The second music video that I am going to be analysing is 'It's Raining Men' by Geri Halliwell. The music video was directed by Jim Canty and Jake-Sebastian Wynne. The song fits entirely into the 'pop' genre of music and follows the general characteristics of there being lots of bright colours and dancing. The video is mainly performance, but also a short narrative section at the beginning of the video which is made to look like the film that the song features in.
Alright!Humidity is rising, barometer's getting low
According to all sources, the street's the place to go
Cause tonight for the first time
Just about half-past ten
For the first time in history
It's gonna start raining men.
It's raining men! Hallelujah! It's raining men! amen!
I'm gonna go out to run and let myself get
Absolutely soaking wet!
It's raining men! Hallelujah!
It's raining men! Every specimen!
Tall, blonde, dark and lean
Rough and tough and strong and mean
God bless mother nature, she's a single woman too
She took off to heaven and she did what she had to do
She taught every angel to rearrange the sky
So that each and every woman could find her perfect guy
It's raining men! Hallelujah!
It's raining men! Amen!
It's raining men! Hallelujah!
It's raining men! Amennnn!
I feel stormy weather
Moving in about to begin
Hear the thunder
Don't you lose your head
Rip off the roof and stay in bed
God bless mother nature, she's a single woman too
She took off to heaven and she did what she had to do
She taught every angel to rearrange the sky
So that each and every woman could find her perfect guy
It's raining men! Yeah!
Humidity is rising, barometer's getting low
According to all sources, the street's the place to go
Cause tonight for the first time
Just about half-past ten
For the first time in history
It's gonna start raining men.
There are a lot of links between the lyrics and the visuals in the video. On of the clearest links that can be seen is when the camera echoes the use of 'humidity's rising' and the camera rises and tilts to show her body. This visual also represents the stereotypical male gaze when looking at a woman.
Another section of the video where the lyrics represent the visuals is where the location/setting of the music video links with 'the street's the place to go'. What we see when this lyric is sung is the entire cast of the music video move out onto the street and start dancing on cars.
There is also a strong relationship between the music and the visuals, with the video cutting to the beat of the music. As the bet gets faster and faster the further you get through the song the cuts get faster and faster, matching what we see with what we hear. An example of this is how at the beginning of the video there are very long cuts, creating tension as we wait to find out who the woman is that is about to dance. Then, as the music starts the cuts get quicker and she starts to dance. The cuts and visuals fully emphasise the change in pace of the music.
Seeing that the track is the main part of the soundtrack for the film 'Bridget Jones' Diary', the inclusion of clips from the film within the music video means that Geri Halliwell and the music video acts almost as a promotional tool for the film. Intertextual references also feature within the video, with several links to the film 'Fame' and 'Flashdance'.
Music videos are primarily produced for promotional or artistic purposes, with the main aim of selling music. In order to know how to create a music video that successfully promotes a band or artist, I need to know what the key conventions of a music video actually are and how they are used successfully to promote the artist. I have researched into what makes a music video and with the help of Andrew Goodwin's book 'Dancing in the distraction factory', came up with a list of the key features that define a music video.
He states that:
There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals ( illustrating, amplifying or contradicting lyrics)
Within the majority of music videos there are very strong links between the lyrics and the visuals. The visuals of the music videos usually reflect what is being said or portrayed with the lyrics of a song, and the visuals of a music video can be used to further highlight the feelings of the artist or meaning of the lyrics. A very clear example of where the visuals illustrate and amplify the lyrics is in the video of the song 'Payphone' by Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa. In the main performance parts of the video we see the lead singer standing in a payphone singing the lyrics "I'm at a payphone trying to call home all of my change I spent on you" through the phone, fully illustrating the lyrics.
Another music video that shows a clear link between the lyrics and the visuals is for the song 'Dancing On The Ceiling' by Lionel Richie. The main lyrics for the chorus are "Oh, what a feeling when we're dancing on the ceiling" and at this point, the video shows Lionel Richie actually singing and dancing on a ceiling, illustrating the lyrics with almost comedic effects.
Given that these parts of the music videos fully highlight and link to the lyrics, it has to be noted that these links do not feature throughout the whole course of the video, and there are other aspects including performance and narrative in the videos. This links in well with a quote that Andrew Goodwin made in 'Dancing In The Distraction Factory' saying that "Key lines may also play a part in the visuals but rarely will the music video simple illustrate the lyrics fully."
