John Wick: Chapter 4 premiered on March 24, and if you’ve seen the movie, you’d no doubt spot Rina Sawayama’s character alongside our favorite hitman John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves). But making an appearance in the hit movie as Akira Shimazu isn’t all the work she did for the franchise, as she followed it up with a single that serves as a soundtrack to the movie.
Nothing says vengeance like the phrase “Eye For An Eye,” so the song’s title alone has told us that we should expect to hear about wrongs that will not be forgiven unless retribution is served on a cold platter.
“You’ve taken everything I love from me / Now, it’s time to pay the price, well, I’ll be walking free,” the opening verse warns.
Alive with anger at the injustice she was dealt with, she continues in the pre-chorus, “I’m gonna make it right / I won’t apologize / No tears left to cry / I’m seeing red tonight.”
In true John Wick fashion, she continues by singing that she’s ready and determined to take “an eye for an eye” and “a life for a life.” Hinting that she’ll be walking free from the horrors she’s prepared to meet on those who wronged her, she sings, “I’ll see you in Hell on the other, other side.”
The second verse, once again, introduces us to the cause of the pain that turned her vengeful, as she sings, “You took advantage of my innocence / Now, your neck is on the line, you’re gonna pay for your sins.”
The song “Eye For An Eye” was written and produced by Tyler Bates, who was the mastermind behind the score for the previous three installments in the John Wick franchise, alongside Joel J. Richards. When listening to the latest soundtrack, you definitely see a reflection of the fire, thrill, and passion that the movie flows with.
Appearing in the movie as the sword-wielding Akira, Sawayama previously told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon that the director Chad Stahelski picked her for the part because of her amazing performance in her “Bad Friend” video.
Another version of the song sees Sawayama sing, “I’m seeing Wick tonight,” in replacement of “I’m seeing red tonight.” The single was shortly accompanied by a music video that shows us images and things that remind us of the movie, for example, guns, the Joker card, a blade, an hourglass, and of course no John Wick-themed video will be complete without some elements of fire creeping in.