Madonna highlights the devastation of gun violence — and our maddening inability to take meaningful action to prevent it — in her chilling new “Gun Control” video. The clip contrasts the joy of nightclub dancing with the brutality of a mass shooting.
“The story you are about to see is very disturbing,” warns the opening text. “It shows graphic scenes of gun violence. But it’s happening every day. And it has to stop.” From there, director Jonas Åkerlund cuts to the deadly shooting, a children’s choir singing at a church vigil, scenes from a Seventies-styled discotheque and modern-day protests against guns and the NRA. In-between, Madonna churns out the song’s lyrics on a typewriter.
“I want to draw attention through my platform as an artist to a problem in America that is out of control and is taking the lives of innocent people,” Madonna said of the video in a statement. “This crisis can end if our legislators act to change the laws that fail to protect us all.”
She elaborated on the clip via Instagram, writing, “This is your wake up call. Gun violence disproportionately affects children, teenagers and the marginalized in our communities … Honor the victims and demand GUN CONTROL. NOW. Volunteer, stand up, donate, reach out. Wake up and insist on common-sense gun safety legislation … Innocent lives depend on it.”
“God Control” is the vocalist’s third single from her recently issued 14th LP, Madame X, following “Medellín” and “Crave.”