My evaluation of three music videos using Andrew Goodwin's theory

1. Music video
evaluation
Milo O’mahoney

2. Contents.
 P.g3- Andrew Goodwin’s principles.
 P.g4/8- Twenty one pilots, stressed out.
 P.g9/13- My chemical romance, Welcome to the
black parade.
 P.g14/16- Florence + The machine, A kiss with a
fist

3. Andrew Goodwin’s music
video principles:
1. Links between music and the visuals (i.e.
contradictive, illustrative etc)
2. Genre characteristics.
3. Intertextual references.
4. The notion of looking (female
objectification).
5. Voyeurism (direct looking, screens/mirrors,
others looking at artist)
6. Performance, narrative or concept based
music videos.
7. The demands of the record label (how
artist is represented).
8.

4. “stressed out”- twenty one
pilots.
 Stressed Out is a song
written and
recorded by
American
alternative hip hop
band Twenty One
Pilots for their fourth
studio album,
Blurryface.—
Wikipedia.

5. Links between music and
visuals.
 At this stage in the song a blatant use of linking the
lyrics and visuals is made with the line “when
momma sang us to sleep” being followed by an
image of the two band members asleep on beds.
 This image of beds is quickly reused when the other
people present in the shot wearing black
(representing the band’s family) shout the lyric
“wake up, you need to make money!”

6. Demonstrations of genre
characteristics.
 In ‘stressed out’ this demonstration of genre occurs right
at the beginning when lead singer-Tyler Joseph can
be seen ‘cruising in’ to the shot on a child’s tricycle.
This supports both the hip-hop and alternative genre
as the style in which he acts is in a manner suitable
for a typical hip-hop video, but he does so in a so
overtly contradictive way through use of the
tricycle, this panders to the alternative side of the
genre.

7. Intertextual references.
 The colours red and black are common amongst music videos due to their
recognisable hidden meanings. For example red is often depicted as the
colour of love, or lust. Any emotion/feeling which carries with it passion, even
anger. Black is a colour that seems to symbolise the ‘dark side’ within each of
us and the ‘evil’ or mischievous part of us so goes well with the before
mentioned red.
 These two colours, with these meanings is a combo found in virtually all hip-hop
videos and hip-hop culture, and is not missed out in ‘stressed out’

8. Narrative, concept or
performance.
 The video made for ‘stressed out’ is concept base.
This means it is a video that is based around one
key idea, or ‘concept’ that usually results in a
more obscure video than performance or
narrative based videos. This video can, however,
be argued to also include elements of
performance and story.
 I believe that the ‘concept’ behind the video is
being ‘unsatisfied’ with the stressful nature of
adulthood. It consists of an adult reflecting on his
childhood, and wishing he was back in this more
carefree and relaxed state as he is not ready to
‘grow up.’

9. ”Welcome to the black parade”-
My chemical romance.
 My chemical romance were an American rock band
that also fall under the genres of ‘emo’ ‘alternative
rock’ and ‘pop punk’ with ‘the black parade’ being
one of their more recognisable songs. The video
features ‘the patient’ ,who was a character seen
throughout the album ‘The black parade,’ passing
away and joining the ‘black parade.’

10. Links.
 The most blatant link is the fact there
is actually a parade, all in black,
seen in the video.



 References also to death (“although
you’re dead and gone believe
me”) are embodied by the setting
that seems to be that of an
afterlife of some sorts.

11. Genre.
 Most indie/alternative rock music videos are performance
based. ‘Black parade’ has decided to stick to this trend and
the band can be seen performing throughout the video with
their normal instruments as if they were on a normal stage.
 As regard to the other genres such as ‘emo,’ the costume and
setting are spot-on in terms of meeting genre standards.

12. Intertextual references.
 One concept or ‘event’ that is almost
unanimously referenced or even represented
in the ‘emo’ music genre is death. What
happens after you die, the meaning of death,
what causes death etc. etc. This is not
forgotten by My chemical romance and is,
believe it or not, the main theme of both the
song and video of ‘The black parade.’ Mainly
focusing on the value of a person’s life after
their death, with lyrics such as “your memory
will carry on.”

13. Video style.
 I would describe the music video for ‘The black
parade’ to be a performance video, with some
narrative and concept features.
 It is a performance simply because the whole
band is present and is performing as to a crowd.
 The narrative nature is following the ‘patient’ as he
can be seen to possibly die, and then join the
dead in the ‘black parade.’
 Finally, I believe there are also elements of concept,
namely, the parade itself. Its existence is an idea
about which the entire song is focused on.

14. “kiss with a fist” - Florence
+ the machine.
 Florence and the machine are an ‘indie rock’
band.
 The song, “kiss with a fist” was their debut single.
 It rather chillingly and yet joyfully describes an
episode of domestic violence between a
woman and a man that most likely live
together.

15. Links.
 Throughout the song, the lyrics seem to be
replicated as actions on the screen in an
illustrative manner.
 “so I stood back and watched the bed burn” at
which point you can see a bed that has some
form of fire look alike on top of it.

16. Voyeurism and the notion
of looking.
 Although not heavily implicated, there are some
scenes that seem to be sexual in nature. Such
as Florence looking directly into the camera, or
dancing in an extremely innocent way yet with
some obvious references to male gaze.