Rarely has the baggage and memory of a love lost been visually communicated as well as in “Too Long,” the latest video by Cambridge, Massachusetts MC Connor Donovan. As the video’s lead character carries around an old TV which airs memories of his former flame, Donovan croons, “you been gone too long,” and reminisces on the relationship past.
As Donovan eases into his verse, he just wants the simple things. To ride his bike to her. To spend the night with her. “The sun is rising, I gotta get up for work, but this feeling’s a work of art so you making it hard to leave,” he rhymes.
The lead character is figuratively trapped in a structure of his own creation, moving within a four-walled confine and carrying the memories everywhere. He can’t even enjoy a social gathering. The Yago Hunt-Laudi-ideated video, inspired by Lars Von Trier’s Dogville, fits the vibe of the minimalist track. “Gone Too Long” relies solely on a resonant, forlorn synth, and each note underscores the profound pain that the lead is going through.
Shot entirely in Barcelona by Laudi, the song and video showcase the plunder of heartbreak in a manner that even a lifelong playboy could identify with. According to Donovan, many people have hit him up to compliment the song. Over e-mail, he says:
Having a random person care about what I create enough to message me on social media and tell me really means the world to me. This is a love song. It’s about the reminiscing, the missing and the pain but also the light and the beauty and the learning that you get out of loving someone. Love fascinates me and we merely tried to depict one aspect of love in this video.
Job well done. Time will tell if similar themes will be broached on his upcoming EP, which is coming on Valentines Day of course.
