Savages (song)

Savages
Information
Artist	Kerli
Album	Shadow Works
Released	November 30, 2018
Genre	Pop Alternative Electronic
Length	3:09
Label	Seeking Blue
Writer(s)	Kerli Kõiv David Dahlquist Even Sarucco
Producer(s)	Kill Dave
Single chronology
Previous	Never Gone
Current	Savages
Next	Better
Shadow Works tracklist
Previous	Everybody Bleeds the Same
Current	Savages
Next	One

Savages is a song performed by Kerli released, as her first single from her third studio album, Shadow Works, on November 30, 2018. The trak is Kerli's first solo single since Spirit Animal, released in december 2016. The music video for the single was filmed in Estonia and was released on March 21, 2019.

Artwork

The photo for the artwork was taken by Estonian photographer Jörgen Paabu during the Shadow Works era photoshoot. The cover portrays Kerli in the role of Tantrika, the female protagonist of the Savages music video.

Music video

This section is under construction.

The music video production, in collaboration with American filmmaker Everett Lee Sung, known professionally as IIZII, started on November 23, 2018. It was first published on Kerli's official YouTube account on March 15, 2019, but only as a private video; the official release occurred on March 21. For the music video, two songs were actually used: Savages, as the main song, and Shadow Works (Outro) As of June 26, 2019, the video reached 1,4 million views. Moreover, a behind-the-scenes video was published on May 15, 2019: the video shows Kerli and her team preparing the costumes and the set objects.

Plot

As the video begins, the camera portrays Kerli being still, completely dressed in white, with a white snake around the neck; soon after, Kerli's whole figure can be seen: the snake is not on her neck, but is now twisted around a long Ahnk sceptre. As the song Shadow Works (Outro) progresses, a new, dark, scenario insinuates in the idyllic one: Tantrika, the shadow part of the female lover, is introduced. She is dressed all black, and even her hair is dark. Even though the focus returns for a while to the "white woman", Tantrika regains the attention, and the song Savages begins. The lovers are introduced at the beginning, and they are two completely different people: the woman, presumably Kerli herself, has pale skin, a white costume and white long hair; whereas, on the other side, the man has dark skin and black pants. They lay on a carpet made of white roses, and they seem to be having a romantic and sexual encounter, judging by their poses throughout the video. As the second verse begins, Oni, the shadow part of the male lover, is introduced. The viewer can see both of the "shadows" dancing individually in front of what seems a new moon. Right in the middle of the second pre-chorus, the "white woman" is being covered with a black blanket. Returning to the main characters, the man seems to abuse his lover, choking and assaulting her with violence. When the outro of the song begins, the climax of their relationship is consumed: the male protagonist, with the sword that has always been seen in the hands of his shadow Oni only, now kills the woman, in what seems a kind of sacrifice on an altar.

Savages digital storybook

On March 26, Kerli started the Savages digital storybook on her Instagram account. She said she "wanted to take [the fans] deeper into the characters and their journey this time around". The storybook consisted in seven chapters, corresponding to seven triplets of Instagram post: each chapter explored different sides of the Savages story.

Symbology and meanings

Differences between the Rod of Asclepius, the Caduceus and Kerli's sceptre.

The music video for Savages is full symbolism and deeper meaning, which often refers to Kerli's personal life experience. First of all, the two Lovers are the main protagonists of both the song and the music video. Kerli herself wrote in the Savages digital storybook, they were “just two hungry souls” who, “expelled from God’s presence, found God in each other”. This story immediately resembles the Christian myth of Adam and Eve, who were banished by God from the Garden of Eden after eating fruit from the forbidden tree (the tree of knowledge of good and evil). Like Adam and Eve, the Lovers found in each other not only the complementary part, but also a piece of the divine essence. At the beginning of their story, they both exchanged love letters, and the man also promised, with "a drop of [his] blood", that their relationship will last forever. Nonetheless, he assassinated his lover in a ritual sacrifice, presumably because of the takeover of their shadows: as Kerli wrote in the Savages digital storybook, they "could not keep the innocence alive".

