Have you ever associated a song so closely with its music video that it feels weird to listen to the song by itself? For me, Switchfoot’s “Awakening” is one of those songs.
This music video takes us back to 2007, when Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero were culturally significant games played at high school parties across America. Then again, maybe that was only my high school experience.
“Awakening” appears on Switchfoot’s 2006 album, Oh! Gravity. The band’s record label did little promotion for the “Awakening” single, so Switchfoot funded the music video themselves, which fans eagerly shared online to help promote the song.
Brandon Dickerson directed the video, which was filmed in Los Angeles while Switchfoot was on tour. You can read a 2007 interview with Dickerson here about the process of creating the video – it’s super interesting! Switchfoot’s songs have addressed some difficult topics, but with the “Awakening” video, the band showed that they have a fun, lighthearted side as well, and I love that.
If you’re interested, here’s a “making of” video from a Switchfoot TV podcast:
Between the Notes 