SINGLE REVIEW: MARY ELLEN “HE GOT A GUN”
“He’s Got a Gun” has a bass-driven eerie vibe hovering over a heavy topic. Tackling violence and extremism, the Ireland-based Mary Ellen brings attention to the normalization of high school shootings in the US through her music.
With compassion and understanding, the verses explore the perspective of a 16-year-old facing the possibility of death before truly experienced life. In contrast to the shocking nature of this event, Raw, unembellished vocal delivery highlights the normalization of violence and danger children in the US are exposed to.
Photo credit: Mary Ellen
“I wrote this song during the pandemic; however, the idea came about while I was living in New York,” said Mary Ellen, “my manager (in a bar) at the time had lived in America for 12 years, and after her 6-year-old son came home from a school shooting drill that was treated as normal as anything, she decided to move back to Ireland. I just found it insane that children are just expected to be prepared for the possibility of getting shot at school.”
The perspective of the shooter has a psychotic glare on top of the eerie soundscape. Mary Ellen channeled a different personality through the change of tone in her vocal expression, introducing us to a sick mentality where the shooter seeks attention through extreme measures.
The haunting line “he’s got a gun” is repeated throughout the song. It makes you wonder if there’s a deeper message underneath the obvious. Maybe it was the lack of gun control, or in general, the lack of effort to keep our society safe.