the rise of the music videos
Music videos have been around for many years now, since the 70's. As a child growing up in the midst of the growth of technology I have seen various changes in the way music videos are now being produced.
What really makes up a music video? The music, the dancing, the performance? Nowadays music videos consists of animation/effects/narrative. A music video from the 90's early 00's is not much different to music videos today, the women are still sexualised if not more so, there is a lot more performance and effects. They say the bigger the better, in this case the tackier the better. Music videos attract the listener to the song, we are more likely to remember a song by the impact the music video left us with for example Nicki Minaj - Anaconda. This music video consists of thick young ladies shaking their booty in a jungle type scenario. It is amusing to watch and the more we watch it the more the song becomes a part of us. To know what main conventions there are in a music video we have to take a journey through time, back to what is classed as one of the first ever music videos.
According to research the first ever music video was Queen - Bohemian Rhaphsody in 1975. Below is the official music video.
What really makes up a music video? The music, the dancing, the performance? Nowadays music videos consists of animation/effects/narrative. A music video from the 90's early 00's is not much different to music videos today, the women are still sexualised if not more so, there is a lot more performance and effects. They say the bigger the better, in this case the tackier the better. Music videos attract the listener to the song, we are more likely to remember a song by the impact the music video left us with for example Nicki Minaj - Anaconda. This music video consists of thick young ladies shaking their booty in a jungle type scenario. It is amusing to watch and the more we watch it the more the song becomes a part of us. To know what main conventions there are in a music video we have to take a journey through time, back to what is classed as one of the first ever music videos.
According to research the first ever music video was Queen - Bohemian Rhaphsody in 1975. Below is the official music video.
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Now, in this clip there is limited performance from the musicians, there is singing however you don't see much dancing or interaction with the camera, but it is still classed a music video, why? During the 70's music videos promotes the song and provided entertainment to the audience. It became a social frenzy as people were not used to seeing editing techniques used. However, by using music videos, the audience are able to grow fond of the artist and their songs thus acting as a factor in promoting.
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As technology was advancing and music videos becoming more frequent, a music channel called MTV (music television) was announced in 1981. This channel provided the audience with the latest music video's and increased their popularity which led to the success of many artists. There are now many different channels that air music videos for example KISS, VIVA and 4MUSIC. Music videos not only are entertaining for us but they offer the artists more publicity. The artist would advertise their fashion and style by the way they are shown in their music videos for example, Lady GaGa is famous for her "authenticity" her music videos were uncanny and a bit full on, they definitely stuck with you after watching it, but it promoted her look and her style and that's why her fans love her.
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Nicki Minaj has been known for her outgoing and wacky performances in her music videos. The editing used in this clip shows the way technology has enhanced, we are not as surprised to see multiple versions of Nicki on our screens than we once were. The green screen provides us to travel along with the artist and again works as a factor in promoting as the wackier the video the more you are likely to remember it, besides who actually remembers a song they heard on the radio? The choreography sexualises Nicki by emphasising her curvaceous body and attracting the attention of both males and females so they will tend to listen to her more.
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(CAN NOT VIEW, LINK BELOW) This video by Kane West shows his persona, his style and his overall image. He isn't giving a performance, he does not dance but he is still enticing his audience and is the centre of attention. What works well in this video is the narrative, we follow Kanye's journey through the town that he is in, often seeing flashbacks and then back to reality. The effect this has on the audience is the fact that we feel as though we are taking the journey with him, we are almost a part of him, the same way we are when we indulge in a movie.
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Genre Research
There are many different genre's in todays society from old school garage to Reggae. I will be researching three completely different genres Rnb/Soul, Pop, and Hip-Hop.
HIP-HOP
HIP-HOP
Most hip-hop album covers are made up of the artist's face. It shows their emotionless demeanour however their lyrics elicit their true emotions. This genre has changed a lot in the last few years, during the 90's early 00's the lyrics spoke about reality, it was more to do with getting the girl of your dreams or about the realisation that its a 'Dog Eat Dog' world. Fast forward to today's society, they are more concerned about the "big booty hoes" and bigging up their ego. The genre has been taken over by sex and the idea that every male wants to be filthy rich with dozens of half naked females surrounding them and chains that hang low, as for the females, its the curvy body, big booty and the ability to want to be an expert at pleasing your man sexually.
