Spotlight On: Miriam Music Video by Norah Jones
“Miriam…that’s such a pretty name. I’m going to say it when I make you cry. Miriam…you know you done me wrong. I’m going to smile when you say good-bye.”
The rriveting music video for Norah Jones’ ballad “Miriam” starts off serene and peaceful, that is until the camera slowly pans down to reveal a bloody oar. The single shot video was directed by Philip Andelman who did an amazing job of capturing the song’s malevolent lyrics in a video that’s difficult to look away from.
In an interview with Complex.com, Jones explained the story behind Miriam:
“I guess I was sort of thinking dark things. I came out of a breakup last year and I also came out of doing all these recordings and shows with The Little Willies, my country band. We’d cover [Dolly Parton’s] ‘Jolene.’ She punches the girl instead of begging her. I love ‘Delia’s Gone,’ the Johnny Cash song. It’s like a murder ballad. I don’t know. It kind of all came out of that. I loved ‘Jolene.’ I’ve been singing it for 10 years. But I never really understood it until the last few years. I never quite sang them as well until now.”
When asked if there’s a Miriam in her life or someone she was fantasizing when working on this, Jones replied, “I would never fantasize about killing somebody.”
Watch the video:
