore
"We All Have"[41] (Julia Stone featuring Matt Berninger)	2021	—	—	37	—	Sixty Summers
"South For The Winter" (Adia Victoria featuring Matt Berninger)	2021	—	—	—	—	A Southern Gothic
"—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released

Other appearances

Title	Year	Album
"I'll See You in My Dreams"	2013	Boardwalk Empire: Volume 2
"Hush (Theme From Turn)"[42] (with Joy Williams)	2014	AMC's Turn: Original Soundtrack
"A Lyke Wake Dirge"[43] (with Andrew Bird)
"I'm Waiting for the Man"	2021	I'll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico

Musical theater

Plays

• Cyrano (2018), with Carin Besser, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, and Erika Schmidt.^[44]

Notes

1. "Walking on a String" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop 50, but charted as an "extra tip" on the Ultratip chart.^[19]
2. "Let It Be" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop 50, but charted as an "extra tip" on the Ultratip chart.^[19]

References

1. Gaerig, Andrew (November 1, 2015). "EL VY: Return to the Moon". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
2. Shaffer, Claire (May 20, 2020). "Matt Berninger Announces Debut Solo Album 'Serpentine Prison,' Drops Title Track". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
3. Dawidoff, Nicholas (April 23, 2010). "The National Agenda". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
4. Motz, Mark D. (January 31, 2008). "Volume V, Issue 9". St. Xavier High School E-News (Mailing list). Retrieved January 31, 2008.^{[dead link‍]}
5. Tang, Kevin (July 15, 2013). "19 Late-Blooming Artists Who Prove It's Never Too Late". BuzzFeed.
6. Chalupa, Andrea (May 17, 2010). "The National's Matt Berninger on Dirty Lovers and Even Dirtier Politics". HuffPost. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
7. Fury, Jeanne. "Interview with The National". Virgin. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
8. Redfern, Mark (July 29, 2010). "Under the Radar Announces Wasted on the Youth Issue: Musicians and Actors on Their Childhood Memories". Under The Radar. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
9. Hyden, Steven (May 13, 2010). "Matt Berninger of The National". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
10. Pryor, John-Paul (October 29, 2020). "American Beauty". Port-Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
11. Rao, Sonia (October 14, 2020). "Matt Berninger, king of melancholy music, is doing just fine". Washington Post.
12. "Happy Sibling's Day". Facebook. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
13. Breihan, Tom (February 23, 2011). "Ezra Koenig, Matt Berninger, Sam Beam Immortalized in Oil Paintings". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
14. "Matt Berninger – Walking on a String (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)". SC Distribution (Merlin). Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2019 – via YouTube.
15. "Matt Berninger: "Sono anni che mi sento emotivamente in lockdown"". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). September 23, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
16. "Matt Berninger, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
17. "Discography Matt Berninger". australian-charts.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
18. "Discographie Matt Berninger" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
19. "Discografie Matt Berninger". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
20. "Discographie Matt Berninger". lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
21. Peaks in Germany:
    • "Serpentine Prison": "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Matt Berninger - Serpentine Prison" (in German). GFK Entertainment. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
22. "Discography Matt Berninger". irish-charts.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
23. "Discografie Matt Berninger". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
24. "Matt Berninger Hitparade". Hit Parade. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
25. "Matt Berninger full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
26. "Matt Berninger - "Serpentine Prison"". Stereogum.com. May 20, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
27. Peaks on Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart:
    • "One More Second": "Adult Alternative Chart: February 6, 2021". Billboard. November 28, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
28. Peaks on Billboard Alternative Digital Songs chart:
    • "Walking on a String": "Alternative Digital Song Sales Chart: November 2, 2019". Billboard. June 9, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
    • "My Enemy": "Alternative Digital Song Sales Chart: March 17, 2018". Billboard. June 9, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
29. "Walking on a String (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) - Single by Matt Berninger on Apple Music". Apple Music. October 17, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
30. "Serpentine Prison - Single by Matt Berninger on Apple Music". Apple Music. May 20, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
31. "Distant Axis - Single by Matt Berninger on Apple Music". Apple Music. July 17, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
32. "One More Second by Matt Berninger on Apple Music". Apple Music. September 23, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
33. "Pray It Away - Single by Hannah Georgas & Matt Berninger on Apple Music". Apple Music. November 17, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
34. "Let It Be - Single by Matt Berninger on Apple Music". Apple Music. February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
35. Peaks on Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart:
    • "My Enemy": "Hot Rock & Alternative Song Chart: March 17, 2018". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
36. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
37. Peak positions for singles in Scotland:
    • "My Enemy": "Chart Archive > 9 March 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
38. ""Representing Memphis (feat. Matt Berninger and Sharon Jones)" from Representing Memphis (feat. Matt Berninger & Sharon Jones) by Booker T. Jones". ANTI-. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
39. "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Share "Coming Down" Featuring the National's Matt Berninger, Announce New Album Only Run". Pitchfork. April 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
40. Bound, Chris (December 13, 2019). "Phoebe Bridgers releases new single '7 O'Clock News / Silent Night'". Mystic Sons. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
41. "Julia Stone shares new single "We All Have" featuring The National's Matt Berninger". NME. January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
42. "Hush (Theme From Turn) - Single by Joy Williams & Matt Berninger on Apple Music". Apple Music. January 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
43. "A Lyke Wake Dirge - Single by Matt Berninger & Andrew Bird on Apple Music". Apple Music. July 8, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
44. "Cyrano". Kuperman Brothers. Retrieved October 16, 2021.

External links

• Media related to Matt Berninger at Wikimedia Commons
• Matt Berninger at IMDb