"Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" is a song by American hip-hop duo Run the Jewels, with guest vocals by Zack de la Rocha.Run The Jewels and Zack De La Rocha reveal ‘Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)’ video – watch, by Luke Morgan Britton, at NME; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020 It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Run the Jewels 2 (2014), on September 30, 2014.
Origin El-P explained de la Rocha's participation in the song as the result of a chance encounter: "when I was in L.A. working on the record I bumped in to him literally on the way to the studio. He came by and listened to what we had and a day later was recording with us."Premiere: Hear The Furious Collaboration Between Run The Jewels And Rage Against The Machine's Zack De La Rocha, by Reggie Ugwu, at BuzzFeed; published October 13, 2014; retrieved June 4, 2020
Music video The music video (directed by AG Rojas), which Exclaim! called "fiery",Run the Jewels "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" (video) (ft. Zach de la Rocha), by Alex Hudson, at Exclaim!; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020 portrays an extended wrestling match between an exhausted white police officer (Shea Whigham) and an equally-exhausted black civilian (LaKeith Stanfield).Run the Jewels and Zack De La Rocha's "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" Video Is a Battle Between Cop and Unarmed Black Man, by Zoe Camp, at Pitchfork; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020
Rolling Stone noted that at no point in the fight does either combatant reach for the officer's gun,See Run the Jewels’ Police Violence-Themed Clip ‘Close Your Eyes’, by Kory Grow, at Rolling Stone; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020 while Spin stated that it was "immensely raw, nuanced, and powerful", and emphasized that, throughout the fight, "(n)either [combatant] really gains an edge over the other one, and it's unclear why, exactly, they were fighting in the first place." Run the Jewels Just Released the Most Powerful Music Video of the Year, by James Grebey; at Spin; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020 The Riverfront Times (which considered the song to be "incendiary") interpreted the video's concluding scene — the two men fight their way into a house, up a flight of stairs, and into a bedroom, where they collapse on the same bed — to mean that "both men will rest and awaken tomorrow to begin the battle anew".Run the Jewels' Video for "Close Your Eyes" Is Gripping Commentary on Black Lives Matter Movement, by Daniel Hill, at the Riverfront Times; published March 26, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020
Reception Fact described the song as "breathless" and "pneumatic",Run The Jewels 2, reviewed by Louis Pattison, in Fact; published October 14, 2014; retrieved June 4, 2020 while Vibe found it to be "highly energetic".Review: Run The Jewels Make It Rain During Wet Set At Brooklyn Northside Festival, by Darryl Robertson, at Vibe; published June 15, 2015; retrieved June 4, 2020 Stereogum called it "hammering (and) buzzing" and "just a ridiculous banger (...) that you obviously need to hear this minute", and compared its hook — de la Rocha's voice "chopped up" — to the work of Swiss Beatz.Run The Jewels – “Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)” (Feat. Zack De La Rocha), by Tom Breihan, at Stereogum; published October 13, 2014; retrieved June 4, 2020
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted that it is "arguably [Run the Jewels]' most popular song";Concert review: Run the Jewels uses poetry as protest at Stage AE, by Courtney Linder, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; published January 14, 2017; retrieved June 4, 2020 similarly, The Daily Reveille declared it to be "(a)rguably the best song on (the album)", lauding de la Rocha's contributions to the song — in particular the "arresting hook at the beginning".REVIEW: 'Run the Jewels 2' by Run the Jewels, by Gerald Ducote, in The Daily Reveille; published October 29, 2014; retrieved June 4, 2020
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