Beautiful Ones (Hurts song)
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"Beautiful Ones" is a song by English
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
duo Hurts from their fourth studio album, ''
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'' (2017). It was released on 21 April 2017 as the lead single from the album, along with an accompanying music video.


Background and release

On 20 April 2017, Hurts shared a small clip on their official
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page, announcing something to come out on the next day, which turned out to be the release of their new single "Beautiful Ones". The song was released on 21 April through several digital retailers, including
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. On 7 July, an acoustic version of the song was released.


Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Beautiful Ones" features composition by Hurts' members Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson, along with David Sneddon. It is a
power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
song, loaded with
classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
's guitar solo crescendos. The song is described by the duo as a "celebration of individuality".


Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Aaron Powell of ''tmrw magazine'' said the song is "sonically akin to their previous work", calling it "strong, well informed, catchy but also dark in places". Writing for ''
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'' magazine, Michael Cuby described the single as a "bold song about unapologetically being yourself even in times of resistance and adversity".


Music video

The music video for "Beautiful Ones" was also released on 21 April 2017. It was directed by Tim Mattia and filmed in
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
, Ukraine. The video features reverse chronology and tells the story of a man, portrayed by vocalist Hutchcraft, being chased down and assaulted for being dressed as a woman in a nightclub. After getting stripped down in the middle of the street by his assaulters, he follows them by car and runs over them. The duo described the video as a "colourful celebration of gender fluidity" and it deals with themes of "hate, love, brutality and beauty" that are explored throughout the piece, which is rooted in both intrigue and empathy.


Reception

The video was well received by the
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. Lewis Corner from ''
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'' magazine said the video is "one of the most powerful visuals they have created so far". Michael Cuby of ''Paper'' praised the importance that the video brings, saying: "California is the only state that has banned the use of gay or trans 'panic defenses', which allow perpetrators of assault or murder against members of the LGBTQ community to get away with their crimes by claiming that a victim's sexual or gender identity caused them to act out in a temporary fit of insanity." He also noted how the fact that one of the attackers was earlier rejected by the victim makes the message in the video "even darker".


Track listings

Digital download Digital download – acoustic version


Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from
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. * Theo Hutchcraft – songwriting, production, vocals * Adam Anderson – songwriting, production * David Sneddon – songwriting *
Joe Kearns Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...
– engineer * Matty Green – mixing engineer


Charts


Release history


References

{{authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs Hurts songs LGBT-related songs Songs written by David Sneddon Sony Music singles Music videos shot in Ukraine Songs written by Theo Hutchcraft