– Fenton Wright, Web Services Coordinator
You might know Jack Antonoff as one of the most prolific music producers alive today. He has hit songs with the likes of Taylor Swift, Clairo, Kendrick Lamar, and a host of other talented artists. But did you know that his music is just as good, if not better than those projects? With his band Bleachers, Antonoff channels his creative energy to describe love in “you and forever.”
Love Is Wild
In this song, what Antonoff does is describe his life before and after love. Before he found love, everything was in a state of chaos. The world doesn’t make sense. He says, “Who gets by?” because he can’t understand how people live in a world that makes no sense and has no order. From this chaos though, Antonoff finds love, which allows him to appreciate the finer things in life.
He says, “I had never known my name until you spoke it from your chest,” which means that his life was nothing before his partner. This depiction of love is particularly beautiful, because oftentimes we think of seeing ourselves as defined by our partners. Whether that be a good thing, or a bad thing Antonoff leans into that here. He leans into that co-dependency that makes his particular relationship so valuable to him.
Her Doorstep
What this entire music video builds up to is Antonoff reaching the doorstep of his lover’s apartment. But in getting there he has to go through so many obstacles that he has to wonder if it was all worth it.
In this song, we see the juxtaposition of the calm, whimsical fun of his lover’s apartment when compared to the outside world. Antonoff almost gets hit by a car, he gets caught in the pouring rain, but none of that matters anymore when he gets to her doorstep. When he gets there everything calms and the video ends. His life has meaning once again now that he is with her.
Building Anticipation
A lot of what this song does is build towards the bridge at the end. The instruments because of this are subdued, but they hint at this massive emotional release. They captivate the listener and have us waiting with baited breath before that payoff. What it does is make us feel the intense nature of the love that Antonoff has for his partner.
everyone for ten minutes
After this song, I am sure that you are going to want to hear more Bleachers. Luckily, their album, everyone for ten minutes, comes out later this year in May. Also, more of Antonoff’s work can be found just about anywhere. His has so many credits, that you would be hard pressed to find a project that he hasn’t worked on!
