Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)


"Close Your Eyes " is a song by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels, with guest vocals by Zack de la Rocha. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Run the Jewels 2, on September 30, 2014.

Origin

explained de la Rocha's participation in the song as the result of a chance encounter: "when I was in L.A. working on the record I bumped in to him literally on the way to the studio. He came by and listened to what we had and a day later was recording with us."

Music video

The music video, which Exclaim! called "fiery", portrays an extended wrestling match between an exhausted white police officer and an equally-exhausted black civilian.
Rolling Stone noted that at no point in the fight does either combatant reach for the officer's gun, while Spin stated that it was "immensely raw, nuanced, and powerful", and emphasized that, throughout the fight, "either really gains an edge over the other one, and it's unclear why, exactly, they were fighting in the first place." The Riverfront Times interpreted the video's concluding scene — the two men fight their way into a house, up a flight of stairs, and into a bedroom, where they collapse on the same bed — to mean that "both men will rest and awaken tomorrow to begin the battle anew".

Reception

Fact described the song as "breathless" and "pneumatic", while Vibe found it to be "highly energetic". Stereogum called it "hammering buzzing" and "just a ridiculous banger that you obviously need to hear this minute", and compared its hook — de la Rocha's voice "chopped up" — to the work of Swiss Beatz.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted that it is "arguably ' most popular song"; similarly, The Daily Reveille declared it to be "rguably the best song on ", lauding de la Rocha's contributions to the song — in particular the "arresting hook at the beginning".