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I will start of talking about Hip-Hop. This genre was an underground urban movement that started in the early 70's, it was originated within a small subculture in South Bronx, it was extremely popular with African-Americans. Hip-Hop involved breakdancing, dj'ing and rapping. This was adapted and later referred to as emceeing where artists would speak in a rhythm with rhymes and wordplay. There are a lot of different ways that artists portray hip-hop in todays society from music videos to digipaks, the artist I will be looking at is Eminem
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RnB/Soul
In the 1940's Rhythm and Blues or RnB was created and the genre became very popular with African-Americans. This genre was once made up of jazzy tunes with a body grooving beat, it gets you up and dancing and was very popular in the 90's-00's with the most famous artist groups called TLC. In todays society RnB has changed drastically from being a well received genre to being integrated with other genres for example Rnb/Hip-hop or Rnb/Soul. The generation of Rnb has declined ridiculously, there used to be Rnb raves, be all over the radio, now however it is classed as 'Old School'
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This video shows Rnb being integrated with Soul. Jhene Aiko is a prime example of how RnB has 'gotten with the times' it has moved on along with the rest of society. In this Video Jhene keeps composure, she is fully clothes and hasn't got any back up dancers. Her music videos are mainly narrative with no or little performance but it is still watched and appreciated all over the world... why? Because unlike hip-hop and pop where sex is the main selling point, her music videos are calming with a soft tone of voice but with a rhythmic beat.
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Pop
Pop music or 'Popular' music originated in the 1950's made up with elements extracted from Rock and Roll. Pop is always in the charts, with audiences as young as kids to as old as the elderly. Pop used to be made up of sassy young girls such as Brittany Spears and cool boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, there was not much revealing clothes or sexualising of women at the time. Nowadays, pop culture was changed into a more sexual experience, the style has completely evolved into provocative and sexy, and the songs are mainly talk about the sexualisation of women and how the men all lust after them.
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This clip by Katy Perry shows girls that are half naked dancing around provocatively squirting whipped cream from their breast area. Now this is a prime example of how the pop industry has changed and now glorifies and influences the wider population who listen to pop into becoming sex icons and making sure that they are appealing to the male population. Why do people still listen to this you may ask? Well, apart from going into a trance over the half naked bodies dancing around, pop has a very catchy, dance rhythm to it, it makes you want to get up and dance and automatically makes you smile.
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Genre Research pitch
My partner Shanice and I were given a task to analyse lyrics to a song called 'Hurt'. We didn't know the genre of this but we were meant to analyse it in a RnB point of view. When analysing the lyrics we were meant to think about the codes and conventions of an RnB music video and how we can portray 'Hurt' in this way. We came up with the stereotypical RnB style of a love story gone wrong we chose to use Ne-Yo and Sam Smith as examples of this because of their reputation of singing about being 'Love Sick'.
We were meant to think about how this research will influence us on our project and make us think about not only the technical elements of our upcoming music video but the creative side to it.
The actual genre of this song is Country, sung by Johnny Cash. There is a massive difference between these two genres but the lyrics can be applied to any genre. There are a lot of artists who have sung a song that was originally meant to be for another artist for example, Baby One More Time was turned down by TLC an RnB group and sung by Brittany Spears, a pop artist.
We were meant to think about how this research will influence us on our project and make us think about not only the technical elements of our upcoming music video but the creative side to it.
The actual genre of this song is Country, sung by Johnny Cash. There is a massive difference between these two genres but the lyrics can be applied to any genre. There are a lot of artists who have sung a song that was originally meant to be for another artist for example, Baby One More Time was turned down by TLC an RnB group and sung by Brittany Spears, a pop artist.
director RESEARCH
Music video directors have a tough job enabling that the narrative and the performance correlates with the lyrics. The music video also has to paint a picture of the artist and promote the artist and the genre. I will be looking at 3 directors from different genres and outline the differences in techniques they use.
