Justin Bieber Drops Acoustic Version Of ‘Sorry,’ You Should Drop Everything Else [Video]
Justin Bieber has dropped an acoustic version of his new single, “Sorry,” with the track’s producers and collaborators — Skrillex and Blood — in a behind-the-scenes sessions type of video that is fascinating as well as fun.
The 4.17 minute, black-and-white visual is as different as it’s possible to get from the official, brass-laden dancehall banger released last week with a mesmerizing dance video, featuring New Zealand’s ReQuest and The Royal Family umbrella dance crew, which was choreographed, produced and directed by Parris Goebel, and greeted with a hearty, “Yay!” by, well, everyone.
Back to the acoustic Bieber-Skrillex-Blood gem, that is this version of “Sorry.” The video starts with the trio talking about how their set up began and the process and dynamic that followed. As it turned out, Blood (Mike Tucker) and Skrillex (Sonny Moore) collaborated for the first time on Justin’s new album, Purpose. “That’s sick,” says the Biebs, after this revelation.
“The first time we got in the studio, we would just scratch ideas,” Skrillex recalls of early writes sketching with the Biebs, while rolling around a room (studio?) on a hoverboard with the others.
“Honestly? Every single thing was so good, it was hard to figure out where to go because every pass he [Justin] would do was something completely different,” Moore went on.
Justin chimes in at this point, praising Skrillex. “Working with this guy is, like, it’s easy because he just, he cares so much. When you have people who care that’s what goes the extra mile.”
Separating the Canadian from past vocalists he’s worked with who needed a lot of “help,” Skrillex goes on to rave about the “many great ideas” he and the singer came up with in sessions, as well as together with Blood. Moore helmed Purpose as its primary producer, and it bodes well for the record that the trio vibe well.
In “Sorry,” as seen in the 13-second acoustic snippet which Justin rolled out just over a week ago, a sofa serves as the stage.
Sandwiched between Blood and Skrillex (who plays a guitar), the Biebs’ gentle voice kicks off the already familiar lyrics. “You got to go and get angry at all my honesty / You know I try but I don’t do too well with apologies.” Later he sings, “I know, you know, that I made those mistakes maybe once or twice / And by once or twice I mean maybe a couple of hundred times.”
Sonny steps up the pace as Bieber launches into the chorus, “Is it too late now to say I’m sorry? / Because I’m missing more than just your body.”
Moments later, just before the second verse jumps to the second chorus, the Jas Davis/Rory Karmer shot action segues to a skate park. Skrillex and Justin are seen tricking out, before a truly hilarious edit at 3:12 where a deranged-looking Scooter Braun comes into camera-view.
Then, it’s back to the original room, as the Biebs hits the last chorus, followed by hand drum rolls before “Sorry” comes to an end. The final seconds of footage see the singer riffing melismas as singers are wont to do.
Lyrics such as, “Because I’m missing more more than just your body” and other lines prompted most to assume Justin’s “Sorry” was directed at his former girlfriend, Selena Gomez.
However, Justin set the record straight in a chat with Kent “Smallzy’s Surgery” Small of Australia’s Nova 96.9 radio, while backstage at the MTV EMAs in Milan, Italy this past weekend.
The Biebs explained that “Sorry” is his musical, and final, apology, to draw a line under the numerous mea culpas he has made this year for various teen-like moments of acting out, which actually merited perspective and compassion instead of the two-year press and public pile-on that ensued.
Justin explained, “Basically, what it is, is just like it’s kinda the stamp, the end-all of the apologies that I’m giving… to people, to the media. You know, there needs to come a time where they’re just like, ‘we get it.'”
The heartthrob continued, “And, I think putting out a song saying ‘I’m sorry’ puts the finishing icing on the cake and, I don’t know, I’m just ready to move on.”
In the same interview, the pop prince also revealed the deeper meaning for his Purpose album title.
“I just want to let people to know that for a while I felt like I lost my purpose,” Justin explained, “and I feel like I’m gaining it back, and I feel like it’s so important everyone finds their purpose.” [To hear Smallzy’s interview, click here].
He added, “So basically my message is that no matter how far you feel away from who you were, or who you think you were, or whether you’re lost — there’s always room to grow and always room to find your purpose.”
The acoustic “Sorry” video is a welcome low-fi interpretation of the full-on radio version. Hopefully, an uninterrupted visual will arrive at some point, just as it did with the previous jam, “What Do You Mean?” The following tweet may suggest it might.
Working on something special for u
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) October 26, 2015
Purpose touches down November 13.
[Images via Getty Images]
