Music Video Analysis

1. Music Video Analysis
Gender Roles
Song Title: ______If I Were a Boy_______________________
Artist: ________Beyoncé______________________________
1. What are the men/women doing? (Dancing, sitting, swimming, etc.) At the beginning the
woman is getting ready for work while the man is making breakfast. She works as a police
officer and he works in an office. The woman goes off to work, after work goes out with her
coworkers, while the man is calling her. The man is hurt. But it changes. At the end the roles are
reversed (how things really are) The man is the police officer going out and not coming home,
while the woman works the desk job and cooks for him.
2. How are the men/women dressed? How much skin is revealed?
3. Are there more, fewer, or the same number of men as women? There are the same amount
4. Describe the body language of the men/women: are they sitting, standing, gyrating,
mugging, etc.?
5. Do the men/women have power? How do you know?
6. What³s the message of the song? If a men could really see how they treat a woman in a
relationship, maybe they would act differently.
7. What type of music is the song? Pop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpsOqh8q0M
Race
Song Title: ____Ridin Dirty_________________________
Artist: _________Chamillionare _____________________
1. What races do you see represented? Black and two white people at the beginning.
2. Are there any dark skinned women shown? How many? Yes. There were nine women.
3. What is the race of the person at the focus of the video? Chamillionare is the focus of the
video and he his black.
4. What are the black/Latino/Asian/white/Native American/Pacific Islander people doing?
They are getting arrested by the cops and fighting each other.
5. What³s the message of the song? Police officers job is to serve the community but they
target the black community because of their race, even if they are not doing anything illegal.
6. What type of music is the song? Rap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtwJvgPJ9xw

2. Sexuality
Song Title: ______Ride_______________________
Artist: _________SoMo________________________
1. Describe any sexually explicit body language:
2. Who is more sexualized men or women? Both? Both
3. Are there sexually explicit lyrics or messages?
4. How are subjects of the music video dressed?
5. Describe the relationships between the men and women: Are they long or short term?
Casual or serious?
6. What³s the message of the song?
7. What type of music is the song? R&B
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTH69dPZL9M
Materialism
Song Title: _______Rich Girl_______________________________
Artist: _______Gwen Stefani_______________________________
1. Describe the products that are highlighted in the video: (cars, jewelry, clothes, etc.) Jewelry,
Clothing,
2. Are any brand names shown?
3. How is wealth defined in the video? Drinking, partying,
4. Are products mentioned in the song lyrics?
5. What³s the message of the song?
6. What type of music is the song? Pop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rlNpWYQunY
Violence
Song Title: ______Before He Cheats______________
Artist: ________Carrie Underwood___________________
1. Describe any violent lyrics in the song: I dung my key into the side of his pretty little souped-
up four wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seats, I took a Louisville Slugger to both
head lights slashed a hole in all four tires, maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats.

3. 2. Describe any violent body language:
3. Describe any violent actions or weapons that are shown: She is bashing in a car with a
baseball bat and keying a car.
4. Describe any self-mutilation or violence: There is no violence to herself just to his car.
5. What³s the message of the song? He’s cheating on me so while he’s doing that I’m going to
take away what he cares about most. He’ll learn after me!!
6. What type of music is the song? Country
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSy8yy-mr8