Paul Weller's brand new single 'I Woke Up' is released today, Monday 3rd June, accompanied by an emotional video directed by Johnny Harris.
The video, which is shot in black and white, depicts a day in the life of a homeless man in London and is shot on the site of the old ‘cardboard city’ near Waterloo. The film ends with a call to help homeless charity St Mungo's.
Johnny and Paul also feature on the front of this week's Big Issue magazine in which they talk about the song, the video and the need for an end to homelessness. In the interview Johnny talks about his inspiration behind the video and his desire to highlight the issue in a different way, "I thought we could do something that spoke to me, which was, there are incredible people out there, like St Mungo’s, trying to get solutions. I wanted to draw attention to that.” He goes on to say, “I think an artist’s job is to present the truth. From that, whoever wants to take it up can. Whether it’s the people, whether it’s politicians – the supposed leaders. I’m more interested in dealing with people who are actively working on the solution.”
This is the second video that Johnny has directed for Paul Weller, the first being for his 2018 single 'Gravity'. “I know he’s after the truth,” says Weller. “I’ve got absolute faith in him.” They also worked together on Johnny's BAFTA and BIFA nominated film Jawbone, for which Paul wrote the soundtrack.
Watch the video and find out more about St Mungo's and how to help. You can read an extract from the Big Issue interview or purchase from a local vendor to read in full.
Johnny Harris is available for voiceovers from Anthea Represents. Click his image for his profile page and voiceover showreel.
