Providence (track)
by Sonic Youth

Providence by Sonic Youth
Year: 1988
From the album Daydream Nation (track #8)
Average Rating: 
77/100 (from 303 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history

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Daydream Nation (12 tracks) « Previous track (#7)
Hey Joni
This track (#8)
Providence
Next track (#9) »
Candle

Providence appears on the following album(s) by Sonic Youth:


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Providence ratings

Average Rating: 
77/100 (from 303 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this track.  | Show all 303 ratings for this track.

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RatingDate updatedMemberTrack ratingsAvg. track rating
 
30/100
 
01/18/2026 11:43 wizardalien  Ratings distribution  9,08465/100
 
70/100
 
01/14/2026 17:41 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  84,61571/100
 
100/100
 
10/19/2025 20:56 kinginsomniac12  Ratings distribution  5,498100/100
 
65/100
 
10/17/2025 07:20 NJ  Ratings distribution  99187/100
 
50/100
 
09/07/2025 16:18 spinout  Ratings distribution  39,09583/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)

This track has a Bayesian average rating of 77.2/100, a mean average of 76.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 77.3/100. The standard deviation for this track is 16.1.

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Providence comments

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Rating:  
90/100
From 03/18/2018 13:53 | #211169
It's the point on the album when the theming comes into its own; there's a such a sense of loss and despair in the face of mad, unending franticness. It perfectly captures that feeling of disassociation from modern life and feeling lost in the modern world. Poetic levels of beauty.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 10/28/2017 15:45 | #200228
You know that when this song is probably the worst on it's album, you're listening to one of the greatest albums of all time. This song is exactly what was needed to cool down after Hey Joni, and it sets the tone for Candle perfectly.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 12/19/2016 19:29 | #180531
As far as interludes go, this is how you do it right. It doesn't kill the momentum of the album it all. It builds the emotion and most of all it builds the atmosphere tremendously. It combines all the elements of Daydream Nation that made it unique and slows it down into a cool 2 minute track. It lowers the energy but not the momentum and is placed perfectly after the high paced Hey Joni.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 09/01/2016 04:24 | #173940
Nice piano
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 04/12/2016 02:53 | #163670
It's obviously the weakest track on the album, but I think it's still a cool interlude that oozes nostalgia.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/22/2013 05:19 | #62463
The magic is all in the piano in the background.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 01/07/2013 11:28 | #60548
Kinda atmospheric, I suppose. Hey Joni needs a cool down.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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