Going On Explained

Going On
Cover:Gnarls Barkley Going On.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Gnarls Barkley
Album:The Odd Couple
Released:June 24, 2008
Recorded:2008
Genre:Soul, R&B
Length:2:54
Label:Warner Music
Producer:Danger Mouse
Prev Title:Run
Prev Year:2008
Next Title:Who's Gonna Save My Soul
Next Year:2008

"Going On" is the second single taken from Gnarls Barkley's second studio album The Odd Couple. It is played in an upbeat hip hop and blues style. The track is also featured on the video game NBA 2K9 as well as the video game NBA 2K16. It was nominated at the 2009 Grammy Awards for 'Best Pop Performance'. "Going On" uses a sample from the track "Folder Man" by Please. The sample is repeated throughout the song, and comes from 1:30–1:35 from the original song. The song is also featured in a 2010 FIFA World Cup commercial by Puma AG, entitled 'The Journey of Football', featuring the Ghanaian national football team. The single was only released on a promotional format.[1]

Track listing

  1. "Going On" - 2:55

Music video

The music video was released on May 9, 2008. It was shot in Jamaica and revolves around a group of people celebrating the discovery of a door that leads to another dimension.[2] Gnarls Barkley does not appear in the video, but one of the main characters does the lip-synching of the song for the first verse. After that, the lead male and female in the video carry the door to a distant field. They then watch as the door opens. The female then throws a rock through the open doorway and, as it reaches the threshold, the space inside the frame splits into several shards of different colors. The two crouch down slowly in front of the door, exchange a glance, and then the male sprints toward the open door and disappears. On the other side of the door, where the male would have appeared had he not disappeared, the words "DON'T FOLLOW ME" appear. The female does not see the words and also sprints towards the door and likewise disappears.

The video was directed by Wendy Morgan – a music video and commercial director. The video draws stylistic inspiration from photographer Clayton James Cubitt's fashion series "Lagos Calling."[3]

In July 2011, the music video was named one of "The 30 All-Time Best Music Videos" by Time.[4]

Charts

Chart (2008)Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart79
Canadian Hot 100[5] 52
UK Singles Chart143
U.S. Billboard Hot 10088
U.S. Billboard Pop 10064
Chart (2010)Peak
position
French Digital Singles Chart[6] 8

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gnarls Barkley – Going On (CD) at Discogs . Discogs.com . 2012-02-18.
  2. Web site: 2018-05-15 . Going On | Gnarls Barkley | Music Video . https://web.archive.org/web/20080920115920/http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=2122478&vid=233066 . dead . September 20, 2008 . MTV . 2012-02-18.
  3. Web site: Jardin. Xeni. Did Gnarls Barkley's video producers "swipe" a photographer's style?. Boing Boing. 7 October 2012.
  4. The 30 All-Time Best Music Videos – Gnarls Barkley, 'Going On'. https://web.archive.org/web/20110926214859/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2085389_2085359_2085384,00.html. dead. September 26, 2011. Time. August 19, 2011. Gilbert. Cruz. July 28, 2011.
  5. Web site: Gnarls Barkley - Going On - Music Charts at aCharts.us.
  6. Web site: Download Single Top 50 - 08/05/2010 . French . Lescharts.com . 2010-05-08.