Songs of Surrender

40 Songs, 40 Creators

40 songs re-recorded by us, re-imagined by you.

31. Kristen Jan Wong | Get Out Of Your Own Way - Songs of Surrender

Date Posted: 22 Mar 2023

"The inspiration behind this piece is to bring back play and individuality into everyday life, which Harry Perry, who is featured in this video, has been doing since the 70s at Venice Beach. When I found my first film camera as a teen, I would book it to Venice whenever I got the chance to shoot my surroundings not knowing anything about lighting, proper scanning, or the camera itself. I was simply playing and having fun experiencing every little step along the way. For this video, I decided to not overthink how I would shoot, but rather bring a 16mm camera I found at an estate sale a year ago, never having shot with it before, to recreate the naivete of shooting as a teen. Harry's independent and childlike spirit towards his musical passion has remained consistent through the years playing to his ever-changing audience at Venice Beach. His message to the world is "Lots of Love"."

Find out more about Kristen Jan Wong:
https://www.instagram.com/kristenjanwong/

32. Sarah Ritter | Lights Of Home - Songs Of Surrender

Date Posted: 23 Mar 2023

Sarah Ritter is a Director/Editor from Villa Hills, Kentucky. Sarah studied marketing at Belmont University but has been anything from a costume designer to a DP on set. This past year Sarah has refined her focus to directing both music videos and narrative films. Sarah’s debut short film Hyde has been selected for over 10 film festivals and won the Luna Collective Film Festival’s award for best short film as well as Independent Shorts awards for best first-time director and best debut short film. With two narrative projects in pre-production including her debut feature-length film, we can expect to see even more of Sarah’s directing work in the near future!

"When I listened to the song, it instantly felt familiar, the lyrics it felt like a letter to home and the writer was deeply homesick or missing someone. I imagined a distant love back home in Ireland who represented something simpler, more free and pure than the bright lights of fame and success. I thought about how hard it must’ve been to be an artist in a small mining town in Ireland, and the caged birds in the video for “Red Mining Hill” symbolize being held back from your dreams by a community who doesn’t celebrate let alone understand who you are. This song is perhaps the opposite side of that coin, where getting what you thought you wanted isn’t as great as it seems and maybe life before wasn’t so bad after all. The birds are meant to represent the longing to fly away and the freedom of being with your true love."

"My dad is a big U2 fan! He freaked out when I told him I waited on Bono four years ago when I first moved to LA, I can’t wait to show him this video!!!"

Find out more about Sarah Ritter:
https://www.instagram.com/_sarahritter_/
https://linktr.ee/sarahritter

33. Chessa Subbiondo | The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) - Songs of Surrender

Date Posted: 24 Mar 2023

Chessa Subbiondo is a photographer and film maker based out of Los Angeles, California. She has been capturing surrealism in American culture for the past four years and has cultivated an understanding of these images with the youth, mainly through her social media presence. She focuses on the art of “Amateur” image making with staged concepts of emotion through her photo and video work. Working for Magazines such as Vogue, The Face, and Office- Chessa aims to show the beauty in normality through her editorial and personal work.

This piece is something that is very dear to my heart. As a child growing up my father and I would take a long road trip once a year from Los Angeles across California to visit his family. I have a very vivid memory of falling asleep on the car ride home from the trip, the sun was setting and it felt like a very peaceful moment. My dad had always carried the All That You Can’t Leave Behind CD with him in his car and I remember listening to it a lot as a child. On the way home from this trip “In a Little While” began to play and my dad told me the infamous story about Joey Ramone listening to this song as he passed away. My dad and Joey were close friends before he passed and I could tell how much the song meant to him. In this video I really wanted to replicate that moment and show the emotions you feel as a child when you hear something your parent plays for you in the car, especially something with such strong sentimental value.

The song for this video being “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)”, it felt only fitting to touch on what he clearly meant to the band and people everywhere. The feeling of being a child and finally arriving home reminds me a lot the emotions of closeness that are showcased in the cover for Songs of Innocence. This song being the first song on the album it felt right to incorporate some form of ode to an album cover as iconic as that one. My experience with U2 is probably very similar to most people my age. U2 is a legendary band with a sound that provokes a lot of emotion. As a child, when you hear them for the first time it definitely stands out against other music. I think with a video like this it perfectly captures how this sound felt to a different generation than the one it came from. I remember when I got my first car it didn’t have an aux cord yet and all it could take were CDs. I went into my house to look through my parents old collection and found this U2 album and immediately brought it back to the car with me, still sounded just as beautiful as it did when I was a child. That’s how you know something is timeless."

Find out more about Chessa Subbiondo:
https://www.instagram.com/chessasubbiondo/

34. Shan Phearon | I Will Follow - Songs of Surrender

Date Posted: 24 Mar 2023

Enigmatic polymath Shan Phearon creates new kind of iconography and has made a name for himself with his forward-thinking filmmaking.

