Pharrell Williams Freedom

Pharrell Williams‘ music video for “Freedom” is one of the nominations for Best Music Video at the 58th Grammy Awards. The track was released for streaming on Apple Music channel Beats 1 on June 30 2015, the same day as Apple Music was launched. A one minute section was used in an Apple Music commercial. The full music Pharrell Williams Freedom video, directed by Paul Hunter, explores the concept of freedom across the world with a mixture of stock footage, staged scenes and CG effects. Key scenes filmed by Hunter include a chain gang breaking rocks, sweatshops in India, a group of wigged women and a church revival meeting.

Credits

Filming was shot by director Paul Hunter via Prettybird with director of photography Matthew J. Lloyd, executive producer Candice Dragonas, producer Nathan Scherrer, production designer Justin Dragonas and post production supervisor Karl Reid.

Editor was Damion Clayton at Rock Paper Scissors.

Visual effects were produced at Luma Pictures, Los Angeles by creative director Matt Lydecker, VFX supervisor Justin Johnson, compositors Garrett Wycoff, Ziming Liu, Brian Shneider and Pilon Lecter, CG artist Dave White, and digital matte painter Marco Iozzi.

Colourist was Stefan Sonnenfeld at Company 3.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Hold on to me
Don’t let me go
Who cares what they see
Who cares what they know?
Your first name is Free
Last name is Dom
Cause you still believe
In where we’re from

[Chorus]
Man’s red flower
It’s in every living thing
Mind, use your power
Spirit, use your wings
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom

[Verse 2]
Hold on to me
Don’t let me go
Cheetahs need to eat
Run, antelope
Your first name is King
Last name is Dom
Cause you still believe
In everyone

[Chorus]
When a baby first breathes
When night sees sunrise
When the whale hops the sea
When man recognizes
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom
Freedom
Breathe in

[Verse 3]
We are from heat
The electric one
Does it shock you to see
He left us the sun?
Atoms in the air
Organisms in the sea
The sun and yes, man
Are made of the same things

[Outro]
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom