Feet Don’t Fail Me Now // Foxes
Singer/songwriter Foxes has been rapidly growing in popularity over the past three years, and it has been exciting to see how she will use the platform of video to present her music as she grows and develops. Early opportunities went amiss, presumably from low budget, for early songs such as ‘White Coats’; a track with connotations of mental illness that could have been the means for an extremely thoughtful video. Now, following the relative success of debut album Glorious, we are offered ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’. Her best visual representation, and potentially her best track yet, has made the title of the song fantastically polysemic.
The video was initially promoted and released through ‘H&M Loves Music’. Without said video, the song would most likely have been assumed to be about romance. Aching lyrics about fading, unreciprocated love and undeserved forgiveness created a picture of a relationship gone sour. Instead, Foxes expertly twisted this presumption to display a troubled mother/daughter relationship, and a consequently neglected son. The story appears to take on an adaptation of the classic musical Billy Elliot, admirably applied to modern life.
The symbolism of the title ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’ in the video can easily be interpreted many ways – it may be taken literally, in the sense that Foxes’ portrayed younger brother is determined to pursue his passion for dance. It could also be what the phrase traditionally means – relying on your own determination and drive to overcome problems faced in life. All three main characters could present this focus.
We never outright learn what causes the erratic, angry behaviour of Foxes’ mother in the story. This opens up an array of personal interpretations for fans to attach to the video, whether the cause is alcoholism, mental illness, the death of a partner, anger over a partner leaving, or another demon. To overcome it, she will inevitably need her own determination.
Foxes’ character heart-warmingly takes on a maternal role, encouraging her younger brother’s dreams, having fun with him and being affectionate – giving him a childhood. His dances often show sharp movements of frustration, letting out the anger and stress of his household’s atmosphere with the attitude “nothing’s gonna bring me down”; a creative release or distraction from his sobbing and screaming in response to his family fighting early in the video.
Lyrics “I lost faith / there’s nothing left here to say” highlight how Foxes’ character seems to have accepted the fate of the family’s relationship. “The ghost of us is fading” being the painful realisation that a family life seems out of the picture, and Foxes must ensure she does not neglect her brother in the same way as their mother did.
‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’ is a truly refreshing stance over the arguably overused and clichéd topic of romance in song writing and drama. Instead, it depicts the importance of growing up with inspiration, support and idols – whether that be your older sibling or not is up to the viewer.
Words by Natalie Franklin