"3WW" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by alt-J | ||||
from the album Relaxer | ||||
Released | 6 March 2017 | |||
Format | Digital download | |||
Genre | Folktronica | |||
Length | 5:00 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
|
|||
Producer(s) | Charlie Andrew | |||
alt-J singles chronology | ||||
|
"3WW" (pronounced "Three W W" or "Three Worn Words") is a song by British indie rock band alt-J. It is the opening track and first single from their third studio album, Relaxer, and was released as a digital single on 6 March 2017 by Infectious Music and Atlantic Records. The song was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Thom Sonny Green and produced by Charlie Andrew. It features guest vocals from British musician Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice. The song's title is an abbreviation of "three worn words," a phrase which is sung in the song.
A music video was released a month after the song's release on 13 April 2017. It was directed by Alex Takacs (aka Young Replicant), who had previously directed videos for Lorde and Flying Lotus, and was produced by Pulse Films. The video, shot in black and white, depicts a funeral procession in the mountains of Mexico following the death of a young woman. The people of the town carry the coffin until the sun sets, upon which a man―the deceased woman's lover―is left alone in the mountains with a donkey to carry her coffin. The young man faces harsh weather and a violent encounter with a dog. The coffin is seen opened and the young woman pulls the young man's body away. She is later seen holding coins to the man's eyes, which were placed upon her own before the closing of her coffin, referencing Charon's obol and an old Catholic tradition symbolizing the young man's death. The video was filmed in Real de Catorce, Mexico. To prepare for the video's production, frontman Joe Newman sent the song to director Alex Takacs alongside a poem by English poet Ted Hughes. Takacs was inspired to film in Real de Catorce by mountain imagery in the photography of Mexican writer Juan Rulfo and Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. The actors casted in the video were from Mexico City and also Real de Catorce.