In the music video for one of the songs from his “JESUS IS KING” album, “Closed on Sunday”, Kanye West explores his internal religious conflict, calling on the audience to devote themselves to the goal of being more upright and spiritually-focused individuals.
Cinematically, the videoclip seems to be intended to depict the long road towards spiritual awareness. The soft lights of the sunrise, combined with the general desaturation of the shots convey a survivalist feel, thus helping us understand who the real protagonist is – Nature (which represents God).
At 1:29, we can see the singer standing at the edge of a huge, snow covered boulder, as he bows to the king upon the throne, as he sings. He is at the centre of the frame, but as the camera zooms in, he remains a minuscule piece of the entire universe. He is not highlighted, and we barely see his face. Instead, the increased perspective shows us how enormous and majestic the landscape is – perfectly portraying his recovered relationship with God.
The artist visually argues against modern society, dominated by power and coercion; a society where symbolic interactionism is so deeply rooted in our minds that individuals can only understand themselves based on what they perceive others think of them.
West is, on the other hand, presenting himself as somebody that is not afraid to state what he believes in to the entire world, despite knowing that many will not accept it.
It is important to stress that the shooting location is his 4000-acres ranch in Wyoming – the same place where, in another music video, “Follow God”, Kanye’s father is astonished when he realizes that a black man owns that much land. Speaking out against racism has always been an important goal in his artistic work, and in this video he doesn’t miss the chance to do so, by bringing with him all his family and community in the so-called state of nature, outside of society, the only place where we can truly see society as a whole. The video begins, in fact, with a long line of tank-like vehicles, in what seems the equivalent of a Christian pilgrimage.
As he walks seemingly aimlessly together with his wife and children (0:32), West introduces the reason why he began his conversion process: family. As functionalism can help us understand, family is a complex social structure which performs several essential functions for society. Among many others: it gives emotional and practical support for its members; it teaches moral values to children and provides them social identity.
In order to do so, the artist found that following God’s principles can help him in his complicated role as a parent. Reflecting the common worries about our modern lives, he shows us the simplest way to protect our kids from media indoctrination and negative influences: just walk with them; be their shield in front, but also their shadow when they will leave their nest.
By giving is iconic last line to her daughter North – chick-fil-A, the well-known American fast food chain which is closed on Sunday, the day of the Lord, thus the name of the song – he visually represent his life true meaning: caring for his children, his wife, and his family.
Finally, at 1:54, West has completed his conversion: we can see him staying still in the middle of a gospel choir, which represents the strength of his inner voice, now reinforced by Jesus presence.
This song, together with the entire album “Jesus is King“, is an unusual turn in West’s career, having previously heavily criticized religious beliefs and exalted material values such as fame, power and wealth.
Nonetheless, the entire video is a shoutout to Jesus and living in his social values against a “culture” which may encourage people to do otherwise.
