The latest video from Odd Future co-founder Tyler, The Creator isn’t at all what you might expect. The Los Angeles rapper and producer, known for his dark, dystopian hip-hop, takes on a breezy pop ballad for the short and vividly beautiful film. Tyler didn’t write the song and isn’t saying who did. But he was so moved by it he agreed to write and direct the video. The song from the anonymous artist is called “Glowing.”
The video follows a couple who meet as children, fall in love, grow up and grow old together. As their romance blossoms, the world is in chaos, plagued by war, famine and abject poverty. The song itself is both joyful and reflective, with a bouncy, infectious melody and sweet harmonies in the spirit of late ’60s or early ’70s pop. Think Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again (Naturally).” But like that 1972 classic, “Glowing,” in the hands of Tyler, is a captivating study in contrasts.
“This was a song I heard nine months ago and couldn’t get out of my head,” Odd Future manager Christian Clancy tells us. “We thought it would be a cool opportunity for Tyler to show another side of himself. I played the song for him on a plane, not knowing whether he would like it (he’s a tough audience), and he did. What people take from it is up to the viewer I suppose. Controlling the narrative seems contradictive to the point. For me it’s a challenge to the assumption that ignorance is bliss, and that challenge is as timely as it’s ever been.”
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