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It’s been 21 years since The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus debuted “Face Down,” a song about a woman experiencing domestic violence. Today, the band is back with an updated version of the music video, and an emphasis on one specific line: “A new life she has found.”
The song is a very personal one for the brothers in the band — frontman Ronnie Winter and guitarist, Randy Winter. While they grew up in a house witnessing domestic violence, their mother is doing great today, which is a story that was important to tell. Additionally, they have partnered with a charity domesticshelters.org.
In an exclusive interview with Variety, Ronnie explains that he was “intimidated” by the thought of competing with the first video.
“I lost sleep over it, and I couldn’t even come close to anything worth writing down. I expressed my dismay to [director] Angela Defoe, and she said let me try to write a story around the new version. Randy did an amazing job with the music. Once I read the story pitch from Angela I was completely blown away,” he says. “I absolutely knew she had to direct to protect the story, because it was very bold. It was everything I could not come up with and more. It just fit.”
Although the lyrics remain unchanged, Ronnie’s tone is different in this version.
“The way I sing the melodies evolved as well as the entire production of the actual music being played. I wanted more emphasis specifically on the line ‘a new life she has found’ because my mother wound up having a really fantastic life after we all went through hell as a family,” he explains. “It was important for me to show that things can get better if you make tough decisions.”
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The video, produced by A+R Productions, features Kendra Cover, the actress from the original 2006 video. The child in the video is Wolfgang, Ronnie’s son he shares with his wife, Defoe.
The All American Rejects performed for 80,000 ticketholders at the When We Were Young festival on Sunday, Oct. 23, and closed with a powerful performance of the song.
“Although the comebacks are at an all time high, this band has never broken up or taken an official hiatus,” he tells Variety. “With that being said, It was one of my favorite sets in my entire career. Mainly because we were one of the first bands to play after day 1 ended so tragically. The vibe was high. It was like everyone all, at once, took a deep breathe and said, ‘Ok, this is really happening,’ which was really needed. In that moment, we were all united. It really was beautiful. I’m grateful I was alive to see it, and I felt honored to be a part of it in my small way.”
Watch the new video below:
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