Nathan Leigh Jones and Director Josef Weber speak exclusively to TheAussieWord about their latest musical masterpiece. Crying Out For Love is the brand new single from talented Aussie Nathan Leigh Jones – wonderfully directed by the creative Josef Weber.
theaussieword.com has the World Premiere!
This video was directed by the very talented Josef J Weber. We’ve worked together before, on an earlier video for ‘Beautiful You’. I was so happy with how Beautiful You turned out. At one point last year, it was the #1 most requested song on Foxtel’s music channel MAX, which was super exciting. Josef and I were catching up for coffee a few months ago and I was telling him an idea I wished I could do someday for Crying Out For Love. Josef doesn’t mess around! Since he’s also passionate about the marriage equality movement, he was like, “Let’s do it! I’m directing it!”, and the video quickly became a reality. He totally delivered too… this video has a lot of heart and I’m so proud of what we captured.
It’s funny, this project was more like a documentary than a music video. No green screens or windswept fans in this clip! The apartment is mine, the rally was real, we paid no extras. I’m wearing basic clothes from my wardrobe and we filmed most of it around my neighbourhood. Obviously we knew the rally was happening and we based the concept around it, but we were blown away by the scale of it when we got there. It was amazing! So many people in support of equal rights for GLBT marriage equality. The passion and love in the air was magic, and made for an incredible day of filming.
I grew up in a pretty religious family. Yep, the evangelical Christian kind. My closest friends have known that I liked guys for a while, but it’s only been recently that I’ve opened up about being gay to my wider circle of family and friends. The process was hard, but it’s been worth it. Sometimes it can feel more comfortable going under the radar, but I think everyone has an opportunity to make their voice heard about issues that are important. Making this video has been another step in my journey of being more open and transparent with who I am. I also think it’ll be a great memento to show my nieces, nephews, or even my own kids in years to come… hopefully they’ll be confused as to why we even had to hold rallies that beg for a basic human right like equal love! These are exciting times, and I’m so thankful to be living in this moment when people are putting aside their fears and standing for what is right.
Marriage equality should be important to everyone. I, more than most, know the arguments against same sex marriage. I’ve lived and breathed them my entire life. Unfortunately, these arguments did exactly what they intended to do — they made me feel like less of a human being for something I had no choice in. I’m sick of the “civil unions are fine” argument, the “only between a man and a woman” argument, the “my religion says so” argument. These arguments no longer carry any weight. We’re a new generation. We make our own definitions. And what we know in the 21st century is that dudes can love dudes, and girls can love girls. It’s normal. It’s beautiful. Australia, let’s hurry up and make it legal… we’re crying out for love!
Josef Weber ‘Director’…
Thank you for touching base in regards to the Crying Out For Love video! We shot the piece over two weekends in glorious Sydney. Nathan and I were having coffee one morning and he told me how he wanted to shoot a video for COFL and incorporate the marriage equality rally that Community Action Against Homophobia were conducting into a video that told a simple yet effective story. We shot the narrative pieces the weekend before the rally and then we just jumped right into filming the rally the weekend after. The rally was so insane to shoot because you have hundreds of people right behind and all around you and you need to get the coverage and make something dynamic to compliment your narrative. The folk at CAAH were great supporters and embraced the shoot and what we wanted to create. Marriage equality is at boiling point right now and the whole world is looking at Australia because we are portrayed as a country of free speech and beautiful people but when it comes to equal rights for all it falls flat. This video is intended to spread a great message and create further awareness amongst communities and abroad. It was a special moment seeing this video reach fruition today because I played a part in a great cause by doing what I love which is directing and bringing people together. 
CRYING OUT FOR LOVE is the new single for Sydney based singer/songwriter and piano player Nathan Leigh Jones.The second song from his acclaimed album ‘Sooner or Later’ to receive its own music video, Crying Out For Love is an uplifting mid-tempo anthem that celebrates more of what we have in common, rather than what separates us. With the spotlight currently on marriage equality for GLBT folks around the world, Nathan has used this video to show his support and raise further awareness for this important issue.
Filmed over two days in Sydney, the music video incorporates a rally held on May 25, 2013 that was organised by CAAH (Community Action Against Homophobia). It captures the excitement, anticipation and sense of community surrounding this movement, and sits perfectly alongside the lyrics of the song:
Black or white or any shade between
Straight or gay, it doesn’t matter
Any faith we do or don’t believe
The one thing that we can’t deny is
Everybody’s crying out for love…”
The song itself was recorded at Sydney’s prestigious Studios 301 (Coldplay, Silverchair, Lady Gaga), featuring guitars by Dan Warner (Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna) and drums by Lee Levin (Christina Aguilera, Pink, Kelly Clarkson). The track also features a 20 piece vocal ensemble made up of members of the Sydney Philharmonia Choir. Crying Out For Love is now playing on VEVO, is available for download from iTunes, and is currently streaming on Spotify.
theaussieword.com caught up with Nathan Leigh Jones for a special interview early last year – click here for more.