A2 MEDIA

1. Keane – somewhere only we know
For my music analysis I choose keane – somewhere only we know. This music fits into the
alternative rock genre.
The setting of the song seems to suggest a back street forgotten world that exists and there is a
feel of homelessness. At the start the band come out of what looks to be a back stage door this
is shown by the sign on the door saying ‘stage door’ with graffiti coming the walls, this
suggests that the area is run down or abandoned. The song starts on the opening of the door,
and could suggest that they are leaving the performing happy world into a dark forgotten
world that as the song suggests only they know. They jump in to a black taxi and there is a
jump cut to a shot of a close up of stripes on the road which is a link to the lyrics ‘I walked
across an empty land’ the lyrics seems to suggest that this person has been her before as the
lyrics state ‘I knew the pathway like the back of my hand’. The tilt shot up to the man playing
the piano which looks run down and old suggests that there is a place that this person does
know but has not been there for a while this is father emphasized by the mid shot of the drum
kit in the river with a load of waste on it keeping the theme of an old place that know body
knows. He says that ‘imp getting old and I need something to rely on’ which suggests that he
was in love with this person and that we needs to be with her and to rely on her in dark stages
of his life. There are many jump cuts that follow the beat of the song such as the drummer
taping the percussion instrument to the song. There is a close up of a small creature in the taxi
which suggests that there is someone there for him but there are invisible to him so I believe
some one can here him but he cant see it. There is another cut to a forest scene that looks very
empty and abandoned, and as dark and grey as the previous places in the video. He keeps on
asking questions to the person that the song is about saying ‘is this the place we used to love’
which suggests that he as forgot where him and his love felt happy. There is a link to the
lyrics here where it mentions a ‘falling tree’ and the performers step over a tree that has
collapsed onto surrounding trees. There is cuts to the band singing in a river, the camera is
never static and is all ways moving though the use of panning/tilting shots or tracking shots
the camera is constantly capturing the story and trying to show a man who has lost his love
and who has gone to the place where they felt happiest to reclaim some of that love back.
There is an interesting shot of this creature looking from up high at the band moving though
the woods this suggests that there is somebody they’re listening to them. He describes her as a
‘simple thing’, which actually reflects the setting being very basic. There is a point in the
song where it goes quite and this is represented by night time in the story as the scenery goes
blue, the waterfall does not stop though suggesting that there is always something active in
the place that these people know. There are also some white searchlights moving around from
above the trees reflecting of the water,which could show an active search for this person who
is not there. There is many camera shots including close ups mid shots and high angled crane
shots that show the full band as they perform in the river. At the end there is a hole host of
creatures that come towards the band and there heart glows which suggests a connection to
the person and that somebody was listening but we don’t know if that was actually the right
thing that was listening or not. The costumes colors are basic colors including dark blues and
browns, there style of dress suits a boy band of that time and of that genre, it keeps the link in
the song even though the song is being sung to someone who is not there,by the lead singer.
Through the costumes you can see that they are a band singing a song.