Prince’s estate recently dropped the visuals for his posthumous single “Mary Don’t You Weep” on Thursday (Sept. 20), and it is tackling a major issue in the United States. The video addresses gun violence in the country and its impact on the youth.
The six-minute video begins with a quote from the late singer. “Nearly 1,300 children die and 5,790 are treated for gunshot wounds each year in the United States alone. The system is broken. It’s going to take the young people to fix it this time. We need new ideas, new life…”
The video is shot in a vintage style, further setting an ominous tone. As the camera progresses to a church or home of some sort, you see a boy as he lays lifeless on the floor with adults huddled around him in prayer.
Prince flexes soulful vocals over piano chords as the video unveils dark scenes of distress, torment, and death. It ultimately leads viewers to the funeral of the slain boy.
This is far from Prince’s first attempt to tackle social issues. In 2015, the icon released a song and documentary entitled Baltimore, which addressed gun violence following the death of Freddie Gray – the 25-year-old man who mysteriously fell into a coma after being taken into police custody for possession of an illegal knife.
“Mary Don’t You Weep” is coming from Prince’s posthumous album Piano & A Microphone 1983. Check out the visuals above.
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