Songfacts®:

• On this song, Annie Clark (St. Vincent) takes on a parasitic persona, comparing herself to a flea that latches onto its host and refuses to let go. The lyrics are both unsettling and hypnotic, with Clark painting a vivid picture of all-consuming desire.
• St. Vincent has mined the territory of lust before, particularly on her 2017 album Masseduction. Yet, "Flea" is a different beast altogether. It's a parasitic entity, burrowing deep into your psyche, its infectious rhythm and Clark's insistent vocals a relentless grip on your attention.
• "Flea" is a track from St. Vincent's seventh album, All Born Screaming. It is one of two songs on the album that features Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl's bombastic drum work.
  
  "Dave Grohl is just the coldest hang," reflected Clark to Uncut magazine. "I sent him one song, 'Flea,' because it has kind of prog turnarounds on and I figured he might be into it. Sure enough, he drives over in his truck and he's drinking coffee and smoking Parliaments and telling some of the best war stories you ever heard. So we're just hanging and having a laugh and after a while he says, 'OK!, I'm ready.' He sits down at the kit and just absolutely blows your mind because he sounds just like Dave Grohl on drums."
• Dave Grohl's thunderous drumming adds a raw power that complements the song's menacing undercurrent. A bridge of expressive guitar offers a brief respite before the song explodes back into its anthemic chorus.
  
  "There's a nod to Joni Mitchell's 'Free Man in Paris,' there's PJ Harvey's 'Rid Of Me,' there's a Tori Amos nod in there," Clark noted to UK newspaper The Sun. "There's a bit of Sleater-Kinney and Steely Dan's Aja in there and Dave Grohl is playing on it! From the music nerd perspective, 'Flea' is a greatest hits of people I love."
• St. Vincent recorded a Spanish version titled "Pulga." She laid it down for Todos Nacen Gritando, a Spanish-language reimagining of All Born Screaming.
  
  "There are things that I sing in Spanish that maybe I would feel self-conscious singing in English because they feel so sincere," said Annie Clark. "It was a fascinating experience to find how to convey the feeling, but also discover a new way through words."
• St. Vincent took home three Grammy Awards at the 2025 ceremony, including Best Alternative Music Performance for "Flea." Her other awards were Best Rock Song for "Broken Man" and Best Alternative Music Album for All Born Screaming.