"Now" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Paramore. It was released on January 22, 2013, as the first single from their fourth album, the self-titled '' Paramore''. The song impacted radio on January 29, 2013. It is their first single in an album to not feature former band members Josh and

Zac Farro Zachary Wayne Farro (born June 4, 1990) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Paramore. He is the younger brother of Josh Farro, who is Paramore's former lead guitarist and backing vocalist. After he and his bro ...

since their departure in 2010. "Now" received acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, with reviewers praising its production, lyrical content, and Hayley Williams' vocal delivery on the track. The single achieved moderate commercial success, ranking within the top 20 of Billboard's

Hot Rock Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by '' Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alterna ...

and Alternative Songs. It is a playable song in the video game

Rocksmith 2014 ''Rocksmith 2014'' is a music video game produced by Ubisoft. It is a followup to the 2011 game ''Rocksmith'', but has been described as a replacement to the original game rather than a sequel. Like its predecessor, the game allows players to plug ...

. ¨Now¨ is written in the key of C major.

Background

"Now" was written as a song that helped Paramore transition from the past to the present. According to Hayley Williams, "The first half of this record ... was all about getting to a new place, moving forward. And when we wrote 'Now,' by the end of the song I was like 'We're there. We got to that point and now we can really focus on what's next.'"

Reception

"Now" received critical acclaim from critics. David Marchese of '' Spin'' rated the song an 8/10 and praised it for being catchy, commenting ""Now" is a pretty nifty bait-and-switch" and said that Paramore has been listening to "weirder" bands. James Brindle of Burton Mail rated the song a 4/5, saying it has a "fantastically catchy chorus and showcases Hayley Williams’ immaculate vocals to great effect" and compared it with

Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...

's newer material. Matthew Leimkuehler of '' Columbia Missourian'' rated the song a 5/5, stating "This particular track has more of an edge to it, while still containing one of the best hooks delivered from a rock band in the last few years" and comments that the band can still deliver without the Farro brothers. Popdust rated the song a 4/5, commenting "When Williams sings about not giving up over scrambling drums and frantic guitars on the track’s bridge, it’s hard to not go all in with her."

Music video

The music video was directed by Daniel "Cloud" Campos and was inspired by a piece of artwork by

Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigram ...

. Williams explains "The song feels like it has a bit of violence to it, but its not about that at all. It's about embracing something more than that and looking forward to something that maybe you can’t see yet, believing before you see ... When people watch the video, I think it comes across, hopefully, clearly that love always wins in the end." The music video premiered on February 11, 2013 on MTV, and was uploaded to the

Fueled by Ramen Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City. History John Janick conceived of the l ...

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel the next day. The video begins in the middle of a foggy field with Hayley Williams and a soldier. Their eyes are locked on each other, and then the soldier throws a hand grenade. The song starts as Williams closes her eyes just before the grenade explodes. When she's down, a sequence of action ensues with men who appear to be with Williams (including

Jeremy Davis Jeremiah Clayton "Jeremy" Davis (born February 8, 1985), also known as Jerm, is an American musician, songwriter, and rapper. He was the bassist for the rock band Paramore until his departure in December 2015. Early life In 2002, at the age of ...

and

Taylor York Taylor Benjamin York (born December 17, 1989) is an American musician who is the guitarist of rock band Paramore. His brother Justin was a touring member of Relient K and was a touring guitarist for Paramore until 2022. Biography York was born ...

) fighting men on the soldier's side. As Williams makes a trek towards the soldier, men on her side continuously tackle anyone trying to reach her. Someone hands Williams a color flare she sets off, making soldiers put on gas masks. The others with flares get hit by the soldiers with batons and cause bursts of colored dust as a metaphor for blood. Williams eventually stands face-to-face with the soldier and gets hit with a baton as the song enters the bridge, causing bright blue dust to go everywhere on her. After she looks around and sees Davis and York pinned down, she charges the soldier but is seized by his men. The soldier pulls out a baton and prepares to strike her, but she breaks free and hugs him. His motions freeze, he drops his baton and hugs her back, leaving everyone on the battlefield cheering. The video closes with a shot of Williams still hugging the soldier as he closes his eyes. As of October 2022, the music video for "Now" has over 38 million views on

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{Paramore 2012 songs 2013 singles Paramore songs Fueled by Ramen singles Songs written by Hayley Williams Songs written by Taylor York