He replaced the fisheye signature move by placing shots in regular widescreen ratio, while a second shot is split and placed in the upper and lower bars. These were evident in music videos such as 'So Sick' Neyo and 'Check on it' by Beyoncé. This allows his videos to be dynamic, multi-dimensional and atmospheric as opposed to having static camera angles.
hiro murai
channel research
4Music first launched on the 15 August 2008 on the T.V. The channel predominantly displays music videos that are on the chart hits, this means the more mainstream music that have a larger mass audience throughout the UK than other songs. 4Music also promotes music festivals such as V Festival and T4 On The Beach. This channel on some occasions will play old school RnB tunes when they 'take it back' to the 90's however, it is not constant, so is unreliable in promoting and displaying songs of alternative genre.
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Flava first launched 2008 as a music channel on T.V and is on air 24 hours a day, broadcasting music videos from the hip hop, R&B, UK garage, dub step and Drum and Bass, the programming is based on era and genre. Flava is famous for its 'old school' tunes, it is mostly popular with the younger generation that grew up around the 90's era.
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music label research
Music labels own the artists and the means of marketing and distribution. They create the artist into what they believe the listeners want hence why many artists sound familiar. They sign artist to a contract which gives artist the ability to produce music of good quality and release music for sale, contract allows the artists as well as the labels to profit form the sales. There are two different record labels: the big labels and the independent labels. The big labels look for what is able to make big money, they are all in it for the profit rather than the artist and will do anything to inherit this profit even if it means changing the style of the artist to fit mainstream music. This creates monopolies and doesn't allow indie labels to flourish. Indie labels, however, have recently become popular due to individualistic artists who have somewhat of an audience, allowing artists to express their creativity through music not through what they wear or how they appear. For example, Adele had received global success while signed to XL Recordings, suggesting the great influence of social media in marketing artists.
Universal Music Group (UMG)
UMG is one of the largest music corporations in the world, its an American based French owed association. One of the most famous record labels signed to UMG that played urban/hip-hop and RnB music was Def Jam, however, on April 1, 2014, Universal Music announced that Def Jam music would no longer be apart of UMG and operates as an independent record label.
Current artists that are signed to UMG are 50 Cent, Akon, Big Sean etc..
UMG is one of the largest music corporations in the world, its an American based French owed association. One of the most famous record labels signed to UMG that played urban/hip-hop and RnB music was Def Jam, however, on April 1, 2014, Universal Music announced that Def Jam music would no longer be apart of UMG and operates as an independent record label.
Current artists that are signed to UMG are 50 Cent, Akon, Big Sean etc..
Music Video Analyses
THe Weeknd - the morning
One of the music videos that I will be analysing is called The Morning by The Weeknd from the genre Rnb/Soul. I feel as though this will inspire me to generate ideas for my music video as it will be from the same genre.
This music video follows the journey of 4 prostitutes abandoned in a desert by their 'Pimp' We see that as the car drives off the girls start to get frustrated and protect what is theirs. As they are searching for a path leading them back to the city, slowly but surely the fix that each of the girls had runs out. The girls then take to becoming animalistic, they start to inhabit the desert and become a part of it. Mysteriously, a man always appears when the girls are in need and offers them help, but the help comes at a price and we see that here.
This music video follows the journey of 4 prostitutes abandoned in a desert by their 'Pimp' We see that as the car drives off the girls start to get frustrated and protect what is theirs. As they are searching for a path leading them back to the city, slowly but surely the fix that each of the girls had runs out. The girls then take to becoming animalistic, they start to inhabit the desert and become a part of it. Mysteriously, a man always appears when the girls are in need and offers them help, but the help comes at a price and we see that here.
