1. Cocoon – Catfish and the Bottlemen Analysis
I think the setting for the video is in an institute for people with mental health
problems. This could link to the song name cocoon as they are different and in
their own world, that being their cocoon.
The song begins with the first verse which includes the lyrics “I fell straight into
your arms, like a drunk who’s been on it all morning, and the suns up and my
heads fucked” This is the lead singer’s way of saying he has feelings of love like
being drunk and someone who has been drinking all morning is going to have
had a too much to drink so we can infer that he really feels for the girl. This is
shown in the video briefly as everything is going on around the main actor as he
stares at the female, this sows he is captivated by her as nothing is distracting
him.
“Immediately I grabbed you, you go all red like the first time, I love it when you
do that, gotta love it when you do that” are the next lines in the verse. The first
half of this quote is just to describe what he does and that she still blushes like
that first time that he held her. As the second half of the quote suggests he still
loves it when she blushes. The part of the video doesn’t link to the lyrics.
“I remember when we swapped names and I thought maybe, you’d stay and try
and outdrink me, and your friends all hate it” He is thinking back to when they
first met and when they told each other their names. He wishes that she could
have stayed longs for a few more drinks but her friends wouldn’t let her as they
didn’t approve of Van who is the main singer. While this lyric is being sung the
video shows the past when the main actor enters the institute and sees the girl
for the first time as they stare at each other, the framing during this is a centred
medium close up of each actor. It then cuts to the two actors outside and the
female has a flower that the male probably gave her.
“But fuck it if they talk, Fuck it if they try and get to us. Cause I’d rather go blind,
Than let you down” This simply means that he wouldn’t let anyone get in the way
of them being together no matter what so let them talk. He says that he would
rather go blind than let her down shows he cares for her.
“I cocoon round your shoulders, when your half cut and you’re frozen, and you
got that visible breathing, you’re dependant on me again” This further shows his
love for her as he explains that he comforts her when she is drunk, sad or cold,
he compares his love to a cocoon that keeps her warm and safe from harm. In the
video during this part of the song you can see the main actor being suspicious
and not trying to get caught we can presume that he is going to see her although
he is not suppose to.
During the chorus at this point in the video you can see that the female actress is
distraught as she is staring motionless out of the window. The male actor stands
next to her and brushes her hair as a form of comfort before he camera swaps to
a supervisor who tells a worker to take him away from her. But later in the video
2. he comes back to her which further amplifies our understanding of how much he
likes her
“And if you wanna shut down and pose as positive and hide smoking from
relatives and rest on me honey that alright” Here he is saying to her that he will
be for her no matter what even If she wants to shut down her positive and happy
façade. He will love her past all her imperfections and sadness. The video at this
point is a series of flashbacks to the time they spent together as if he is
reminiscing to the times they where happy together.
“And if you wanna act more drunk than usual to help you get away with more
then rest on me honey that’s alright, honey that alright” again we know that the
singer is offering the girl his shoulder as a place to rest and feel safe again as a
reference to the cocoon. He wants her to know that he is there for her even if she
is pretending to be drunker than she actually is. By the end of this verse the
video shows him once again being taken away from her.
