music video analysis using Goodwin's theory

1. Music Video Analysis
Ethan Smith

2. Andrew Goodwin
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine
for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images. (either
illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of
the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist
may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and
particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual style)
7. There are often intertextual references (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc).

3. King Krule
• King Krule (Archy Marshall) is a UK alternative artist known for his jangly guitar tone and peculiar vocals.
• Krule’s debut album, ‘6 Feet Beneath The Moon’, was released in 2013 and has become renowned within
the alternative music scene.
• He has worked on other projects besides King Krule which has retained his popularity – including a
collaboration with Ratking.

4. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
King Krule’s illustrative music video for ‘A Lizard State’ reflects the
alternative genre of his music via unconventional methods: intriguing
camera angles and visuals create a unique appearance and thus attract
an alternative audience. The video predominantly involves a
performance by Krule himself, but is paralleled with a vague narrative.
The aspect ratio of the video is 4:3. This creates a confined and
claustrophobic feel to the video, which adds to the overall narrative
and demonstrates the alternative genre, since many mainstream
videos are often wider in aspect ratio. Therefore, through one simple
feature, Krule’s video becomes more “set apart” from most music
videos and is subsequently more alternative.
A greyscale approach to the video creates brilliant contrast and
shadowing; Krule’s performance becomes almost unnerving and odd,
which links to the alternative genre. Furthermore, the lack of colour
connotes to the video being based in the past – linking to the loose
narrative of the video. It could be argued that this deliberate styling
was chosen to coordinate with the jazz samples featured in the song.

5. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
‘One day I’m gonna have you’ (illustrative)
As Krule states that he is ‘gonna have you’, he looks through a narrow
crack in which a female character appears. This suggests that the newly
introduced female character represents the person Krule is singing
about. However, the wall between them suggests a difficulty between
them, linking to Krule’s lyric of yearning to ‘have’ her.
‘But babe what am I to do, I've given up on loving you’
(illustrative)
During this lyric, symbolic imagery appears within the video: the
audience discovers that there is a wall between Krule and the female
character, which is perhaps representative of Krule giving ‘up on loving’
her.
‘Yeah I was so hung up on loving you’ (amplifying)
The word ‘hung’ is visually represented by the female character via mise-
en-scene The phone prop creates a clear link between lyrics and visuals.

6. There is a relationship between music and visuals.
The introduction of the song features a ringing telephone: this is
visually represented, in an amplifying way, by a close up shot of a prop
telephone. This signifies both the start of the song and the start of the
video and thus links the two media together – the audience becomes
positioned to think that the upcoming video will represent the track in
a particular way.
There are a number of shots that feature lizards: this clearly holds
significance since the title of the track is ‘A Lizard State’. Therefore, the
director is amplifying the song through the visual motif of lizards. The
lyric ‘lizard state’ could refer to the primitive part of the brain –
commonly associated with aggression, fear, empathy and bonding –
and so the lizards may be a visual representation of that, used to
create a volatile atmosphere. It perhaps also increases the
mysterious/unsettling tone of the video, since the audience is unsure
as to why the lizards are there.
During this shot, the music becomes quieter and Krule’s voice
becomes softer in tone. This is significant since, visually, Krule and the
female character are moving nearer to one another – the director
could be illustrating an “apologetic” atmosphere to the video, since
Krule frequently mentions throughout the song that he doesn’t want
to give up on the girl he loves.

7. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist
may develop motifs which recur across their work
Throughout the ‘A Lizard State’ music video, Krule is subjected to a number of close up shots (possibly due to
the demands of a record label). A common style that recurs throughout Krule’s music videos are his facial
expressions: close up shots allow the audience to glimpse at Krule’s emotional pain and despair, since he
expresses a number of emotions when performing in videos. In ‘A Lizard State’, for example, his anger and
frustration is prominent, due to the amount of close up shots directed towards his face – reflecting the
tone/atmosphere of the music.
Furthermore, it is important that Krule’s youth is presented so clearly through close up shots since
juxtaposition is created: the song (and Krule’s discography) features somewhat depressing themes, and so it is
perhaps odd to the audience that it is someone so young who is singing about it. It could be argued that this
video presents Krule as a countertype: people with experience and knowledge are often visualised as being
older and having facial hair, yet Krule’s “baby face” totally undermines this.

8. There is frequently reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female
body.
King Krule frequently looks directly into the camera which
positions the audience to feel included and drawn into his
performance. This fourth wall break makes Krule appear as
more than just a character in a video, since he is directing
his performance at us.
Interestingly, the female character is not treated in a
voyeuristic way. Instead she presented as a voyeur herself,
peering through a hole in the wall to look at Krule himself.
Perhaps the director’s intention was to create a video that
didn’t conform to gender stereotypes.