There is a relationship between music and visuals (illustrating, amplifying or contradicting lyrics)
Another of the main conventions of music videos is the link between the music and the visuals. The pace and beat of a song will generally have an impact on the way that the video is cut end edited together. Goodwin mentions this in 'Dancing In The Distraction Factory, saying that "Music tends to make use of the tempo of the track to drive the editing and may emphasise particular sounds from the track by foregrounding instruments such as guitar, keyboard or drum solo". An example of this link would be where a song with a very fast, upbeat tempo such as 'Omen' by The Prodigy features very quick cuts to emphasise that beat and pace of the drums within the song.
A video with a much slower beat to it such as 'Undercover Martyn' by Two Door Cinema Club. This video also makes use of the tempo of the music and links to the lyrics music through the use of very long cuts and steady camera movements, in stark contrast to that of The Prodigy's music video.
Particular music genres have their own music video style and iconography
Different genres of music all feature their own very different video styles and iconographies. There will usually be different types of video for the different types of genre. For example, rap videos may feature strong references to sex, materialism/wealth or anger, with cuts between both performance and narrative and rock music videos will focus a lot more on performance, with many close ups of the band playing their instruments and singing. There may also be some music videos that feature neither performance or narrative aspects, but only concept based ideas to make the video, which end up looking quite strange or unrelated to the song when watched. The music video for the song 'Monkey Drummer' by electronic musician Aphex Twin makes full use of this concept based music video.
A great example of a rap video that presents the stereotypical features of either sexualisation, materialism/wealth, or anger within the video is 'Otis' by Kanye West and Jay-Z which features very expensive cars and attractive women, conforming to the stereotypes of rap videos.
A rock video that makes use of the stereotypical performance based music video is for the song 'Take Me Out' by Franz Ferdinand. There are many close ups of the band playing their instruments and the lead singer Alex Kapranos singing throughout the video which, again, is a major sterotype associated with the filming and construction of rock music videos. Andrew Goodwin also menntions in his book that "There is a demand on the part of the record labels for close ups of lead artists/vocalists" and this is clear to see in the Franz Ferdinand video. The lead singer Alex Kapranos features a huge amount more than other members in the video and is shown in various different close ups singing and playing the guitar. This gives the band a head representative that the public will easily recognise, helping to make them seem more like a brand which would convert into more sales, making money for both them and the record label.
Artists may develop their own star iconography in and out of their videos which over time becomes part of their star image
There are many artists within the music industry that create their own individual star iconography to try and help them to stand out from the crowd and become better, more well known artists. Lady Gaga is one of the most obvious artists that has incorporated her own star iconography to create her own star image. She is known for wearing costumes that you wouldn't normally expect somebody to wear such as see through tops, strange hats and dresses made out of meat. She is very individual with what she wears and this only adds to her star image. Star images add to the credibility of an artist and help to keep the artists instantly recognisable. Another artist who has created her own star image to make herself stand out from the crowd is Nicki Minaj, who has incorporated brightly coloured costumes and hair into her star image. Below is a music video by Lady Gaga that fully shows her different style that she has incorporated into her star image:
There is likely to be reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women but also in terms of systems of looking ( such as cameras/windows which give the sense of looking)
Music videos are now not only about representing the music as they were when they first started being made, now there is a lot of sexualisation within music videos, which is primarily used to attract the male gaze. There are many videos that have been created with the male audience in mind, including voyeurism to attract this male audience to songs and artists. A couple of artists that use this system of looking and voyeurism within their music videos are Eric Prydz in the video for 'Call On Me' and Alex Gaudino for the video to 'Destination Calabria'. As you can see in the Eric Prydz video below the use of voyeurism is clear with the use of the women wearing basically nothing and the inclusion of different camera shots and angles to emphasise the performers' bodies, reflecting the male gaze. Another artist that uses systems of looking within her videos is Rihanna, most noticably in the video created for the song 'Rude Boy'. There are various sexual references within this song and the video incorporates the lyrics and uses systems of looking to create an extremely sexualised theme. The lyrics "Tonight I'mma let you be the captain, tonight I'mma let you do your thing, yeah" are paired with the gaze of Rihanna into the camera to represent an alluring desire within the male audience watching.
I decided to pick out the main features of music videos and create a spider diagram so that I can easily see what needs to be considered when I come around to creating my own video:
The video that I am analysing is 'Stan' by Eminem which was directed by Phillip Atwell and co-directed by Dr. Dre. The music belongs to the rap genre and follows the characteristics of the genre that there is a mix of both performance and narrative in the video. The actual video itself is linked very carefully with the visuals of the video, acting like more of a script to the video than a song with little or no relation to the video.
"Stan"(feat. Dido) [Chorus: Dido]My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why I..got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window..
and I can't see at all
And even if I could it'll all be gray,
but your picture on my wall
It reminds me, that it's not so bad,
it's not so bad..
