A whistling I could never master starts off the tune for Gone by JR JR, the accompanying guitar adding to a feverish sense of home, in particular childhood, but as the video begins it instead relates to the imperfect nature of our lives and the demands placed on it to be perfect.
“I can’t be everything you want me to be”
From here you see a clown who’s not the epitome of happiness, his birthday cake decorated with stubbed-out cigarettes instead of candles. A hint maybe about the image of happiness people can be forced to show? Then there’s the “nerd” (at least I assume so, seeing a reflection to myself) who’s running from the bullies – I’d invest in better trainers.
There’s also the perfect 1950’s embodiment of the housewife, whose clearly miserable in her assigned stereotyped role. And then one of the more subtle incarnations to the video is a woman standing in the street in her underwear – a comment maybe on social media’s portrayal of the perfect figure? Or a perpetuated view of women’s sex appeal – to be judged by her looks? Who knows, either way she appears just as broken and sad as the rest. But then the music does the impossible – everyone is split in two, and from this they make their way through some kick-ass dance moves, break-free from expectations and are instead shown to be living life.
Bodies cut in half – like a bad magician’s act; the top half is left immobile and stuck in its place, but the legs, the legs can run and dance – they’re happy. A suggestion then of wanting to be free? The lyrics would seem to agree; “Finally, I can see the light through the leaves/But it’s all gone” – although this last line may suggest that they feel it’s too late? which might be why the top part of their body remains frozen in time.
However, Los Pérez has not directed a doom and gloom video – I mean look out for the gorilla! And the song’s melody is certainly up beat, being chirpy and very easy to get swept into whistling along with, if not singing. If anything there’s a sense of a warning – to be true to yourself, and not to expectations and situations.
JR JR – originally called Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – are an indie-alternative duo from Detriot, USA; Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott, who write nearly all of their own tracks. Formed in 2009 they released their debut album It’s a Corporate World in 2011, its sound breezing between off-kilter electric pop to chilled-out songs – that scream for a road trip. Happily, their music has stayed close to this original style with only a slight increase in tempo, thereby maintaining a nostalgic image of autumnal lands, a car full of friends and an ice cold drink to the side.
Other songs by JR JR we love:
- Take What You Need (2020 – single)
- Good Old Days (2020 – August & Everything Prior [EP])
- Big Bear Mountain (2019 – Invocations/Conversations)
- Pull You Close (2019 – Invocations/Conversations)
- Won’t Last Long (2019 – Invocations/Conversations)
- Same Dark Places (2017 – single)
- Don’t Tell Me (2013 – The Speed of Things)
- War Zone (2013 – The Speed of Things)
- Simple Girl (2011 – It’s a Corporate World)
Other artists you might like:
- Cayucas
- HAIM
- Sure Sure
- VHS Collection
- Yoke Lore