9. The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work
As one of Archy Marshall’s most popular pseudonyms, King Krule has developed his own style and
iconography: the most prolific being his father’s suit. In music videos for ‘Easy Easy’, ‘A Lizard State’ and
‘Czech One’, Krule is dressed in a brown suit, and so it is suitable to suggest that it has become a motif
throughout his work. Krule’s suit has become part of his identity and so featuring it in his music videos
allows him to be more recognisable to an audience. Possibly the most notable feature of the suit is that it
is somewhat “baggy”, reinforcing the representation of his youth since he still needs to grow in order for
it to fit.
Another motif of King Krule’s videos is that they have developed the similarity of featuring Krule himself –
he is often the main subject and so is easily identifiable.

10. There are often intertextual references
‘A Lizard State’ has a very clear intertextual reference: Andrew Hitchcock. Inspired by
Hitchock’s quirky directing techniques, Krule pays homage to him in this video by adopting
an intro from ‘Hitchcock Presents’. Additionally, the remainder of the music video is shot in
greyscale, with Krule standing horizontally on a wall similar to Hitchcock himself. Referencing
Hitchcock created an almost cinematic feel to the video and increased the verisimilitude.
John Stewart devised a theory that music videos have some link to art, fashion or cinema in
order to create a visual reference to attract audiences. Therefore, it could be argued that ‘A
Lizard State’ conforms to this theory, since it makes reference to a highly famous film
director.

11. Courtney Barnett
• Courtney Barnett is an indie Australian solo artist who is known for her witty, poetical lyrics.
• Currently, she has created a double EP: ‘A Sea of Spilt Peas’ and her debut LP ‘Sometimes I Sit
and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit’.

12. Music videos demonstrate genre
characteristics.
Courtney Barnett is an alternative/indie artist and so it is important that the music video
reflects her genre effectively. Since many of her songs contain witty, comical lyrics, her videos
also follow this trend: ‘Avant Gardener’ uses a game of tennis as a metaphor for what she is
stating in her lyrics. In addition, there is a “tongue and cheek” attitude to the vid: one
character smokes a cigarette and none are very good at tennis.
Since Courtney is considered “indie”, the mise-en-scene of the video itself ensures that it fits
within the genre: the characters in the video (including Courtney herself) are wearing/using
vintage equipment and clothing, which is a common style in the alternative scene.

13. There is a relationship between lyrics and
visuals.
‘It’s a Monday, it’s so mundane’ (illustrative)
During this shot, Courtney is positioned centre frame and is still.
This is contrasted with the fast-moving game of tennis and
therefore suggests Courtney’s boredom with everyday life – as
stated in her lyrics.
‘I’m having trouble breathing in’ (amplifying)
As Courtney sings this lyric, she begins to lose the game of tennis
and her struggle of ‘breathing in’ is amplified through a shot of her
struggling to breath.
‘I take a hit from an asthma puffer, I do it wrong, I was never
good at smoking bongs’ (amplifying)
This lyric is amplified in a similar way to the previous lyric:
Courtney is depicted using an inhaler and then violently coughing
(hence: ‘I was never good at smoking bongs’).

14. There is a relationship between music and
visuals.
The harmonies of the lyrics ‘I’m not that good at breathing in’ are
illustrated by the opposing tennis players. The fact that the two
characters are playing against Courtney acts as a metaphor for the
lyrics, since she is self-deprecating herself.
The successive strum of Courtney’s guitar occurs every time
the tennis ball is hit by a separate player. This is achieved via
the editing technique of a montage and the pace of the video
is increased – amplifying the music of the song.

15. A visual style: iconography and motifs
In her most recent videos, Courtney Barnett has developed her own iconography. In ‘Avant Gardener’,
‘Pedestrian at Best’ and ‘Elevator Operator’ she plays three separate roles. However, her messy hair and
nonchalant attitude are what keep her familiar to the audience. I think it is the “characters” she plays that are
the motifs within her music videos – despite not being the same, they all appear to be symbolic of her personal
opinion of herself. Furthermore, her music videos are often narrative-based: allowing for them to retain
continuity and to be familiar with audiences. In regards to close up shots of her face, the main reason why the
director may include them is to highlight how it is her song, since she is a solo artist, which may be a request
from the record label. As well as this, the close up shots allow the audience to view her common facial
expression of being bored and fed-up: a symbol of her attitude towards life (at times).

16. There is frequently reference to notion of looking
and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the
female body.
Within ‘Avant Gardener’, Courtney frequently looks directly into the camera and breaks the fourth wall: this has
the effect of making her appear more personal to the audience compared to other characters. The fact that she
is essentially singing the lyrics to the audience makes them more direct and “real”.
The video does not conform to ideas of the “male gaze” and Courtney, despite being the only woman in the
video, is not subjected to any voyeuristic/misogynistic treatment. This is likely due to the fact that Courtney
wanted to break conformities of mainstream music videos, which links to her alternative/indie genre.

