Jean-Michel Jarre, a celebrated French electronic music artist who is apparently a big fan of Snowden, got the famous whistleblower, who is apparently a big fan of electronic music, to feature on his new single, “Exit.”
First, the song eases in with a spooky riff and some dramatic timpani. Then, we’re off: The track picks up tempo, sounding like the background music to a chase scene in a movie about someone who is on the run from the American government, like, I don’t know, Citizenfour. You half expect a voiceover to say, “They. Are. Everywhere.” Suddenly, the music slows down as if it’s getting ready for a beat to drop. Except that beat is Snowden’s voice, who lays down some sick truths about privacy and surveillance, saying, “Rights are not just individual, they’re collective. … If you don’t stand up for it, then who will?”