"Now" is a song by American rock band Paramore. It was released on January 22, 2013 as the first single from their fourth album, the self-titled Paramore. The song impacted radio on January 29, 2013. It is their first single in an album to not feature former band members Josh and Zac Farro since their departure in 2010. "Now" received acclaim from music critics, with reviewers praising its production, lyrical content, and Hayley Williams' vocal delivery on the track. The single achieved moderate commercial success, ranking within the top 20 of Billboard's Hot Rock Songs and Alternative Songs. It is a playable song in the video gameRocksmith 2014.
Background
"Now" was written as a song that helped Paramore transition from the past to the present. According to Hayley Williams, "The first half of this record... was all about getting to a new place, moving forward. And when we wrote 'Now,' by the end of the song I was like 'We're there. We got to that point and now we can really focus on what's next.'"
Reception
"Now" received critical acclaim from critics. David Marchese of Spin rated the song an 8/10 and praised it for being catchy, commenting ""Now" is a pretty nifty bait-and-switch" and said that Paramore has been listening to "weirder" bands. James Brindle of Burton Mail rated the song a 4/5, saying it has a "fantastically catchy chorus and showcases Hayley Williams’ immaculate vocals to great effect" and compared it with Blink-182's newer material. Matthew Leimkuehler of Columbia Missourian rated the song a 5/5, stating "This particular track has more of an edge to it, while still containing one of the best hooks delivered from a rock band in the last few years" and comments that the band can still deliver without the Farro brothers. Popdust rated the song a 4/5, commenting "When Williams sings about not giving up over scrambling drums and frantic guitars on the track’s bridge, it’s hard to not go all in with her."
Music video
The music video was directed by Daniel "Cloud" Campos and was inspired by a piece of artwork by Banksy. Williams explains "The song feels like it has a bit of violence to it, but its not about that at all. It's about embracing something more than that and looking forward to something that maybe you can’t see yet, believing before you see... When people watch the video, I think it comes across, hopefully, clearly that love always wins in the end." The music video premiered on February 11, 2013 on MTV, and was uploaded to the Fueled by RamenYouTube channel the next day. The video begins in the middle of a foggy field with Hayley Williams and a soldier. Their eyes are locked on each other, and then the soldier throws a hand grenade. The song starts as Williams closes her eyes just before the grenade explodes. When she's down, a sequence of action ensues with men who appear to be with Williams fighting men on the soldier's side. As Williams makes a trek towards the soldier, men on her side continuously tackle anyone trying to reach her. Someone hands Williams a color flare she sets off, making soldiers put on gas masks. The others with flares get hit by the soldiers with batons and cause bursts of colored dust as a metaphor for blood. Williams eventually stands face-to-face with the soldier and gets hit with a baton as the song enters the bridge, causing bright blue dust to go everywhere on her. After she looks around and sees Davis and York pinned down, she charges the soldier but is seized by his men. The soldier pulls out a baton and prepares to strike her, but she breaks free and hugs him. His motions freeze, he drops his baton and hugs her back, leaving everyone on the battlefield cheering. The video closes with a shot of Williams still hugging the soldier as he closes his eyes.
