Lyrical Analysis

A2 Music Promo Track: Space Elevator

The track we have chosen for our A2 Media Coursework is called Space Elevator. The track has quite an 'indie' and up-beat feel to it combined with light hearted lyrics giving it a quirky tone. The main theme we managed to pick out from the lyrics was the idea of a 'space elevator' which could have a multitude of metaphorical possibilities that we could use for our production.

Because of the nature of the song and its lyrics we were thinking of accompanying its quirky nature with a quirky and light hearted video. However we would also like to create a sleek and professional look for the performance aspects to create a conventional music promo. 

Sun spinning inside my mind inside my soul
Sun spinning inside my soul inside my bone
Sun spinning inside my soul inside my head
Sun spinning inside my head inside my mind


Space elevator won’t you take me so far

Sun out the ghetto won’t you take me to stars

Take me so far, take me so far

Sun out the ghetto won’t you take me to Mars


Can’t hear what you say, you’re so far away

You say you’ll see me later, ride my elevator

And if it’s possible to build something more

To be the talk of the town and never come back down



Sun spinning inside my mind inside my soul

Sun spinning inside my soul inside my head

Sun spinning inside my head inside my bone

Sun spinning inside my bone inside my mind

Science is trying just to figure out the facts


And I’ve been dying from crying

 ‘Cause nothings making sense

Space is calling out to me and my friends

‘Cause stars are falling and this is not the end


Space elevator won’t you take me to Mars

Sun out the ghetto won’t you take me so far

Take me so far, take me so far

Sun out the ghetto won’t you take me to Mars

Analysis - Music Promos

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

This promo for 'seven Nation Army' relies heavily on it's editing to for its individuality and success. It is a good example of disjuncture as there is no reference to the lyrics through the imagery what so ever and as most conventions are subverted it is very lucrative as an original promo. The entirety of the video is a mass of layered images which expand and fill up the screen one after another. It is very successfully done as all of the images are in sync with music all at the same time. Each shot is also mirrored close to the bottom of the screen which as the video progresses adds to the chaotic atmosphere it creates in combination with the song. 

The versus of the song have quite a relaxed feel to them and the editing reflects this as it is relatively slow paced and appears to coincide harmoniously with the music itself. However as you can see in the slide below; during the versus the editing becomes faster paced and the introduction of a strobe effect amplifies the nature of the more electrifying chorus. 

Tame Impala - Half Full Glass Of Wine

The promo for 'Half Full Glass Of Wine' also relies predominantly on editing for its success however it does make some intertextual references and can be seen to be more conventional than 'seven Nation Army'. For example the use of 'stop motion' animation can be linked to such videos as Peter Gabriel's 'Sledge Hammer' and even bares a resemblance in places to the same style of stop motion.

It could also be said that there is an intertextual link to Queen's promo for 'Bohemian Rhapsody' which was an incredibly successful music video and therefore it could be said that throughout the video they are making contextual references to past music promos. However they also put their own individual spin on it by using a large amount of psychedelic imagery typical to their genre. Additionally they still use typically conventions of a music promo through their consideration of performance aspects of the video which helps to prevent the animation and imagery becoming too overwhelming.

Tame Impala - Lucidity

'Lucidity' by Tame Impala is a video that defies and subverts all established conventions of a music video as the only performance aspect of the video is at the very beginning from an ariel perspective. The shot depicts the band playing around 500 kilometres from Melbourne, Australia.

The band took a leap of faith in using a series of experiments involving attaching a camera to a weather ballon to capture all that developed beneath it and sending it into space.

Again, as the band is quite typically psychedelic the use of space imagery and orbiting the earth is quite fitting for the genre. 

 

Digipak Review

Digipaks are becoming a more common way for artists to release their music on hard copies (e.g CDs). Digipaks are for one cheaper to produce on a mass scale and are more durable than conventional CD cases. Secondly the digipak gives an artist a chance to give their audience something more than just a CD (More artwork, posters, lyrics) and therefore entice them to buy it.

Gorillaz Digipak

This Digipak made for the Gorillaz is unorthodox in the way that it unfolds in a puzzle like manor revealing a new piece of artwork one by one which in this case is each member of the band and on each side they are in a different pose. I think that this Digipak is reasonably successful in the way that it is different and quite quirky which perhaps mirrors the style of Gorillaz however besides this I can't see anything else which could be better than a normal CD or a digital version. Despite this the idea of the 4 individual folds could be something to take into account when designing our own.

History of the Music Promo

Help! - The Beatles

'Help!' by the Beatles was one of the first music videos of its era to use the basic conventions that can be seen in todays industry. As well as using group shots (such as the one above) there are various close ups of the band playing instruments and a predominant focus on the lead singer. The editing consists of fast past straight cuts that are in time with the music itself which has become conventional to many contemporary music videos. Also because it is in black and white it creates a 'timeless' effect which has also been used in other videos through all eras, however in this case it could be due to the technology at hand. Additionally the lyrics are in sync with the singing. With regards to Mise en Scene it appears as though they are performing in a studio and each member has their instrument which gives the effect that they are doing a performance for the audience and therefore makes the band more accessible to people who might not have a chance to the see the band live.

The Beginning of MTV

MTV was founded in 1984 and created by Nickelodeon. However the idea was first conceived by Michael Nesmith a former member of the manufactured band, 'The Monkees' (In light of the popularity of the Beatles) who originally had  Their own TV series.  Although MTV has now expanded down various avenues and has a range of different channels it began as one channel which purely aired music videos. As well as allowing an increasingly broader audience to watch their favourite artists on TV it also gave a chance to emerging British artists to get noticed in America and from this moment music videos became very important and so the budget and level of creativity both increased in the production of music promos.

Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson

A good example of the type of videos that began to emerge after the creation of MTV is 'smooth criminal' by Michael Jackson. Firstly there is a large narrative element incorporated along side dance routines which is another common feature of Michael Jackson videos which has become a major part of some contemporary music videos (usually dance music).  Also the budget appears to have dramatically increased which can be seen in the Mise en Scene as it takes place in a relatively more realistic looking location which appears to be some form of a club. It can also be seen in the editing through the introduction of the use of effects such as slow motion however the editing is still always in sync with the song and lyrics.

It Was A Good Day - Ice Cube (1993)

Alongside the growing popularity of Hip Hop and the acceptance of Black artists of music channels there was a serge in Hip Hop videos. Ice Cube's 'It Was A Good Day' is a typical example of such a video. It is interesting as there is effectively a 50/50 split of narrative and performance and occasionally a crossing over of the two, also within the narrative sections the lyrics seem to coincide with the images on screen (e.g 'looking in the mirror') which has also developed into a widely used convention in contemporary music videos. Also as shown in the second screen shot the idea that realism doesn't have to apply in a music video is also shown by the fact that the location clearly isn't real and is more than likely filmed in a studio as well as seeming to be at a peculiar angle. 

Conventions

 

Camera work:

Close ups of band, predominantly on lead singer, shots of audience

Peter Gabriel – stop motion

 Editing:

Quick cuts, slow motion

Montage

 Mise en Scene:

Band, performance, instruments, atmospheric lighting, at a gig

Lyrics and images link

Art Inspired

Nirvana – in bloom – subverts expectations (1950’s pop band)

References to popular culture, Humour 

No need for realism