The Artist Explains: Jesse Ruben - 'This Is Why I Need You' ( Lyric Video)
Who: Jesse Ruben is a singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, NYC.
About The Track: This Is Why I Need You'is taken from Jesse Ruben's forthcoming EP, 'A Reply To Violence'.
Acoustic led, the melodies are gentle and discrete, Jesse's vocals are soothing and the lyrics are thoughtful. There is a very basic (and a little bit soppy) tenderness here displaying an honesty that a lot of people are too afraid to show. 'This Is Why 'I Need You' is a sentimental offering, overflowing with the sincerest appreciation for love and life.
Jesse Ruben Explains:
Who produced 'This Is Why I Need You' and where was it filmed?
The video was shot and edited by Dave Farah, who is a filmmaker but also a really talented singer/songwriter. We spent a couple days shooting all over my favorite parts of the city, in Williamsburg and the Lower East Side, places where I end up spending the most time. The lyrics/animation was done by Brendan Walter, who has also worked on videos for Sia, Matt Nathanson, and Panic! At The Disco.
How does the lyric video compliment the song (if at all)?
I think the vibe of the video goes really well with the song. We wanted to make something that was easy to watch, and didn't take away from the music. Also, having it be a lyric video was important to me because I wanted that aspect of the song to stand out.
Any behind the scenes stories?
The typewriter scene in the video was pretty much a complete disaster. I hadn't used it in a while, and it kept getting stuck and/or not actually typing letters. It probably took us 7 hours just to get those few shots. Really annoying at the time, but in the end I'm psyched with how it turned out.
Tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
The idea for the video was to sum up my life as a musician living in Brooklyn. Before I wrote 'This Is Why I Need You', I had to take two years off from music because I was very sick with Lyme Disease. We wanted to capture all the stuff that I had missed. Stuff like hanging out with my girlfriend and other people I'm close to, walking around the neighborhood, heading into Manhattan to go to a show. Those were the things I missed the most. Normal life stuff.
What is the message the video is trying to convey?
Hold on to the things that make you happy, don't take them for granted
Interview feature by Karla Harris
The video was shot and edited by Dave Farah, who is a filmmaker but also a really talented singer/songwriter. We spent a couple days shooting all over my favorite parts of the city, in Williamsburg and the Lower East Side, places where I end up spending the most time. The lyrics/animation was done by Brendan Walter, who has also worked on videos for Sia, Matt Nathanson, and Panic! At The Disco.
How does the lyric video compliment the song (if at all)?
I think the vibe of the video goes really well with the song. We wanted to make something that was easy to watch, and didn't take away from the music. Also, having it be a lyric video was important to me because I wanted that aspect of the song to stand out.
Any behind the scenes stories?
The typewriter scene in the video was pretty much a complete disaster. I hadn't used it in a while, and it kept getting stuck and/or not actually typing letters. It probably took us 7 hours just to get those few shots. Really annoying at the time, but in the end I'm psyched with how it turned out.
Tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
The idea for the video was to sum up my life as a musician living in Brooklyn. Before I wrote 'This Is Why I Need You', I had to take two years off from music because I was very sick with Lyme Disease. We wanted to capture all the stuff that I had missed. Stuff like hanging out with my girlfriend and other people I'm close to, walking around the neighborhood, heading into Manhattan to go to a show. Those were the things I missed the most. Normal life stuff.
What is the message the video is trying to convey?
Hold on to the things that make you happy, don't take them for granted
Interview feature by Karla Harris