[1st Chorus: volume gradually grows over raindrop background]
[2nd Chorus: full volume with beat right after "thunder" noise]
[Eminem as 'Stan']
Dear Slim, I wrote but you still ain't callin
I left my cell, my pager, and my home phone at the bottom
I sent two letters back in autumn, you must not-a got 'em
There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin
Sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot 'em
but anyways; fuck it, what's been up? Man how's your daughter?
My girlfriend's pregnant too, I'm bout to be a father
If I have a daughter, guess what I'ma call her?
I'ma name her Bonnie
I read about your Uncle Ronnie too I'm sorry
I had a friend kill himself over some bitch who didn't want him
I know you probably hear this everyday, but I'm your biggest fan
I even got the underground shit that you did with Skam
I got a room full of your posters and your pictures man
I like the shit you did with Rawkus too, that shit was fat
Anyways, I hope you get this man, hit me back,
just to chat, truly yours, your biggest fan
This is Stan
[Chorus: Dido]
[Eminem as 'Stan']
Dear Slim, you still ain't called or wrote, I hope you have a chance
I ain't mad - I just think it's FUCKED UP you don't answer fans
If you didn't wanna talk to me outside your concert
you didn't have to, but you coulda signed an autograph for Matthew
That's my little brother man, he's only six years old
We waited in the blistering cold for you,
four hours and you just said, "No."
That's pretty shitty man - you're like his fuckin idol
He wants to be just like you man, he likes you more than I do
I ain't that mad though, I just don't like bein lied to
Remember when we met in Denver - you said if I'd write you
you would write back - see I'm just like you in a way
I never knew my father neither;
he used to always cheat on my mom and beat her
I can relate to what you're saying in your songs
so when I have a shitty day, I drift away and put 'em on
cause I don't really got shit else so that shit helps when I'm depressed
I even got a tattoo of your name across the chest
Sometimes I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds
It's like adrenaline, the pain is such a sudden rush for me
See everything you say is real, and I respect you cause you tell it
My girlfriend's jealous cause I talk about you 24/7
But she don't know you like I know you Slim, no one does
She don't know what it was like for people like us growin up
You gotta call me man, I'll be the biggest fan you'll ever lose
It's been six months and still no word - I don't deserve it?
I know you got my last two letters;
I wrote the addresses on 'em perfect
So this is my cassette I'm sending you, I hope you hear it
I'm in the car right now, I'm doing 90 on the freeway
Hey Slim, I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?
You know the song by Phil Collins, "In the Air of the Night"
about that guy who coulda saved that other guy from drowning
but didn't, then Phil saw it all, then at a a show he found him?
That's kinda how this is, you coulda rescued me from drowning
Now it's too late - I'm on a 1000 downers now, I'm drowsy
and all I wanted was a lousy letter or a call
I hope you know I ripped +ALL+ of your pictures off the wall
I love you Slim, we coulda been together, think about it
You ruined it now, I hope you can't sleep and you dream about it
And when you dream I hope you can't sleep and you SCREAM about it
I hope your conscience EATS AT YOU and you can't BREATHE without me
See Slim; [*screaming*] Shut up bitch! I'm tryin to talk!
Hey Slim, that's my girlfriend screamin in the trunk
but I didn't slit her throat, I just tied her up, see I ain't like you
cause if she suffocates she'll suffer more, and then she'll die too
Well, gotta go, I'm almost at the bridge now
Oh shit, I forgot, how'm I supposed to send this shit out?
[car tires squeal][CRASH]
.. [brief silence] .. [LOUD splash]
[Chorus: Dido]
[Eminem]
Dear Stan, I meant to write you sooner but I just been busy
You said your girlfriend's pregnant now, how far along is she?
Look, I'm really flattered you would call your daughter that
and here's an autograph for your brother,
I wrote it on the Starter cap
I'm sorry I didn't see you at the show, I musta missed you
Don't think I did that shit intentionally just to diss you
But what's this shit you said about you like to cut your wrists too?
I say that shit just clownin dogg,
c'mon - how fucked up is you?
You got some issues Stan, I think you need some counseling
to help your ass from bouncing off the walls when you get down some
And what's this shit about us meant to be together?
That type of shit'll make me not want us to meet each other
I really think you and your girlfriend need each other
or maybe you just need to treat her better
I hope you get to read this letter, I just hope it reaches you in time
before you hurt yourself, I think that you'll be doin just fine
if you relax a little, I'm glad I inspire you but Stan
why are you so mad? Try to understand, that I do want you as a fan
I just don't want you to do some crazy shit
I seen this one shit on the news a couple weeks ago that made me sick
Some dude was drunk and drove his car over a bridge
and had his girlfriend in the trunk, and she was pregnant with his kid
and in the car they found a tape, but they didn't say who it was to
Come to think about, his name was.. it was you
Damn!
