"Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" is a song by American
hip hop duo
Run the Jewels
Run the Jewels, also known by the initials RTJ, is an American hip hop super-duo composed of Brooklyn-based rapper and producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike. They released their critically acclaimed self-titled debut studio album ...
, with guest vocals by
Zack de la Rocha.
[Run The Jewels and Zack De La Rocha reveal ‘Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)’ video – watch]
by Luke Morgan Britton, at NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020 It was released as the second single from their second studio album, ''
Run the Jewels 2'' (2014), on September 30, 2014.
Origin
El-P
Jaime Meline (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name El-P (shortened from his previous stage name El Producto), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of Company Flow, he has been a ...
explained de la Rocha's participation in the song as the result of a chance encounter: "when I was in L.A. working on the record I bumped in to him literally on the way to the studio. He came by and listened to what we had and a day later was recording with us."
[Premiere: Hear The Furious Collaboration Between Run The Jewels And Rage Against The Machine's Zack De La Rocha]
by Reggie Ugwu, at ''BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
''; published October 13, 2014; retrieved June 4, 2020
Music video
The
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
(directed by AG Rojas), which ''
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' called "fiery",
[Run the Jewels "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" (video) (ft. Zach de la Rocha)]
by Alex Hudson, at ''Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
''; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020 portrays an extended wrestling match between an exhausted white police officer (
Shea Whigham
Franklin Shea Whigham Jr. (born January 5, 1969) is an American actor best known for portraying Elias "Eli" Thompson in the drama series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He also appeared in the first season of ''True Detective'' and the third season of ' ...
) and an equally-exhausted black civilian (
LaKeith Stanfield).
[Run the Jewels and Zack De La Rocha's "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" Video Is a Battle Between Cop and Unarmed Black Man]
by Zoe Camp, at '' Pitchfork''; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' noted that at no point in the fight does either combatant reach for the officer's gun,
[See Run the Jewels’ Police Violence-Themed Clip ‘Close Your Eyes’]
by Kory Grow, at ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
''; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020 while ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' stated that it was "immensely raw, nuanced, and powerful", and emphasized that, throughout the fight, "(n)either
ombatantreally gains an edge over the other one, and it's unclear why, exactly, they were fighting in the first place."
[ Run the Jewels Just Released the Most Powerful Music Video of the Year]
by James Grebey; at ''Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
''; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020 The ''
Riverfront Times'' (which considered the song to be "incendiary") interpreted the video's concluding scene — the two men fight their way into a house, up a flight of stairs, and into a bedroom, where they collapse on the same bed — to mean that "both men will rest and awaken tomorrow to begin the battle anew".
[Run the Jewels' Video for "Close Your Eyes" Is Gripping Commentary on Black Lives Matter Movement]
by Daniel Hill, at the '' Riverfront Times''; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020
Reception
''
Fact
A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scient ...
'' described the song as "breathless" and "pneumatic",
[Run The Jewels 2]
reviewed by Louis Pattison, in ''Fact
A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scient ...
''; published October 14, 2014; retrieved June 4, 2020 while ''
Vibe'' found it to be "highly energetic".
[Review: Run The Jewels Make It Rain During Wet Set At Brooklyn Northside Festival]
by Darryl Robertson, at '' Vibe''; published June 15, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020 ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
'' called it "hammering (and) buzzing" and "just a ridiculous banger (...) that you obviously need to hear this minute", and compared its
hook — de la Rocha's voice "chopped up" — to the work of
Swiss Beatz
Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...
.
[Run The Jewels – “Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)” (Feat. Zack De La Rocha)]
by Tom Breihan, at ''Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
''; published October 13, 2014; retrieved June 4, 2020
The ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...
'' noted that it is "arguably
un the Jewels most popular song";
[Concert review: Run the Jewels uses poetry as protest at Stage AE]
by Courtney Linder, in the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...
''; published January 14, 2017; retrieved June 4, 2020 similarly, ''
The Daily Reveille'' declared it to be "(a)rguably the best song on (the album)", lauding de la Rocha's contributions to the song — in particular the "arresting hook at the beginning".
[REVIEW: 'Run the Jewels 2' by Run the Jewels]
by Gerald Ducote, in '' The Daily Reveille''; published October 29, 2014; retrieved June 4, 2020
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Run the Jewels songs
2014 songs
Songs about police brutality