Sprout and the Bean
2004 single by Joanna Newsom
"Sprout and the Bean" is a single by American singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom, released on Drag City on November 2, 2004. It was released as the only single from the 2004 album The Milk-Eyed Mender. It includes "What We Have Known", a re-recording of the track originally appearing on the 2003 EP Yarn and Glue, and later released as a 12-inch vinyl single in 2011.
In 2009, Pitchfork named "Sprout and the Bean" the 229th best song of the 2000s. In 2020, Paste named it the 12th best Joanna Newsom song. The song was used in the film The Strangers, a Victoria's Secret bra commercial, and a Melbourne ad campaign.
Track listing
The CD contains the music video for "Sprout and the Bean" which was directed by Terri Timely.
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
The public source identifies “Sprout and the Bean” as 2004 single by Joanna Newsom. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Sprout, Bean and single.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Sprout and the Bean”, the useful work is to connect “2004 single by Joanna Newsom” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7581365. The first chronological checks are 2004, 2003, 2011 and 2009.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sprout and the Bean”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sprout and the Bean primary sources, Sprout and the Bean archive and Sprout research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sprout and the Bean”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sprout and the Bean” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.