We all know that help comes at a cost, nothing in the world comes free
and this is greatly emphasised in this picture. In this photo we can see
the man offering her water after hers ran out. She accepts the offer
flatteringly not knowing what she has just gotten herself into. With her
new bottle, she runs to the girls boastfully and drinks it in front of them
fighting them off if they try to come close. All of a sudden she collapses
to the floor and starts coughing up blood, The girls run to see how she is
and thus the chain of events begin.
and this is greatly emphasised in this picture. In this photo we can see
the man offering her water after hers ran out. She accepts the offer
flatteringly not knowing what she has just gotten herself into. With her
new bottle, she runs to the girls boastfully and drinks it in front of them
fighting them off if they try to come close. All of a sudden she collapses
to the floor and starts coughing up blood, The girls run to see how she is
and thus the chain of events begin.
In this photo we see the same man holding up a sign 'Body for Fame'
which one of the girls can not refuse, anything to get out of that place
and to be successful. She shows what she has to offer by running over
to the man and stripping down, showing off her body to him. The man
smirks, knowing he has reeled her in, he shakes her hand and then he
disappears. We then see the back of the girl, glowing, the camera then
moves to the front of her and we can now see the consequence of her
deal. She is completely frozen, unable to move there is no hope for her.
which one of the girls can not refuse, anything to get out of that place
and to be successful. She shows what she has to offer by running over
to the man and stripping down, showing off her body to him. The man
smirks, knowing he has reeled her in, he shakes her hand and then he
disappears. We then see the back of the girl, glowing, the camera then
moves to the front of her and we can now see the consequence of her
deal. She is completely frozen, unable to move there is no hope for her.
In this case, she runs out of cocaine, as ironic as it sounds, the
cocaine is what was keeping her 'sane' in the desert. She runs
off and when we next see her she is crouched over a pile of
cocaine, embracing it; again we can see the animalistic side
to her here as she is similar to a lioness protecting her prey
from others, she will be the only one feasting tonight. This
consequence is that she will potentially overdose and become
nothing like the rest of the girls.
cocaine is what was keeping her 'sane' in the desert. She runs
off and when we next see her she is crouched over a pile of
cocaine, embracing it; again we can see the animalistic side
to her here as she is similar to a lioness protecting her prey
from others, she will be the only one feasting tonight. This
consequence is that she will potentially overdose and become
nothing like the rest of the girls.
The lyrics bode well with the music video. There are many links to prostitution and self-interest. For example "Push it to the limit
Push it through the pain I push it for the pleasure like a virgin to the game" The connotations linked with this sentence is a girl who is a virgin experiences pain the first time that she has sex in order to feel the pleasure later on. Whilst some girls push it to the limit so that they gain more pleasure and reach their climax. They are constantly testing their abilities so that they are where they want to be in their reality or so called 'game'. Girls are forced to go through anything to be successful and have a bit of fame whereas for the males it is easy. Once they do achieve that level of success they must retain their supremacy at the top of the food chain as new faces begin to work their way to the top.
The close ups used in this music video shows the true emotions that is felt by the girls, we can see the desperation and anger the are portraying. The effect this has on the viewer is that it becomes more engaging for us, we want to see the outcome, it also makes s think about how the girls got themselves into that situation, what happened to them to lead them to that type of lifestyle.
Push it through the pain I push it for the pleasure like a virgin to the game" The connotations linked with this sentence is a girl who is a virgin experiences pain the first time that she has sex in order to feel the pleasure later on. Whilst some girls push it to the limit so that they gain more pleasure and reach their climax. They are constantly testing their abilities so that they are where they want to be in their reality or so called 'game'. Girls are forced to go through anything to be successful and have a bit of fame whereas for the males it is easy. Once they do achieve that level of success they must retain their supremacy at the top of the food chain as new faces begin to work their way to the top.
The close ups used in this music video shows the true emotions that is felt by the girls, we can see the desperation and anger the are portraying. The effect this has on the viewer is that it becomes more engaging for us, we want to see the outcome, it also makes s think about how the girls got themselves into that situation, what happened to them to lead them to that type of lifestyle.
Skepta - shutdown
Skepta is famous for being king of Grime. Grime has been around since early 2000's and it derived from the UK, London, with independent underground artists such as Dizzee Rascal. In todays era, grime has become a huge success with the younger generation as we are starting to become more urban and down to earth with the street art of London (grime).
