When I wake up in the mornings it’s usually one song before the news on my radio alarm. I time it that way because I like hearing what state the world is in first thing in the morning.
But sometimes that one song playing before the news distracts me. This was the case a couple of weeks ago and so I pulled my computer into bed and did some lyric research to find out what this song I instantly adored was. It was Open by the familiar and fabulous Rhye. But my search didn’t end there…
I first heard about Rhye on a hung-over Sunday afternoon. I had a little wine to a friend about riding home drunk at 7 in the morning instead of going home after a sophisticated glass of wine as I had promised myself. To brighten up my mood he told me to let it go and enjoy youth while it lasted. After the call he sent me a link to Rhye’s video to The Fall and I felt better instantly. The video shows a middle aged man trying to relive moments from his past youth, among them riding home drunk on a bike…
Now here they were again. Remembering the first video I of course searched for the new one immediately.
What I saw was rather surprising, as it was basically a loop of people having sex. It began with one couple, but then the woman was „exchanged“, subsequently the guy and so it became a stream of various constellations. Cleverly the protagonists are exchanged while moving quickly or shot closely, thus although the changes are obvious they don’t interrupt the flow of the movements and in sync with the music.
The naked flesh and visualized sexual act could be tacky or tasteless (I’m thinking hip hop videos), but they really seem sophisticated, honest and arty. The Sade-esque music probably does it’s bit to romanticising what we see, but the images are beautifully shot and evoke feelings of cosiness rather than arousal.
Still wondering if this was really the video Rhye had promoted their single with, I continued to research and found a new „clean“ video for the song as well. It shows a couple on a trip to the woods, having sex, looking at each other romantically over the fire. Boring would be my judgement on this version, but I suppose one has to suffice the market.
Anyway to cut a long story short instead of a film I really wanted to share these videos. Here they all are.