Secondly, the opposition between light and darkness, which is present from the beginning to the very end. A similar theme is present in the Diamond Hard music video. However, in the latter, the contrast between light and shadow is represented by Vägi and the Eye respectively, which are common figures in Estonian mythology. In the Savages music video, the opposition is taken to a more personal and inner level: as a matter of fact, Tantrika and Oni are the dark sides of the two Lovers. In Jungian psychology, the “shadow” is an unconscious aspect of the personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself. It is the home of everything one does not want to see in himself or herself. In this case, Kerli stated that Tantrika is "a master of self-sabotage", that "she fights ghosts where there are none" and that she is "addictive and addicted equally": Tantrika, therefore, has self-destructive tendencies that lead her to perceive danger and menaces every time, even when nothing can threat her. Moreover, she uses "sexuality in order to avoid connecting [to people] emotionally", meaning that she uses her physical appearance to establish a social relationship with others because doing so with emotions would require a deeper and more serious involvement she is not prepared to have. On the other side, the key-word of Oni is destruction: when Tantrika's ability was self-sabotage, Oni is specialized in leaving behind nothing but "dying hearts", since "he struggles with self-control". The reason of this difference between the two shadows is rooted in the opposing view of "feminine energy and "masculine energy": as Kerli herself said in multiple videos, the former is about receptivity, the latter about action. For this reason, Tantrika, by being subject to events, leads herself to destruction; on the other hand, Oni, by being active creation of the events, gives action to annihilation itself. These two types of destructive shadows are in opposition to the healthy and good side, represented by the "white woman", who is literally a carrier for a cure to heal the female lover.

Thirdly, the Ankh sceptre the "white woman" is holding throughout the video resembles the Rod of Asclepius, for its snake that is twisted around. In Greek mythology, the Rod of Asclepius, also known as the Staff of Asclepius, is a serpent-entwined rod wielded by the Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing and medicine. The symbol has continued to be used in modern times, where it is associated with medicine and health care. Theories have been proposed about the Greek origin of the symbol and its implications. The significance of the serpent has been interpreted in many ways; sometimes the shedding of skin and renewal is emphasized as symbolizing rejuvenation, while other assessments centre on the serpent as a symbol that unites and expresses the dual nature of the work of the physician, who deals with life and death, sickness and health. The Rod of Asclepius symbol is often confused with the Caduceus, symbol of commerce associated with the Greek god Hermes. The Caduceus symbol consisted of a rod with two snakes coiled around it. This rod was represented with two wings on the top and two snakes to symbolize diligence and prudence, two characteristics very necessary in trading activities. As regards Kerli's personal interpretation of the Rod of Asclepius, she decided to add an Ankh probably to remark the connection between being alive (the Ankh us an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol commonly used to represent the word for "life" and, by extension, as a symbol of life itself) and being healthy at the same time, in opposition to the "toxic" relationship represented in the video.

Lyrics

As I cough out fire
You're lighting up
And you burn me with every maybe
And I cut the chords and I break the locks
But I'm powerless in your slavery

And I curse this hell
And I hate your guts
And I swear I will pay for this craving never again

But we'll be making love like savages
I'll lick the poison from right off your kiss
Fall on rosy thorns for a taste of lethal bliss
Oh we'll be making love like savages
Savages
Savages

As I choke on flames
You light up your torch
Each of my defeats is your victory
And I walk barefoot on a field of swords
You have mastered the art of cruelty

And I curse this hell
And I hate your guts
And I swear I'll dance with the devil never again

But we'll be making love like savages
I'll lick the poison from right off your kiss
Fall on rosy thorns for a taste of lethal bliss
Oh we'll be making love like savages
Savages
Savages

Savages
Savages

Track listing

1. Savages - 3:09

Credits and personnel

Song

Brian Malouf – mixing, mastering Cyrus Saidi – executive producer David "Kill Dave" Dahlquist – composer, producer, programming, piano, guitar

Even "EvenS" Sarucco – composer Kerli Kõiv – composer, vocal producer, lead vocals, background vocals, recording, programming, piano, guitar

Visual and design

• Jörgen Paabu - photographer, design

Music video

Bertil Tarbe - key grip Blender - catering Carola Madis - producer, first assistant director Cyrus Saidi - producer Eventech - gear Everett "IIZII" Lee Sung - director, editor Freddy Saunanem - 1st AC Hansel Rivero - actor ("Oni") Highvoltage - gear Kaja Seppel (Intersalon) - hair

Kasper Raidam - producer, gaffer Kerli Kõiv - actress ("Tantrika"), director, costume designer, set designer, styling Martin Venela - director of photography Piret Kõiv - set designer Poska Kohvik - catering Raido Kusk - location manager Uulits - catering Widescreen Studios - location

Special thanks

Eghert Sören Nõmm Jonny-Harrison Nõmmik Jörgen Paabu Paivi Kõiv

Piret Kõiv Toivo Kõiv Vaike Kõiv

Gallery

Kerli - Savages (Behind the Scenes) (Part I)