Skip to content

On «Abracadabra», Klô Pelgag proves she still has the magic

Search

Stephen Wilson Jr. Blows Up Father’s Day Platitudes With Startling ‘Grief Is Only Love’ Video

Stephen Wilson Jr. Blows Up Father’s Day Platitudes With Startling ‘Grief Is Only Love’ Video
Joseph Hudak
By Joseph HudakJun 13, 2024
Joseph Hudak
See Full Bio

There’s a story that Stephen Wilson Jr. likes to tell that’s essential to who he is today as an artist. When Wilson received word that his father was dying, he hopped into his car and raced home to Indiana from Tennessee to see him one last time. He didn’t make it — and instead was forced to call his father for a final conversation.

“I said goobye to my dad on an iPhone 8 in my car in the middle of Kentucky,” Wilson has said, and it’s that attention to detail — the precise location, the model of his phone — that has made his songwriting such a powerful addition to country music and his 2023 album, Son of Dad, one of the best of last year.

Ahead of Father’s Day this Sunday, Wilson has released a video for “Grief Is Only Love” that pays homage to both the memory of his hurried drive home and to his father. “His last words to me were ‘Write a good song for me’ and then he said, ‘I love you’ four times,” Wilson says.

Directed by Stephen Kinigopoulos and Alexa Stone, the video re-creates moments from Wilson’s life, including being taught to box by his dad, and casts the singer-songwriter as an unseen narrator, ghostly riding in the back of a car as his onscreen self makes the drive back to Indiana.

In a weekend sure to be full of greeting-card platitudes, “Grief Is Only Love” delivers a more powerful and realistic message. “So hang on to the hurtin’ and let it grab ahold/ and the only thing for certain is it’s out my control,” Wilson sings, “And grief is only love that’s got no place to go.”

Wilson recently wrapped up a string of tour dates opening for Hardy, along with a massive turnout for his appearance at the Railbird Festival in Kentucky. On Tuesday, he headlined a sold-out Mercury Lounge in New York and will begin a run opening for Brothers Osborne tonight in Columbus, Ohio.

Most Popular

On «Abracadabra», Klô Pelgag proves she still has the magic
Music

On «Abracadabra», Klô Pelgag proves she still has the magic

More Stories

Queens of the Stone Age Cancel Remaining 2024 Shows After Josh Homme Surgery

Queens of the Stone Age Cancel Remaining 2024 Shows After Josh Homme Surgery

Queens of the Stone Age have canceled the remainder of their 2024 tour dates — including a string of North American shows and festival gigs scheduled for the fall — as Josh Homme continues his recovery from an unspecified surgery he underwent in July.

“QOTSA regret to announce the cancellation and/or postponement of all remaining 2024 shows. Josh has been given no choice but to prioritize his health and to receive essential medical care through the remainder of the year,” the band wrote on social media.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sabrina Carpenter Is Viscously Clever and Done With Love Triangles on ‘Short N’ Sweet’: 5 Takeaways

Sabrina Carpenter Is Viscously Clever and Done With Love Triangles on ‘Short N’ Sweet’: 5 Takeaways

After Sabrina Carpenter’s summer takeover with “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” the anticipation for Short n’ Sweet was at an all-time high. On her sixth album, the pop singer keeps the surprises coming as she delivers a masterclass in clever songwriting and hops between R&B and folk-pop with ease. Carpenter writes about the frustration of modern-day romance, all the while cementing herself as a pop classic. Here’s everything we gathered from the new project.

Please Please Please Don’t Underestimate Her Humor

Carpenter gave us a glimpse of her humor on singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” — she’s working late because she’s a singer; ceiling fans are a pretty great invention! But no one could have guessed how downright hilarious she is on Short n’ Sweet, delivering sugary quips like “The Lord forgot my gay awakenin’” (“Slim Pickins”) and “How’s the weather in your mother’s basement?” (“Needless to Say”). She’s also adorably nerdy, fretting about grammar (“This boy doesn’t even know/The difference between ‘there,’ ‘their’ and ‘they are!’”) and getting Shakespearian (“Where art thou? Why not uponeth me?”). On “Juno,” she even takes a subject as serious as pregnancy and twists it into a charming pop culture reference for the ages: “If you love me right, then who knows?/I might let you make me Juno.” It’s official: Do not underestimate Ms. Carpenter’s pen. — A.M.

Keep ReadingShow less
RFK Jr. Suspends Campaign, Endorses Trump

RFK Jr. Suspends Campaign, Endorses Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suspended his 2024 presidential campaign, and according to a court filing in Pennsylvania on Friday will throw his weight behind former President Donald Trump.

Multiple news outlets reported on Wednesday that independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. was planning to drop out of the race and endorse Trump. He clarified at an event in Arizona on Friday that he is not terminating his campaign, only suspending it, and that his name will remain on the ballot in non-battleground states. He said that if enough people still vote for him and Trump and Kamala Harris tie in the Electoral College, he could still wind up in the White House.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Chicks’ ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’ Has Somehow Become a MAGA Anthem on TikTok

The Chicks’ ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’ Has Somehow Become a MAGA Anthem on TikTok

One little funny/bizarre/horrifying thing about the internet is the way it offers up everything and, in doing so, makes it possible to strip anything of its history. But to paraphrase Kamala Harris, you didn’t just fall out of the coconut tree. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you” — wise words worth heeding, especially for all the Trump voters and conservatives making TikToks with the Chicks’ “Not Ready to Make Nice.”

Over the past month or so, “Not Ready to Make Nice” has become an unexpected MAGA anthem of sorts, meant to express a certain rage at liberals supposedly telling conservatives what to do all the time (the past few Supreme Court terms notwithstanding, apparently). Young women especially have taken the song as a way to push back against the possibility of Harris becoming the first female president. 

Keep ReadingShow less
Sabrina Carpenter, Myke Towers, Cash Cobain, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week

Sabrina Carpenter, Myke Towers, Cash Cobain, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big new singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, Sabrina Carpenter delivers her long-awaited debut Short ‘n Sweet, Myke Towers switches lanes with the help of Peso Pluma, and Cash Cobain moves drill music forward with a crossover hit. Plus, new music from Lainey Wilson, Blink182, and Coldplay.

Sabrina Carpenter, ‘Taste” (YouTube)

Keep ReadingShow less