In Skepta's video 'Shutdown' he has conformed to the conventions of a typical grime scene, outside a dirty, old looking block of flats with his crew (often looking intimidating). He is rapping about how his previous tracks made it to the top and how he's been to shows with typical 'bad boy' street clothing e.g track suites. In this music video, there isn't a set narrative, it is entertainment based. The mise-en-scene is very minimal, apart from the crew members and the flats, there isn't much going on; no fancy cars, no girls being sexualised, no money falling from the sky, very different to American rap/hip-hop.
In Skepta's video 'Shutdown' he has conformed to the conventions of a typical grime scene, outside a dirty, old looking block of flats with his crew (often looking intimidating). He is rapping about how his previous tracks made it to the top and how he's been to shows with typical 'bad boy' street clothing e.g track suites. In this music video, there isn't a set narrative, it is entertainment based. The mise-en-scene is very minimal, apart from the crew members and the flats, there isn't much going on; no fancy cars, no girls being sexualised, no money falling from the sky, very different to American rap/hip-hop.
In this picture, the girl appears to be fully clothed, so it is clear that in this music video sex is not the one that sells. Unlike many grime videos, the girl seems to be in touch with the more fashionable approach, her style is very popular with the young urban generation. However, she is still keeping to the typical grime style e.g. the hoop earrings. The overall style in this video is very colourful, light and fashionable whereas before the grime scene would have been very dark and gloomy.
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Skepta has kept to the common convention of grime here on a scene which shows a young man grinding weed. Weed has become a common prop within this genre, it proves a point to the authority that to them, the police mean nothing. It is also used to show off, show that they have no care in the world and that they can do what they want, when they want, wherever they want.
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It is not surprising that Skepta decided to use a Staffordshire Bull Terrier breed in his music video. These type of dogs are branded as 'vicious' in the UK, although legal, they still have a stereotype attached to them. He has kept to the codes and conventions of the grime genre as many street artist, whether it be grime/rap/hip-hop, these type of dogs are used to big themselves up to ward others away from them and their crew.
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This is a typical shot of a grime scene. We have the main artist surrounded by his crew that they call family. The reason behind mobbing up like this is due to status. Skepta is known for having a tight knit family called BBK, and any chance he gets to 'big them up' he will. They make them self look bigger and better than any other grime artists, basically saying that no one can step to him and BBK.
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Mood board
The mood board below will outline many changes that have been made in the RnB genre over the last few years. It shows that the R&B genre is mainly dominated by African-American artist, this is because the genre derives from black origin. However, there are some anomalies that lay within this statement, Justin Timberlake is one of a few RnB artists that has released many top hits that were loved by the mass audiences. The moodboard also reflects on the difference with banding between the early 90s and today. R&B artist were typically banded in 3 or 4 pieces; this was more than likely the reason for the genres well received kick-start, as groups' performances would be very intense. Performance included consistent harmonies, highly choreographed dances and matching outfits, this made it increasingly exciting for fans. The numbers saw increasing fan bases as audiences were able to attach themselves, or grow fond of at least one member - there was always a favourite. Today there is not many existing R&B groups, and the genre has now been handed down to solo artist.
One of the most obvious changes are in styling of clothes. Instead of wearing clothes that are very out-there and designer branded clothes, R&B artist today - particularly females - have a contemporary style. Male artist tend to wear plain-like clothing or clothing from their own brand. In the photo, PARTYNEXTDOOR is seen wearing 'OVO' clothing, to represent the label he is signed to. Female artist have a style which we identify them with. It tends to correspond with their style of music.
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Market research
My partner Shanice and I conducted a survey, trying to find out what the audience like in a music video. We asked ten questions, each of which gave us vital answers to our research and made us one step closer into creating the perfect overall idea for our music video. Below are the 10 questions that were asked and the responses.
1. Are you male or female?
This question was really to uncover demographics of music video consumers. I understood from own knowledge that, in terms of R&B music, both males and females are fans. Yet when referring to watching music videos their may be a slight difference in consumption. However it could really be down to who was more willing to answer the survey.
