With his highly anticipated first EP Songs For You debuting tomorrow Ben Barnes decided to gift fans a new music video for “Rise Up.” Like his first single “11:11” did with People, Barnes teamed up for an exclusive release this time with Deadline.
As he did with Evan Rachel Wood in “11:11” Barnes called on Floriana Lima to assist in bringing “Rise Up” to the screen. Barnes and Lima were co-stars in Netflix’s The Punisher as Billy Russo and Krista Dumont. With Georgia King at the helm directing let’s get into some details about this moving music video. I began the video ready to be emotional. From the hints and behind the scenes photos Barnes had shared I knew “Rise Up” was going straight for the heart. To say that I was moved is an understatement. This music video is beautiful and has a sense of hope that will leave viewers in tears.
The video begins with Barnes lying on the floor of what appears to be an abandoned building. As the song begins we are met with the gorgeous pairing of piano and violin. We see Barnes rise from the floor and stack a few old television sets. As he does, an old memory starts to play on one of the TVs. Soon it flickers out and the pain and sadness shows on Barnes’s face as the music swells. He adds more televisions to the stack and you can feel him trying to rebuild himself and his life. Viewers watch as this wall of TVs form and suddenly beautiful golden sunlight shines through from behind the televisions through all the cracks and memories show on every screen. As Barnes closes his eyes you can sense the relief. With tears flowing he opens his eyes and smiles, full of emotions we have all experienced. The video closes with Barnes on a beach at sunset reunited with the woman from all his memories and a sense of peace as the last few notes play.
This was the first song Barnes finished when writing Songs For You and the message behind it is something many can relate to. At some point in our lives we have all felt alone, the ache to belong, and love isn’t always a smooth road. As Barnes says in the description of “Rise Up” on YouTube, “there is hope, the building of the ‘sun tv wall’, the stitching together of memories, the ultimate relief of seeing someone strong and ready to ‘rise up’ again.”
Barnes’s first EP Songs For You will be available tomorrow and links to pre-save can be found here. Make sure to check out his first single “11:11” and our article about the fantastic music video here. Also if you are a Ben Barnes fan in general we have an article covering his greatest movies and tv shows you can check out here! Make sure to follow Nerds & Beyond to stay up to date on any and all pop culture news.
