1. Emeli Sande - Heaven
Set Case Study Music Video
INTRO
2. Introduction – Heaven
Lyric Analysis
1. Read through the lyrics
2. Choose the most powerful words and phrases that provoke thoughts and ideas about themes,
context and representation of social groups.
3. Do they give you any hints about what the music video could involve?
4. Are any themes evident through the lyrics of this song?
5. Would you expect Emeli Sande to have a large role in the video?
6. Would it be mainly a performance or narrative video?
3. What Themes are evident in the lyrics?
Religion (Title, “I wait with good intentions”)
Hedonism (“Will you recognise me in the flashing lights? I try to keep my heartbeat…”)
Guilt/Regret/Loss (“Something's gone inside me, and I can't get it back”.)
4. Emeli Sande Said…
Emeli Sandé said this about the song,
“Heaven came from a conversation I was having with my producer Naughty Boy, we were
talking about what it means to be good in this day and age, and how it’s harder for our
generation because things move so fast, and how there’s so many influences and
avenues, and he said, You just have to keep your heart clean. It was the imagery of a clean
or dirty heart that inspired me, and we wrote it in about half an hour. I knew I wanted it
to be my first song from the off.”
“I definitely believe in God and I believe in heaven, although I don’t follow religion.
Heaven was about trying to be good. My idea of heaven? A lot of music, somewhere very
calm. I felt it at Christmas with the family around. Kids are so pure and innocent, and one
was learning the piano. It reminded me of when I was learning.”
5. Emeli Sande – Background to Heaven
Adele Sandé is a Scottish R&B and soul singer-songwriter who records under the stage name of Emeli
Sandé. Before pursuing music, Sandé studied medicine at University of Glasgow. The Scot first entered the
public eye in 2009 when she featured on rapper Chipmunk's debut single, “Diamond Rings," which gave
her and Chipmunk a first top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart. In 2010, Sandé appeared again on Wiley's
“Never Be Your Woman," which became another top ten hit, and on “Let Go," which was the closing track
of Tinie Tempah's debut album. Sandé also co-penned Alesha Dixon's single “Radio." The same year she
signed her first major record deal with Virgin Records before signing another deal with EMI in 2011.
This euphoric Trip-Pop tune is Emeli Sandé's debut solo single. She wrote the song with Naughty Boy, who is
a British grime producer who previously collaborated with her on "Diamond Rings" and "Never Be Your
Woman.“ It was also the first release from Sandé's debut album, Our Version of Events on 14 August 2011.
The single was added to BBC Radio One’s playlist in June 2011. The song was also crowned record of the
week by the station’s daytime DJ, Fearne Cotton. The single is written by Sandé, Naughty Boy, Craze and
Hoax, with producer Mike Spencer.
6. Emeli Sande – Background to
Heaven
Digital Spy said that the song is a mixture of pacey house beats, mellow strings (arranged by Cliff
Masterson) and Mark Ronson-esque horn sections. The song was also compared to Leona Lewis (whom
Sandé has written tracks for) and Yasmin. One critic said that the song was “ticking all the good boxes in
modern urban music." Critics also said that the song "stunned" them when they heard the song. The
single was released accompanied by a music video, which was filmed in London, UK which premiered on
August 22, 2011 on Emeli Sandé's official YouTube account. Throughout the video the music has scenes
of Sandé singing to the sky, and standing outside of a Cathedral, there are also many shots where Mary,
mother of Jesus' statue is seen in the video. The single was released via digital download and 7” vinyl on
14 August and 15 August 2011, respectively. The single was made to pre-order several weeks before it
was released on iTunes
The song's music video was directed by Jake Nava, who has previously worked with Beyoncé, Alicia Keys,
Kanye West and Nicki Minaj. It was shot in Bethnal Green, in East London where Sandé lives. "We
wanted to capture a real British vibe and keep it really simple to emphasize the lyrics," the singer
told Spinner.
7. Themes and
Representation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=883yQqdOaLg
(You may need to watch it more than once!)
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS… (PLEASE WRITE YOUT ANBSWERS IN YOUR BOOKS FOR DISCUSSION)
1. Are any of the themes from the lyrics visually represented? If so, what examples can you give?
3. How are particular social groups represented in the video? Make reference to media language
4. What media theory could be applied here?
