The internet thrives on its detrimental usage of countless pop culture references. This of course includes everything from film to literature, and our favourite – music. While we've been served with various powerful lyrics and vivid visuals, none have been as creatively or as amusingly done as Americana artist Cris Jacobs' "Under the Big Top". Found on his sophomore album, Color Where You Are, it's an old-timey foot-stompin' tune with a modern day message. The video – premiering here today – takes the metaphorical circus meaning and turns it into a literal sideroad show.
"When I wrote this song, I was thinking about how we are constantly flooded with stimulation in this rapid-fire Information Age," Jacobs explains, "and I pictured a big top circus tent, with all of these spectacles all vying for our attention at all times. It's made it a game of who can be the loudest, the shiniest, the most perfect, the most sound-bite friendly."
The visuals match this concept down to the virtual selfie filter, exaggerating every act for the sole purpose of revealing its obnoxious nature. Supplemented by the upbeat, blues-y rock melody, "Under the Big Top" manages to pull off that elusive factor every lyrical commentary needs: it never takes itself seriously. Reminding us all that perhaps, we should start doing the same.
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