Wilco Unveil Music Video For ‘Meant To Be’ From ‘Cousin’ Album
Wilco Unveil Music Video For Cousinʼs “Meant To Be,” Filmed at Chicagoʼs Legendary The Rink
Watch Jeff Tweedy Chat On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Today, Wilco present a new video for Cousin standout, “Meant To Be,” highlighting a special corner of old Chicago. The video was filmed at the legendary southside Chicago roller skating venue, The Rink, one of the birthplaces of “JB Skating.” Started in the early ʻ70s, “JB Skating” is a smooth and laid back style of dance/skating often done in synchronized groups, and frequently to the music of James Brown (thus “JB”). Featuring a dozen local skaters including Calvin Small, an originator of the form, and Darius Sanders, the #1 ranked roller skater in the U.S, the video shows skaters flowing to the music and sync skating amid the multicolored light reflections of The Rinkʼs disco ball, while Wilco performs at the center. What starts off as two separate scenes transforms as the lively song progresses revealing the two worlds have merged into one.
In a recent interview for Spectrum, bandleader Jeff Tweedy had this to say about the song: “ʻMeant To Beʼ is a song I wrote about 3 or 4 years ago to see if I could write a song that maybe would have come out in 1984, or ʻ83…like Echo and the Bunnymen or The Cure, and I ended
up writing a song that sounded like it was some suppressed memory of being heartbroken about somebody maybe not wanting to hang out with me in the summertime.”
Named one of Rolling Stoneʼs Best Albums of 2023, Cousin was produced by the singular Welsh artist Cate Le Bon and marks the first time Wilco have handed the reins over to a producer outside their immediate circle of collaborators since 2007ʼs Sky Blue Sky. “Iʼm cousin to the world,” Tweedy confesses. “I donʼt feel like Iʼm a blood relation, but maybe Iʼm a cousin by marriage. Itʼs this feeling of being in it and out of it at the same time.”
Following months and months of touring North America, Europe and the UK last year, next on the horizon for Wilco is a March tour of Japan and Australia in support of Cousin, followed by the Solid Sound Festival, which takes place June 28-30 at MASS Moca in North Adams, MA. Tickets are on sale now.
Earlier this week, Jeff Tweedy returned to the couch of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he discussed his new book, the New York Timesʼ Bestseller WORLD WITHIN A SONG, and more. Published by Penguin Random Houseʼs Dutton, WORLD WITHIN A SONG is “full of anecdotal pleasures that get at more universal truths about how weʼre shaped by art” (Variety).
Watch Jeff Tweedy on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert:
“Songs Can Bypass Our Intellect” – Jeff Tweedy On His New Book About Music
“She Should Have Stopped After ʻJoleneʼ” – Jeff Tweedy On Dolly Parton
Purchase WORLD WITHIN A SONG
Purchase / Listen to Cousin
Watch Lyric Videos for Wilcoʼs Cousin
Wilco Tour Dates:
Wed. Mar. 6 – Tokyo, JP @ Ex Theatre $
Thu. Mar. 7 – Tokyo, JP @ Zepp Haneda $ [SOLD OUT] Fri. Mar. 8 – Osaka, JP @ Hatch $
Tue. Mar. 12 – Brisbane, AU @ Princess Theatre =
Wed. Mar. 13 – Brisbane, AU @ Princess Theatre = [SOLD OUT] Fri. Mar. 15 – Canberra, AU @ Canberra Theatre =
Sat. Mar. 16 – Melbourne, AU @ The Forum =
Sun. Mar. 17 – Melbourne, AU @ The Forum = [SOLD OUT] Mon. Mar. 18 – Melbourne, AU @ The Forum = [SOLD OUT] Thu. Mar. 21 – Sydney, AU @ Opera House = [SOLD OUT] Fri. Mar. 22 – Sydney, AU @ Enmore Theatre =
Fri. Jun. 28 – Sun. Jun. 30 – North Adams, MA @ Solid Sound Festival
$ w/ Finom
= w/ Leah Senior
Jeff Tweedy Tour Dates
Sat. Apr. 20-21 – Boulder, CO @ Bluebird Music Festival Fri. May 31 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
Sat. Jun. 1 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
Praise for Wilco and Cousin
“Nearly 20 years after A Ghost is Born, itʼs thrilling to see Wilco still able to conjure that same magic.”
— Under the Radar, The Top 100 Albums of 2023
“A joy to hear the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born crew leaning into hooky weirdness again.”
– Vulture, The Best Albums of 2023
“Produced by Cate LeBon, Cousin feels frisky and woozy. . . these songs showcase Wilco as an ever adaptable unit, leaning into the deconstructed gnarl of their most experimental work while retaining a resonate sweetness.” — Aquarium Drunkard, 2023 Year in Review
“Cousin is quintessential Wilco” — Wall Street Journal
“As beautiful and even-tempered as this music is, the thing I really love about it is it gets very, very dark in subtle ways, and itʼs often so even-handed that you don’t even notice theyʼre doing it.”
— NPRʼs All Songs Considered
“Cousin is an immensely rewarding album.” — Stereogum
“[Cousin is] a reminder that, as much as Wilco have become known for longevity and sturdy perseverance, the groupʼs creative restlessness remains their calling card.” — Pitchfork
“A deeply layered, musically rich record” — Associated Press
“A 10-piece omakase of Wilcoʼs classic folk-and pop-tinged songcraft expertly paired with the forward-looking experimentalism of the OʼRourke years” — SPIN
Praise for WORLD WITHIN A SONG:
“An extraordinary memoir disguised as a collection of music criticism.”
— Rolling Stone, The Best Music Books of 2023
“If life’s a movie, Tweedy’s has a pretty great soundtrack.” — PEOPLE
“A beautiful, effervescent, and introspective journey.” — Shelf Awareness
“Tweedy is a smart, witty and empathetic writer. His unabashed joy in introducing readers to the music that delights him is infectious and will unleash a flood of associations and memories for anyone who shares that passion.” — BookPage
“Every chapter of World Within a Song is a little gem.” — No Depression
“Tweedy writes like he talks—direct, enthusiastic, relatable, self-aware when heʼs corny—and itʼs a quick and enjoyable read.” — Pitchfork
“This entertaining and enlightening survey hits the right note.” — Publishers Weekly