2. How old are you?
This question was really to uncover demographics of music video consumers. From knowledge of the modern world, it was understood that it is the younger generations that tend to watch music videos and make it a priority - especially when it is a video for a well-known artist. Older generations may make little effort in searching for music videos, and may be likely to consume when they come across them.
3. What genres do you listen to the most?
This was to uncover whether the genres they consumed influenced what they liked in a music video. As we know genres hold their own conventions, because of this it is important to know what they are and whether they are received well by an audience. The main conventions are likely to be favoured by audiences as they define the genre. For example, in Hip Hop music videos, the artist is likely to appear very authoritative - it is the norm.
4. How often do you watch music videos?
This was to indirectly establish the popularity of music videos and whether they really consumed a significant audience.
5. What aspects of a music video do you favour?
Again, aspects in music videos vary depending on the genre. We asked this question to see what conventions were enticing enough to keep an audience watching. If the popular aspects chosen correspond with our genre, we would highly consider incorporating them in the video.
6. How do you watch music videos?
This was to understand which platform we would distribute our music video, and also to help
7. How do you hear about music videos?
This was important to understand what platform was useful in promoting our products
8. Would you be more likely to buy, or download a song after seeing a music video?
We asked this question to comprehend the significance of a music video. From my research, I understood that the more memorable a video, the more memorable a song. This therefore, could determine the liking for a song, and ultimately the consumption.
9. Do you believe that music videos help in determining your liking for an artist?
Again, as we are trying to receive an audience well, it is important to build a rapport with fans and the artist.
10. Do you feel there is a decline in the popularity of music videos, or an increasing popularity?
This was just to establish the position of music videos in terms of being influential in promoting and artist/song. Do they still attract an audience?
This question was really to uncover demographics of music video consumers. I understood from own knowledge that, in terms of R&B music, both males and females are fans. Yet when referring to watching music videos their may be a slight difference in consumption. However it could really be down to who was more willing to answer the survey.
2. How old are you?
This question was really to uncover demographics of music video consumers. From knowledge of the modern world, it was understood that it is the younger generations that tend to watch music videos and make it a priority - especially when it is a video for a well-known artist. Older generations may make little effort in searching for music videos, and may be likely to consume when they come across them.
3. What genres do you listen to the most?
This was to uncover whether the genres they consumed influenced what they liked in a music video. As we know genres hold their own conventions, because of this it is important to know what they are and whether they are received well by an audience. The main conventions are likely to be favoured by audiences as they define the genre. For example, in Hip Hop music videos, the artist is likely to appear very authoritative - it is the norm.
4. How often do you watch music videos?
This was to indirectly establish the popularity of music videos and whether they really consumed a significant audience.
5. What aspects of a music video do you favour?
Again, aspects in music videos vary depending on the genre. We asked this question to see what conventions were enticing enough to keep an audience watching. If the popular aspects chosen correspond with our genre, we would highly consider incorporating them in the video.
6. How do you watch music videos?
This was to understand which platform we would distribute our music video, and also to help
7. How do you hear about music videos?
This was important to understand what platform was useful in promoting our products
8. Would you be more likely to buy, or download a song after seeing a music video?
We asked this question to comprehend the significance of a music video. From my research, I understood that the more memorable a video, the more memorable a song. This therefore, could determine the liking for a song, and ultimately the consumption.
9. Do you believe that music videos help in determining your liking for an artist?
Again, as we are trying to receive an audience well, it is important to build a rapport with fans and the artist.
10. Do you feel there is a decline in the popularity of music videos, or an increasing popularity?
This was just to establish the position of music videos in terms of being influential in promoting and artist/song. Do they still attract an audience?