His cult reputation has developed: whether landing a UK Music Video Awards nomination for his first video under legendary commissioner John Moule, or advancing new age extreme wide angle cinematography with Brit DPs like Olan Collardy, Courtney Bennet, Jake Gabbay, Nathalie Pitters, right through to inventing the world’s first UV light drone for iconic brands Apple and Def Jam, and even designing blockbuster spectacles to electrify the modern UK music video field.

Shan has attracted artists from some of the great UK Rap lyricists including Potter Payper, Nines, Wretch 32, Blade Brown, Rimzee, Ocean Wisdom, futurist R&B-Soul performers like Jvck James or Tiggs Da Author, outsiders like UK Brazilian Funk trailblazer Jevon or UK Afrobeats trendsetter One Acen, and even next generation experimental Alt-Pop disruptors like Jazmin Bean.

With a footprint in the music world, he has worked with a long list of numerous culture-shifting acts including Tyler, The Creator, ASAP Rocky, Kid Cudi, Janelle Monae, Charli XCX, Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, Mount Kimbie, Miguel, Jazmin Sullivan, Ed Sheeran, Labrinth, Danny Brown, SpaceGhostPurrp, How to Dress Well, P. Diddy, et al.

Noteworthy recognition has come from 1.4 On The Cusp, UKMVA, Vimeo Staff, 5 Star David Reviews, PromoNews Best Videos of The Year, plus work featured in Booooooom, VideoItalia, Shots, Director's Notes, Maff, VideoStatic, The Fader, Complex, Trench, The Guardian, and more.

UK Drill has been one of the most influential youth music movements in the world. It’s born from teen nihilism, disenfranchisement, low income areas, violence, trauma, alienation. Like rebellious Punk and Grime before, UK Drill is a response to broken British politics. UK Drill culture has codes: mythos, uniform, language, hand gestures, environment, dance. The Drill dance style - like Hip-Hop adjacent 'conflict styles' Breakdancing or Krump battling in eras past - is known as Sturdy.

I was thinking about themes behind U2’s debut ‘Boy’ LP... Adolescence, teen angst, coming of age, etc. Let’s reframe these through a modern European inner-city youth lens. Worlds crossing. It felt visually unexpected from U2 and uncommon in Rock / Alternative. UK Drill, integrated into the thematic universe of one of the great universal bands of all time, in an organic crossover moment - we hadn’t seen this cross-pollination done yet.

I found this old anecdote: “Bono remembers his adolescence as a time of psychological violence and ‘I Will Follow’ captures some of the drama of that era, the suburban claustrophobia, as throughout ‘Boy’. There is a sense of terror and confusion which runs deeper than the common crises of identity from which teenagers suffer.” I saw natural connections here with alienation, parenting, childhood trauma, teen behavioural issues and other deeper ideas around UK Drill and modern street culture youth.

More than anything though, I think it’s cool to see modern Rap and Rock n’ Roll ideas find common ground.

My Father was a big music head and he was also a bit of a U2 super-fan. He started me off on their 'The Best of 1980–1990’ CD as a little kid. Those are the times I felt most connected with him, through the music he shared with me. U2’s material was always such a human transmitter. Cosmically coming full circle years later, I guess I did this project as a dedication to my Dad.

Find out more about Shan Phearon:
http://www.shanphearon.com/

35. Allie Yonick | Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of - Songs Of Surrender

Date Posted: 27 Mar 2023

"I'm a director who is fascinated with the multitudes of filmmaking and most importantly collaborating with other creatives. The alchemy that's created in those moments are to me the most original where nothing is preconceived, it is something bigger than all of us. My background has been predominantly in fashion so colour, shapes, how we express ourselves in what we show the outer world has always been a silent story much like this piece. The inspiration behind this piece is about what induces our memory. I always feel like commuting/travelling is when my memory runs wild because you're in this space of going from one place to the next- a portal, much like our memory. A lot of my friends live all over the place so it was easy to find a story that fit the song ""Stuck in a Moment."" For myself being stuck in a moment is a loop we tend to play off reminiscing, we can't seem to let go of that story to let another one in.

U2 has always been a household band since growing up. My father loves Ireland and had Gaelic crosses and paraphernalia all over our house which included u2 records. Funny fact- Bono and I are born on the same day and I share the same name as his wife Ali, so I feel we must be connected lol.

This piece was so much fun to make with my friends Rico Moran and the help of Mona Koochek starring the two hero friends Angelina Kiriakos and Charlie Berg as well as the memory friends Cole Gonzales and Jenny Vong. Our editor Mallory Robbins did such a fantastic job with the edit and made it all come together. It was a moment!"

Find out more about Allie Yonick:
https://www.instagram.com/allieyonick/
https://www.allieyonick.com

36. Abdullah Webster | Cedarwood Road - Songs Of Surrender

Date Posted: 27 Mar 2023

Abdulla Webster also known as “Tapwvter” is a Kingston, Jamaica born creative director, film photographer & Producer based in Los Angeles. Growing up he aspired to play in the NFL, or Direct one of those Cowboy films his father always watched. Abdulla’s inspiration as an artist derives from an eclectic nature, often seen as deeply thought provoking.