17. ALVVAYS
• Alvvays are an indie dream pop band from Toronto, Canada.
• Their debut album was released in July, 2014.
• Despite having Canadian origins, they have gained popularity worldwide and have played many UK festivals.

18. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
Similar to King Krule’s ‘A Lizard State’ music video, ‘Archie, Marry Me’ is
shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio, which creates a strong vintage aesthetic.
Vintage/retro themes are often prominent within the alternative genre
and so the director’s choice in aspect ratio conforms to genre
characteristics.
The music video is alternative in that it features unique mise-en-scene
ideas. In this shot, for example, the director has chosen to project an
image over the performing band. The bold colour links to the overall
aesthetic of the video, and so continuity is not broken. This simple
technique provides a different feel to a standard performance and
therefore aids in making the video appear more indie/alternative.
Furthermore, performance is a key element of most indie music videos.
A common feature of alternative music videos is to depict unique,
intriguing and cool people. In this instance, the director of ‘Archie, Marry
Me’ has decided to include a number of people who would classify as
either alternative or indie. This perhaps helps audiences to connect with
the video, since it is featuring people who are similar to them.

19. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.
‘You’ve expressed explicitly your contempt for matrimony’ (amplifying)
The establishing medium shot depicts Molly and a male character in a
wedding scene. This amplifies the opening verse of the song since it discusses
marriage and matrimony. It is important to note that, during this scene, the
director uses symbolism: as soon as the two characters have married, Molly
is not covered in confetti but “attacked” with powder. This therefore suggests
that the marriage will “blow up” in her face - hence the line ‘contempt for
matrimony… will not risk the alimony’.
‘During the summer, take me sailing out on the Atlantic ’ (amplifying)
This line is illustrated throughout the video: in many shots, there is a
particularly bright, colourful and warm aesthetic which is typically associated
with summer. In particular, the theme of ‘sailing’ is prominent – each band
member is wearing sailor outfits and a boat has been hired. Their outfits,
whilst being important to the narrative of the song, also highlight the stylish
element of the band, which links to the indie genre. Looking ‘cool’ is often
important for bands in music videos.
‘Forget the invitation, floral arrangements and bread makers’ (amplifying)
Molly’s narrative describes how she would disregard traditional marriage
practices, if it would make Archie marry her. The director illustrates this
visually through a close up shot of a marriage bouquet being ruined by yellow
paint.

20. There is a relationship between music and visuals.
During the chorus of the track, the music becomes “dreamier” and the vocals
become more profound. This is illustrated through the depiction of Molly
singing on a boat: the weather is warm and sunny, which creates a feeling of
dreaminess often associated with summer. Molly is the main subject of the
shot, which amplifies how this song is expressing her own feelings.
Later in the track, as the chorus begins to build up, there is a pause in drums
and only the guitar/vocals can be heard. This then ends abruptly with a single
drum beat. The director has chosen to amplify this by timing the splash
(created by Molly jumping into the sea) in time with the drum beat. This
generates greater build up to the song, as well as keeping the audience
gripped and interested in the video.
The intro to the video features a montage edit of a number of different shots.
The cuts between each shot are edited in-time with the music and so the
pace of the video is established for the audience.

21. A visual style: iconography and motifs
A common feature of Alvvays’ videos is that they feature Molly (lead vocals/guitar) as the primary subject
when filming. This helps to create continuity across multiple videos and gives Alvvays an identity in the music
video industry – particularly since it is Molly’s notable face.
Additionally, Alvvays have developed a motif of using older formats of filming: such as VHS and Super 8 film.
This is a deliberate choice to create a nostalgic, vintage feel to the videos. Nostalgia is often a theme of indie
music since it can be both positive and negative, and so perhaps Alvvays’ intention was to conform within the
indie/alt genre.

22. There is frequent reference to notion of looking and particularly
voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
The notion of looking is not a primary subject of the music video – however, towards the end, members of the
band are focused upon more and they look into the camera. I think this was decided by the director to give the
band more personality, so that the audience can feel empathetic towards them.
The video does not conform to ideas of the “male gaze” since the female characters are not presented in a
negative way: they aren’t commodified or sexualised, which I think the director has decided to do deliberately in
order to break mainstream conformities. The video does feature two female characters kissing, but this is not
included to please the male audience – instead it portrays themes of rebellion and alternative thinking.

23. There are often intertextual references
Despite the lack of explicit intertextual references, ‘Archie, Marry Me’ certainly adopts style/aesthetics from
Wes Anderson films. Anderson is known for warm colour schemes, which this music video uses to create a
dreamy appearance to it.
The director may have decided to adopt Anderson’s visual style because he is not considered a mainstream
director: thus attracting a more niche, alternative audience.