Oklahoma City painter Brent Learned has seized opportunities to show his work in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Oklahoma State Art Collection at the state Capitol, the Oklahoma Governor's Mansion and more.
But when the renowned Cheyenne-Arapaho artist had a chance to take his creativity off the wall for a long-overdue music video, he came and got it.
"It was a fun project. It was a great, great experience. ... I wanted something that I was influenced by, and growing up during the '70s and '80s, we had 'Star Wars,' 'Star Trek' reruns and all that stuff. Into my college years, we had 'X Files,' and so I was always a big sci-fi person," Learned said.
Learned collaborated with Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, to created a new music video for "Come and Get Your Love," the much-loved 1970s pop-rock classic by groundbreaking Native American band Redbone. The music video has earned more than 2 million views since it was released last August.
When "Come and Get Your Love" was released as a 7" single on Epic Records in January 1974, a longer version had been previously available on Redbone's fifth studio album, 1973's "Wovoka." The band had taken its name from a Cajun term for multi-racial individuals or culture, and the members of Redbone drew from Yaqui, Shoshoneand Mexican heritage, as well roots in Texas, Louisiana and California.
With "Come and Get Your Love," Redbone became the first Native American band to achieve a Top 5 single on the Billboard Hot 100, but no official music video was ever released, despite the song's success.
After the irresistibly catchy song was prominently featured in a 2014 Marvel Studios blockbuster, the label decided to remedy that situation.
"They wanted to put something out that would introduce it to a new generation because they noticed an uptick ever since it came out in 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' ... And it's been in several different commercials as a snippet. So, they wanted something that would resonate with the younger generation, and not only that, they wanted a Native American influence. That's the reason why they reached out to myself," Learned said.
"They came across me on Instagram, and they said, 'We really like what you're doing.' So, I just came up with the theme of the music video and the storyline, and we put it together."
'We wanted to show that our people were about love'
In creating the video, Learned worked closely with Juan E Bedolla,a Mexicanproducer and director who has garnered two Emmy nominations, multiple Telly and Addy awards and other honors.
"During this time of pandemic, we did a lot of meetings through Zoom, and I would do little Photoshops of how a scene would be and then email it to him. Then from there, he would take that and then turn it into an animation. It took about three months to do. He'd give me little updates every now, but once he sent me the actual final video, I was blown away," Learned said.
The "Come and Get Your Love" short film focuses on an American Indian traveler who blasts off on a far-out journey through the living and changing culture of Native America in the 21st century, taking viewers along for the far-flung ride.
"Here's a guy looking for love, and he hears this beat that he can only hear because the music video starts out with the young lady playing the song. So, he goes through the whole world trying to search for where that music's coming from ... and he reads where this rocket's getting ready to go out into outer space. So, he goes, 'Well, I'll go ahead and jump on that and see if I can find it on another world.' So, he jumps on the spaceship, floats out, goes to a planet where there are people who are just like him. And he finds his love of his life."
The OKC artist also collaborated with his cousin, George Levi, a fellow Cheyenne-Arapaho member based in Mustang, who created the ledger art for the video.
"I wanted to also incorporate some of what was going on in American Indian society, like the missing indigenous women movement," Learned said. "I wanted to show, hey, this was done in a modern time, reflecting on an old song that's beautiful — and it's all about love. And literally at the very end of the video, that's 'love and happiness' in Cheyenne language."
Pat Vegas, Redbone founding member, bassist and "Come and Get Your Love" arranger/co-producer, expressed his appreciation for the finished video.
"We wanted to show that our people were about love ... The chorus — 'Come and get your love' — is about pure love, without all the overthinking and trendy phrases. Many think the song is just about a man singing to a woman. It is, but it's also about the coming together of different peoples," Vegas said in a statement.
"This visual really takes you on a journey and reminds us that the sky's not the limit, it's only the view. It's something to help the young understand the old, one is silver the other gold, both are valuable."
In-depth Coverage:The Oklahoman's special report on Native Pride: Read all the stories here
