This work is a powerful approach to music video as the first posthumous Prince music video it tackles the emotional fallout of gun violence.

Gun violence is, more than anything else, about the aftermath—the loss, the grief, the haunted lives left in the wake of a fleeting shot. Amid politicians’ perpetual handwringing over when the “right” time is to talk about solutions to this epidemic, this exquisitely lensed video testifies to the notion that, at least for tens of thousands of Americans this year, it’s already too late.

This is a powerful new video for “Mary Don’t You Weep,” a rare recording of the 19th Century spiritual that is featured on Piano & A Microphone 1983. This is the first original Prince video to be released posthumously. Shot in New York City, the video makes an emotive statement around gun violence and its continued devastating impact on youth in America. The video pays tribute to the nearly 1,300 children that die and 5,790 that are treated for gunshot wounds each year in the United States alone. It puts the effect of what happens when a mother and a community lose a son under the microscope, exploring the agony, the resolve and ultimately hope for change.

The video, shot in New York, opens with footage of African-Americans attempting to console a young man as his spirit watches over. The music is sparse, as Prince plays funky, jazzy chords that breathe along with him as he inhales and exhales the song’s words. The footage then shows the spirit as he sees his family and friends mourning him and follows him as he goes to his own funeral. Midway through, Prince makes a diversion, singing some of the lyrics to “Strange Relationship” – a pop song he’d later record for Sign ‘O’ the Times (complete with the F word) – but somehow it fits the morose mood, which is amplified through the creative story by taking a break halfway through to show the young man’s mother’s breakdown. It ends with another poignant Prince quote.

The messaging in the video links thematically to Prince’s past activist work in Baltimore in 2015 around the death of Freddie Gray and the resulting riots that ensued in the city and beyond. That year, Prince released a protest song titled “Baltimore” – along with an accompanying documentary style video – directed squarely at the need for more compassion and peace, an ever-present theme he echoed through his career. Prince sings in the song: “Peace is more than the absence of war… We’re tired of cryin’ and people dyin’, let’s take all the guns away”. Beyond the release of the song, Prince hosted a special tribute concert that year in Baltimore on Mother’s Day, titled Rally 4 Peace, described in an official statement at the time as “a catalyst for pause and reflection following the outpouring of violence that has gripped Baltimore and areas throughout the US”.

The previous “Baltimore” video ends with a powerful quote Prince delivered during an impassioned speech at his 2015 Rally 4 Peace event: “The system is broken. It’s going to take young people to fix it. We need new ideas, new life…”. The new video for “Mary Don’t You Weep” begins with that same quote, a symbolic reminder underscoring Prince’s earlier messaging on the topic and a timely reflection on the need for positive change.

The video's reaction on social and with press was outstanding and aligned with respect for the creativity and message this work wanted to portray. See examples below:

"The Video for Prince's Unearthed 'Mary Don't You Weep' Is a Chilling Depiction of Gun Violence" Esquire

"A quivering hand, a heavy sigh, a pause – this is an exploration of grief that feels all too real" Little Black Book

"Moving" Independent

"A visual poem haunted by the history of the black experience in America" Pitchfork

"Stunning" The Fader