We Are the Youth
| "We Are the Youth" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Jack River | ||||
| Released | 10 September 2021[1] | |||
| Length | 3:33 | |||
| Label | I OH YOU | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | ||||
| Jack River singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "We Are the Youth" on YouTube | ||||
"We Are the Youth" is a song by Australian singer songwriter, Jack River. It was released in September 2021.
In November 2021, Rankin performed the song on The Sound.[2]
In December 2021, River partnered with Sydney's The Artist Studio to launch We Are the Youth Day where the song was reinterpreted by 14 up-and-coming artists.[3]
At the 2022 Rolling Stone Australia Awards, the song was nominated for Best Single.[4]
The song was also nominated for the inaugural Environmental Music Prize in 2022.[5]
Background
[edit]Holly Rankin (Jack River) said she was inspired to write the track after performing at the 2019 School Strike for Climate rally calling gate song "a protest anthem that forefronts a new generation of advocates and activists fighting for change".[6] Rankin said "I played to 80,000 young people, and I realised that I didn’t have an anthem for them, and myself – to express how we felt about the times."[6] Rankin told Broadsheet, "I had the concept for a really long time, over six or seven years, but being at that march made me realise I didn't have the song to give to these students and to my generation about how I'm feeling and how they're feeling."[7]
Rankin was empowered by this moment and inspired by multiple global social movements and Rankin's own experiences as well as forebears of the 'political pop' style of music such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.[8][9]
Rankin said she began writing the song about "climate action", but released "...it needed to be about everything that everyone is feeling, which is, I think, a really persistent frustration with our leader and global leaders on climate action, on First Nations' rights and respects, on women's rights and respects. It feels like we’re at a cultural turning point. A lot of us feel like it can be tipped, but we're exhausted and the change needs to be urgent – especially with impending climate doom."[7]
Music video
[edit]The music video was directed by Rankin and Nyikina Warrwa and Wangkumara-Barkindji filmmaker Marlikka Perdrisat. It begins with a card dedicating the track to "the billions of young people driving urgent political and social change. We are living in the anthropocene. The actions of this generation will define the destiny of humanity and the planet for the rest of time."[8] It is assembled from archival footage and focuses on global change-makers such as Jean Hinchcliffe, Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins, in addition to global advocates like Amanda Gorman, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim and Autumn Peltier.[8][6][10]
Reception
[edit]Tyler Jenke from Rolling Stone Australia called it "likely one of the most important songs of her career, unveiling the uplifting and powerful protest anthem."[8]
Sose Fuamoli from Australian Broadcasting Corporation said "The new Jack River single comes at us hard, but in the unique way only her music can. On the surface, it lands like a hazy folk-pop dream, yet stripping away those layers, we find some propulsive and honest songwriting from Jack River that can really strike a chord." adding "'We Are The Youth' is glimmering and pumped up with guitars and percussion that properly capture the essence behind the song's message."[10]
Emma Joyce from Broadsheet said "'We Are the Youth' can be described as 'political pop'. It's a shimmering mix of warped guitars and stomping drums."[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "We Are the Youth – Single by Jack River on Apple Music". Apple Music AU. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "Season 3 Episode 4 Craig Reucassel". iView. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Jack River partners with Sydney studio for 'We Are The Youth Day'". The Music Network. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ "The Sailor Jerry Rolling Stone Australia Awards Have Announced Their 2022 Nominees". Rolling Stone Australia. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ "Environmental Music Prize Searches for Green Theme Song". The Music Network. May 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ a b c Doria, Matt (9 September 2021). "Jack River champions young activists on powerful new single "We Are The Youth"". NME Australia. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "We Are the Youth: Jack River's New Single Is a Rallying Cry for Young Activists With an Urgent, Powerful Video". Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d Jenke, Tyler (9 September 2021). "Song You Need to Know: Jack River, "We Are the Youth"". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ Gallagher, Alex (9 September 2021). "Jack River Returns with Soaring Protest Anthem "We Are the Youth"". music feeds. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
- ^ a b Fuamoli, Sose (9 September 2021). "First Spin: Jack River's new track is a shimmering anthem for today's generation of activists". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 January 2022.