Throughout the song there are many ways in which the lyrics are illustrated and amplified by the video. At the beginning of the music video when Eminem first starts rapping in the first verse as the fictitious character Stan, the lyrics "I got a room full of your posters and your pictures man" are fully emphasised by what we see in the video as we see the true devotion of Stan to Eminem, and how this devotion is almost an obsession.
Another section where the lyrics are illustrated by the visuals is in the third verse. The lyrics "So this is my cassette I'm sending you, I hope you hear it I'm in the car right now, I'm doing 90 on the freeway" are fully illustrated word for word by the video with what is being described actually happening.
There is also a clear relationship between the music and the visuals, with the sound emphasising what is being seen in the video. One of the clearest examples of this is at the beginning of the video where you see a flash of lightening and heavy rain. This is accompanies by the crash of thunder and clear sound of the wind an rain as the camera zooms in to the window.
Throughout the duration of the song the video does not cut to the beat of the music, but instead compliments what we see on the screen. It acts more like background music to the video, with the lyrics highlighting what we see in the video. The video does however change in the pace of cut transitions to represent the mood and atmosphere of the video. At the beginning of the video when Stan is writing a letter to Eminem and talking about his life, there are relatively slow paced cuts, whereas when the song progresses to the part when Stan is in the car about to drive off of the bridge there are very fast cuts which highlight how tense the moment is.
Throughout the video there are lot of things that relate to Eminem as an artist and not just part of the story shown through the music video. The lyrics "I hope you get this man, hit me back, just to chat, truly yours, your biggest fan" and "I ain't mad - I just think it's FUCKED UP you don't answer fans" show that Stan is a huge fan and is almost obsessive in his attempts to contact Eminem. This could be seen as a way of showing just how big of a star Eminem is, and could be a way of him telling fans that he does in fact acknowledge them, acting as a way of Eminem being shown in a positive image which is something that would help his music sell and he himself to appeal to a much wider audience.
Eminem is referred to in the lyrics of the song many times but is only shown in brief instances during the video and the last verse of the song. This would make the viewers of the video more inquisitive and eager to find out more about Eminem once the video has finished. This may be a marketing ploy by Eminem or his label to get more people buying and listening to his music. In the part of the video where Stan is seen writing letters to Eminem there are pictures of him all over the wall. When people are huge fans of an artist they will usually have band posters or pictures of the artist on their walls. This section could be a way of the video producers trying to show that Eminem is worthy of this worship.
There are some references to the notion of looking throughout the video, but none are used in sexual ways, which are used in videos by artists such as Beyonce, for example.The most obvious way in which the notion of looking is used in the video is when Eminem is show waving to the camera on the tv in Stan's basement and Stan waves back. The notion of looking is usually used to make the artists seem sexualised and more appealing, but its use in this video portrays a darker meaning. It shows that there are some fans that are more than obsessed with some artists and that it can have severe effects on them. This can also be seen in the video to the song "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran, which featuers an equally obsessive fan who dreams of actually being the artist.
There are a lot of intertextual references throughout the song that refer to both Eminem's other songs and the work of other artists. The song "Old World Disorder" is referred to in the song through the lyrics "underground shit that you did with Skam." On hearing this, people could search and look for the song Eminem is referring to, enabling more of his music to be heard. There are more subtle references to other songs including "97 Bonnie and Clyde" and "My Name Is" from The Slim Shady LP through the lyrics "If I have a daughter, guess what I'ma call her? I'ma name her Bonnie" and "Hey Slim, I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?", showing the links Eminem keeps between his songs. There is also a reference the the Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight", misquoting it as "In the Air of the Night" in the lyrics "You know the song by Phil Collins, 'In the Air of the Night' about that guy who coulda saved that other guy from drowning but didn't, then Phil saw it all, then at a a show he found him? That's kinda how this is, you coulda rescued me from drowning".
Overall you can see that this is a very narrative based music video that is about an over obsessed fan trying to get as close to the artist as possible. Eminem is portrayed as a good artist, and there is a wealth of star image motifs that promote Eminem as an artist, with intertextual references to more of his work, which works well to get people listening to more of his music. The video is linked very well to the song through both the lyrics and the music and it helps give the song a real sense of meaning.
Another section of the video where the lyrics represent the visuals is where the location/setting of the music video links with 'the street's the place to go'. What we see when this lyric is sung is the entire cast of the music video move out onto the street and start dancing on cars.
