| "This Land" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byGary Clark Jr. | ||||
| from the albumThis Land | ||||
| Released | January 10, 2019 (2019-01-10) | |||
| Genre | Blues rock | |||
| Length | 5:42 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Gary Clark Jr. singles chronology | ||||
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"This Land" is a song by Americanblues rock artistGary Clark Jr., from his fourth studio albumof the same name. The song was released on January 10, 2019, as the album'slead single, throughWarner Bros. Records. An official music video was released the same day. "This Land" received positive reviews from music critics, and won bothBest Rock Performance andBest Rock Song at the62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Clark Jr. recorded the track, as well as most of theThis Land album, with aGibson SG electric guitar plugged into aCésar Díaz amplifier and aMarshallspeaker cabinet.[1]
"This Land" is ablues rock song,[2] rooted in areggae-stylevamp with blues guitarlicks.[3]
"This Land" was inspired by an incident in which Clark's neighbor repeatedly asked who lived on the singer's 50 acres (20 ha) property inAustin, Texas, and would not believe that Clark, a Black man, owned the home.[4]
The lyrics make several references to other songs and aspects of American culture. One of the opening lines, "Fifty acres and Model A", reflect the promise offorty acres and a mule to be given to families of freed American slaves, while the title of the song is a direct reference to the famousWoody Guthrie folk song "This Land Is Your Land".[5] Clark Jr., who previously chose to stay away from making overtly political music, used the works of Guthrie,Big Bill Broonzy, andLead Belly as inspiration for "This Land".[6]
Music critics who reviewedThis Land tended to emphasize the differences between the title track and the rest of the album. Writing forPitchfork, Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the way that Clark Jr. was able to "[channel] his anger over this casual racism into a dose of fury so controlled, its origin becomes obscured", but mentioned that the track "isn't necessarily a harbinger for the rest of" the album.[7]
An official music video for "This Land" was released the same day as the song. Directed bySavanah Leaf, the video was filmed on Clark Jr.'s Texas property and depicts a young boy surrounded by symbols of American racism, such as theConfederate battle flag.[8]
"This Land" was nominated for three awards at the62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2019:Best Rock Performance,Best Rock Song, andBest Music Video. It won the former two, and lost the latter to "Old Town Road" byLil Nas X andBilly Ray Cyrus.[9]
| Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 62nd Annual Grammy Awards | Best Rock Performance | Won | [9] |
| Best Rock Song | Won | |||
| Best Music Video | Nominated |
Clark Jr. first performed "This Land" live on January 10, 2019, with a performance onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He also debuted "Feed the Babies", another song fromThis Land, accompanied byJon Batiste and theStay Humanhouse band.[10] On February 16, 2019, Clark Jr. performed "This Land" and "Pearl Cadillac" when he starred as the weekly musical guest onSaturday Night Live.[11] He next performed the song live at the62nd Annual Grammy Awards, withThe Roots serving as his backing band. Clark Jr. performed against a backdrop of an Antebellum-era mansion, with flames growing higher in the background.[12]
Music
| Technical
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Credits adapted fromTidal.[13]
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USAdult Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[14] | 34 |
| USHot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[15] | 42 |