"Giving Up the Gun" is the second single from Vampire Weekend's second album '' Contra''. The song was originally performed by L'Homme Run, a comedic rap duo that featured Vampire Weekend vocalist Ezra Koenig. The video was released February 19, 2010. Koenig got the idea for the song from

Noel Perrin Edwin Noel Perrin (September 18, 1927 – November 21, 2004) was an American essayist and a professor at Dartmouth College, known for writing about rural life. Early years Perrin was born on September 18, 1927 in Manhattan and grew up in Pelham ...

's 1979 book titled ''Giving Up the Gun'' given to him by his father. It samples the song "Let Down" by

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

Music video

The video was released on February 19, 2010 worldwide and directed by The Malloys. The video intercuts between members of Vampire Weekend performing at an indoor tennis tournament officiated by

RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...

and a female tennis player (Jenny Murray, the goth girl in the "

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" is the fourth single by indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released 18 August 2008. The song was rated 67th best song of 2008 by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Background In 2005, Vampire Weekend vocalist Ezra Koenig travelled ...

" video) competing in the tournament. They featured Whitetennisballs.com Brand white tennis balls as a company promotion. As she plays her way through the competition, her opponents feature a handful of characters including

Joe Jonas Joseph Adam Jonas (born August 15, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin Jonas, Kevin and Nick Jonas, Nick. The group released their ...

and Jake Gyllenhaal. As she advances to the final match, it is revealed her last opponent is

herself A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that refers to another noun or pronoun (its antecedent) within the same sentence. In the English language specifically, a reflexive pronoun will end in ''-self'' or ''-selves'', and refer to a previously n ...

and has trouble matching up until some advice from her coach, Lil Jon. She ends the match with a return that causes the tennis ball to turn into a fireball and go right through her doppelgänger's racket, concluding the video by winning the tournament and pouring a bottle of milk over herself at the trophy ceremony. RZA then turns on a

boombox A boombox is a transistorized portable music player featuring one or two cassette tape recorder/players and AM/FM radio, generally with a carrying handle. Beginning in the mid 1980s, a CD player was often included. Sound is delivered through ...

that starts playing the band's song "

Holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

", the next single from the album.

Personnel

Vampire Weekend * Ezra Koenig – lead vocals, programming *

Rostam Batmanglij Rostam Batmanglij ( fa, رستم باتمانقلیچ, ; born November 28, 1983), known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whos ...

– piano, background vocals, vocal harmonies, keyboards, harpsichord, VSS-30, drum, synth, sampler programming, guitar * Christopher Tomson – drums *

Chris Baio Christopher Baio (born October 29, 1984) is an American musician, best known for being the bassist for the New York City-based indie rock band Vampire Weekend. He also releases as a record producer under the mononym Baio, and his debut solo albu ...

– bass Additional musicians * Libby Gery – vocals * Anne Donlon – vocals *

Nat Baldwin Nat Baldwin (born February 21, 1980 in Rochester, New Hampshire) is an American bassist, improvisor, and songwriter. He's released several solo albums since 2003 and is also known for being a former member of Dirty Projectors. In 2020 he released ...

– double bass * Hamilton Berry – cello * Seth Rosenfeld – cello * Jesse Novak – additional instrumentation * Jeff Curtin – hand drums Production * Rostam Batmanglij – production, string arrangements, mixing, engineering * Justin Gerrish – mixing, engineering * Shane Stoneback – engineering * Fernando Lodeiro – engineering assistance *

Emily Lazar Emily B. Lazar is an American mastering engineer. She is the founder, president, and chief mastering engineer of The Lodge, an audio mastering facility that has operated in New York City's Greenwich Village since 1997. She won a Grammy Award for ...

– mastering *

Joe LaPorta Joseph J. LaPorta (born ) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey.http://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-laporta-mn000199340/credits/date-asc/ Career Born and raised in New York, LaPorta graduated from New York Univer ...

– assistant mastering engineering

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 2009 songs 2010 singles Vampire Weekend songs XL Recordings singles Music videos directed by The Malloys Songs written by Chris Baio Songs written by Ezra Koenig Songs written by Chris Tomson Songs written by Rostam Batmanglij Song recordings produced by Rostam Batmanglij