A Breakdown of the Supplies in Justin Timberlake’s “Supplies”
The Man of the Woods is at it again
By Daniel Chin | Jan 18, 2018, 2:31pm EST | The Ringer
Justin Timberla — sorry, the Man of the Woods — has returned for another new music video, and wow, there’s a lot going on in this one. Whereas the video for his first single, “Filthy,” provided us with JT’s best Steve Jobs impression and a sexy dancing robot, “Supplies” has given us, well … supplies.
Please note, however, that in two music videos for Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods, we’ve seen exactly zero woods. When the album’s track list was released earlier this month, “Supplies” figured to be quite woodsy — focusing on particular materials, perhaps some kindling and a pocket knife Timberlake had gathered to keep warm in his “Flannel” and fend off that “Breeze off the Pond.” You know, just essential “Livin’ off the Land” stuff. But instead, it seems as if Justin himself may be the supplies — or at least the supplier of the supplies — that we need in order to be saved from the end of the world (and all the bad things that come with it, like Harvey Weinstein, President Donald Trump, racism, and ill-considered immigration policies).
To fully comprehend what is going on here, let’s break down the most important supplies in “Supplies.”
Umbrellas
I can’t even begin to explain what’s happening in this scene, though I’m curious about the neck-gun guy:
One thing I do know is we’re meant to notice all of the umbrellas floating in the sky. I’m not sure if they’re all up there to protect these pale characters from the sun, or if the message is that we’re all overly sheltered and protected from TRUE REALITY, but it would be fantastic if you could walk on the street with your hands in your pockets as umbrellas floated above you. Big fan of these — good supply.
Flashlights
Again, I’m perplexed by what Justin is doing with all these people at the Los Angeles Public Library, why everything is on fire, and where Pharrell just came from. But these flashlights are just about the most practical supply in this whole video.
A Molotov Cocktail
JT claims he’ll be the “the light when you can’t see,” “the wood, when you need heat.” You know what’s better than both? A Molotov cocktail.
Flannel
Did you guys catch this Easter egg? That flannel shirt is a deep reference to the song “Flannel,” which is also on Man of the Woods. Mind blown, right?
Light Halos
So, my initial thought here was that these people must’ve suffered the same fate as all those floating children in Pennywise’s lair in It, but I was quickly proved wrong. It seems as if these light halos provide the ability to levitate, and while that sounds dope to me, it appears that they’re all incapacitated. This is the one supply that Justin takes away from the people.
Fire-Twirling Sticks
While there’s a lot of fire in this video, most of it is used for destruction. These things, however, seem to be purely for amusement. JT hooks up his Burning Man friends with some as he makes out with Eiza González, because he is a “generous lover.”
Justin closes out the video by bringing out a bunch of children, including one who tells the camera: “Just leave, die already.” She could be talking to the controversial figures shown at the start of the video, or perhaps to no one in particular at all. Like much of this video, it’s beyond me. What I do know is that Justin Timberlake’s upcoming Super Bowl performance better involve a dancing robot or some of the supplies from this video; I’m really hoping neck-gun guy shows up.
The album drops February 2, a couple of days prior to Super Bowl LII. Hopefully we get a chance to see some woods before then.