“This piece is inspired by having a unique and diverse set of individuals living their everyday lives. I wanted to create without having to think too much throughout the process. U2’s songs of surrender gave me room to just direct and have fun."

Find out more about Abdulla Webster:
https://www.instagram.com/tapwvter/

37. Harmony Tividad | All I Want Is You - Songs of Surrender

Date Posted: 28 Mar 2023

Harmony Tividad is a songwriter, musician and fashion aficionado based in Los Angeles. Known for her work as half of Girlpool, she is now working on a “pop” project. You can find her DJing around LA honestly constantly.

"Being truly seen is incredibly important to everyone on the planet, whether they acknowledge it or not - feeling truly observed for how we feel is our honest selves is so deeply healing on every level. “All I Want is You” inspired me to reflect on how I felt before meeting someone who could truly understand and love every part of me. It’s odd and sad the amount of self rejection I put myself through. So many traits that I was punishing myself for or considered to make myself permanently ugly or unlovable now are held so tenderly and with so much compassion."

Find out more about Harmony Tividad:
https://www.instagram.com/harmonytividad/

38. Matthew Melchionne | Miracle Drug - Songs Of Surrender

Date Posted: 28 Mar 2023

Matthew Melchionne is an animator and musician living in Philadelphia. He is most interested in pastiche, sampling and collage. He’s not particularly good at talking about himself.

When I first had the opportunity to work for U2, it occurred to me that there was a poignant synecdoche implicit in the project. To me, Retracking a catalogue and the song ‘Miracle Drug,’ where Bono pleads for a medicine that will save a life, are both really paradoxical artistic statements. To honor a creative legacy while moving forward with energy. To accept and imminent death while yearning for a live-saving therapy. In my own limited way, I wanted to make a graphic that would suggest the cycle of flourishing/cU2ancerous growth and decay/life anew. I also really like desert settings for videos.

Of course I gagged when I learned that my work would be with U2. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is in regular rotation at my DJ sets. I love how it builds on Nile Rogers disco guitar music but also anticipates Rave and Madchester. I think the earnest sentimentality of Bono’s lyrics and melodicism and The Edge’s novel approach to guitar playing unlocked a lot for me, as an adolescent!

Find out more about Matthew Melchionne:
https://www.instagram.com/soulpatch.hq/

39. Nate Guenther | Song for Someone - Songs Of Surrender

Date Posted: 29 Mar 2023

Nate Guenther (b.1997) is an independent Director/Photographer based in Los Angeles, originally from Indiana. Nate started teaching himself photography around 18 then transitioned into directing once moving to Los angeles in 2019. Nate’s visual universe balances on the lines of realism and surrealism within unique/obscure stories.

Born in Alabama, Director & Designer Najai Washington (b.1996) moved to Chicago with family when he was 9 years old, teaching him to find beauty in unknown places and familiarity in new experiences. Eventually finding himself in California, Najai made his first strides in the creative industry. His work draws upon a mixture of influences from his southern upbringing, midwestern adolescence, and west-coast adulthood.

For “Song for Someone”, Nate & Najai enlisted long-time friend and collaborator darien. to assist in writing / conceptualizing the piece. They really wanted to hone in on the idea that you can't be your ideal self until you face and accept all parts of you and your experience, even at the roughest moments. No matter the scars, there’s always a brighter tomorrow.

Nate’s earliest memories of U2 would be his dad driving him as a young kid to different sports practices with U2 blaring in the car. There’s a special sense of wonder hearing those songs such as “With or Without You” and “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”.

Find out more about Nate Guenther:
https://www.instagram.com/nateguenther/

40. Marta Abad Menses | The Little Things That Give You Away - Songs Of Surrender

Date Posted: 29 Mar 2023

I’ve always loved music for as long as I can remember, my parents used to play music around the house that ended up shaping my taste nowadays. As soon as I was old enough to go to gigs of my favourite bands, my love for music became bigger, more real. I became interested in the new musical paradigm, and I created my own music account on Instagram, that would allow me to meet more people with the same interests as me, and, of course, get to know exciting new bands to love.

Even though I do love these current music trends, I can’t help but yearn for all the exciting periods I wasn’t able to experience, with bands I know I’ll never be able to see live in their prime -or ever, as a matter of fact. U2 has been one of those bands that I wish I could go back and see live (one of the first CDs I bought was a compilation of U2’s singles), they’ve influenced me in an essential way, introducing me to other Irish bands and artists, and not only that, but they also boosted my interest for the Irish-British conflict, due to their popular song ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’. That’s why when I was asked to make an edit for the band, I was super excited to do so. I’ve been searching for cool clips of the guys, so it isn’t just videos of their performances, but them having fun and hanging out, so I’m hoping it will look original.

Find out more about Marta Abad Menses:
https://www.instagram.com/popscenexx/

SONGS 1-10 | SONGS 11-20 | SONGS 21-30 | SONGS 31-40 | SONGS 41-UP