LYRIC ANALYSIS
Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko:]
Said I'm all up in my feelings Doubled up on this shot Got me feeling some type of way told you I hate you I don't mean it And the only thing that I got Is the pain that you've been feeding Faded, faded, faded, all because of you Now my current situation, trying not to think of you, not to break the rules Why's it always happen, when I get this way? Just can't stop myself, so baby tonight [Hook: Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko] I'm blowing up your line I got you on my mind And the truth is hard to fight, so I'll be I'll be drunk texting, drunk texting, drunk texting you Drunk texting, drunk texting you Yeah baby I'll be drunk texting, drunk texting, drunk texting you Drunk texting, drunk texting you [Chris Brown (Jhene Aiko):] Drunk texting you (Drunk texting you) Drunk texting you (Drunk texting you) [Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko:] I'm looking at my phone thinking Am I gonna hit send or nah? It's gonna be one of them mornings when I wake up and regret it If Ion get no reply I don't wanna make it obvious that I'm faded, faded, faded Off a drink or two And you know how it goes, this ain't nothing new Why's it always happen, when I get this way? No I just can't stop myself, so baby tonight [Hook] [Chris Brown (Jhene Aiko):] Intoxicated (Intoxicated) That's when I think of you the most But after the tides, anything goes When I put my pride aside (I'll be doing the most) Doing the most [Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko:] I done spent 1, 2, 3 AM, thinkin' about you Don't wanna be without you, cause I'm on the liquid courage I hope this shit is worth it, cause if it ain't then it's all bad, all bad. So baby tonight [Hook] [Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko:] If by chance you're laying next to someone else right now I hope it's the worst sex ever Hope it's the worst sex ever |
The beginning of the song starts off with the two singing about how their love for one another is so strong that they are in aid of alcohol to dull the pain. We can infer from the lyrics that both overs have fallen out with each other and they want to make amends but their pride would not let them To correlate with the R&B theme, I feel the video should begin with the two actors portraying this fatal attraction as opposed to beginning with a party.
The initial line - 'faded, faded, faded, all because of you' suggests that they are blaming each other for drinking alcohol to forget what has happened, they are trying their hardest to move on but by doing so they are constantly reminded of each other. In the music video, we could show this by the constant look at the phone or phone in hand. The phone will always be at hand as they a text away from communicating and this is prominent on their minds. I also feel we could show a sense of hesitation until it reaches the hook where they sing about eventually falling into the trap. The lyrics now returns to its commercial tone and points out the next step - they have fallen to the spell of alcohol and have begun to respond to the situation on the basis of being drunk. Being drunk supposedly makes you honest and bold, yet it's whether the response is positive or negative. They could be laying down their undying love for each other, or expressing their anger. Again, to stick to the conventions of R&B, we should interpret this in a way which favours the two pouring their hearts out while intoxicated, showing genuine feelings. The hesitation we intend to show in the video would make the audience anticipate them texting each other positively - they will want it to end up this way. This verse suggest that despite the two being drunk, their pride still has on effect on their actions. They do want to text one another yet, if feelings are not mutual, they will regret showing their weakness. In the music video, we could use this aspect to create a build up with the hook and then show the two, in fact, messaging others. Although there is this 'don't care' attitude with drinking and in the song, the verse suggests that they still want to keep composed and appear sincere. The line 'you know how it goes' suggests that this state is something they're both familiar with in each other. It could also suggest that this could've been the root of their break up, hence the feeling of not wanting to seem drunk. This bridge part is like a confession in which they both admit the alcohol is responsible for their feelings. The extensive flow of drink will eventually help them to pick up the courage to do what is on their minds. They have spent all their drunk hours thinking of one another and the more they drink the more they are willing to communicate. The second line to the bridge could suggest that alcohol acts as an aphrodisiac, for them and this may be the only reason they are finding texting and seeing each other irresistible. They hope the texting is worth it because they have got them selves in to a state of drunk despair to which they need reassurance of some kind. In terms of our music video, this could be the final point where they actually do text one another and the build up has come to an end. This suggest the despair continues as they may not have got what they wanted and therefore regress to feelings of anger or spite. However, for our music video, I feel we should interpret it another way. We could end the video of the two being together, walking home. This is because it could hold a sense of irony. Despite the two wishing this upon each other, if this is the state they are used to getting in, they will always end up laying next to each other. |