Sia’s “The Greatest” is a Powerful Tribute to the Pulse Nightclub Shooting Victims
Sia and Kendrick Lamar have paired up to honor the victims of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting with a poignant and uplifting new single, “The Greatest”.
On June 12, 2016 an armed twenty-nine year old man, who doesn’t deserve to be named, shot and killed forty-nine people and wounded fifty-three others at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
The man had sworn allegiance to ISIL, but when authorities dug deeper, it looked more like that was more self-aggrandizing than anything. The truth seemed to be far more tied up in his inability to accept his sexuality, but we’ll never really know. Either way, this was the deadliest mass-shooting by a single person and the deadliest domestic terrorist attack in the US since 9/11.
It’s also the deadliest attack against LGBT persons in the United States to date.
Two days ago, Sia dropped a surprise single, “The Greatest.” The song, and the provocative and poignant music video, is a tribute to the victims of the Pulse shooting. Check out the video below:
Sia collaborated with Kendrick Lamar, although his verse does not appear in the music video version of the song. Check out the version featuring Kendrick Lamar below:
The video features Maddie Ziegler (Dance Moms, So You Think You Can Dance), who has appeared in other Sia videos like “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart”. Forty-nine total dancers grace us with their emotional and powerful routine in the video- the exact number of victims from Pulse.
The video starts out with a hashtag: #WeAreYourChildren, and the dancers range from young kids to teenagers (it seems), representing the differences between us, and the childlike joyfulness that is missing from the world now that these people are gone.
Image via YouTube
The images in this video are powerful. Warning: You may cry. From piled up bodies to rainbow paint on Maddie’s face (almost like rainbow tears), it is clear that Sia is sending a clear message:
There is no room in this world for hate.
Take a look at the lyrics for “The Greatest” below:
"[Verse 1: Sia]Uh-oh, running out of breath, but IOh, I, I got staminaUh-oh, running now, I close my eyesWell, oh, I got staminaAnd uh-oh, I see another mountain to climbBut I, I, I got staminaUh-oh, I need another love, be mineCause I, I, I got stamina[Pre-Chorus: Sia]Don’t give up, I won’t give upDon’t give up, no no noDon’t give up, I won’t give upDon’t give up, no no no[Chorus: Sia]I’m free to be the greatest, I’m aliveI’m free to be the greatest here tonight, the greatestThe greatest, the greatest aliveThe greatest, the greatest alive[Verse 2: Sia]Well, uh-oh, running out of breath, but IOh, I, I got staminaUh-oh, running now, I close my eyesBut, oh, I got staminaAnd oh yeah, running through the waves of loveBut I, I got staminaAnd oh yeah, I’m running and I’ve just enoughAnd uh-oh, I got stamina[Pre-Chorus: Sia][Chorus: Sia][Post-Chorus: Sia]Oh-oh, I got staminaOh-oh, I got staminaOh-oh, I got staminaOh-oh, I got stamina[Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar]Hey, I am the truthHey, I am the wisdom of the fallen – I’m the youthHey, I am the greatestHey, this is the proofHey, I work hard, pray hard, pay dues, heyI transform with pressure – I’m hands-on with effortI fell twice before my bounce back was specialLetdowns will get you, and the critics will test youBut the strong will survive, another scar may bless you, ah[Pre-Chorus: Sia (Kendrick Lamar)][Chorus: Sia][Outro: Sia]The greatest, the greatest alive(Don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up; I got stamina)"