This document provides a narrative analysis of the music video for "Fresh Start Fever" by You Me at Six. It summarizes that the video tells a linear narrative story without any musical performance. While it does not directly illustrate the lyrics, the protagonist's emotions are reflected in the song. The narrative follows Strauss and Todorov's theory of establishing equilibrium, disequilibrium, and a new equilibrium through the conflict between the main character's girlfriend and his motorbike coach.

1. Narrative Analysis
You Me at Six – Fresh Start Fever

2. Lyrics
Everybody loves the original,
Everybody's got time to be cynical
Old enough to know better by now,
It’s the greatest joke don’t go letting me down
Hold my drink, this just got physical
I’m on a new wave, it’s getting visceral
Going toe to toe to see how you go
I’m in pain. So, yes, it is painful
Oh, heart of mine
Sing a sad song, sing a sad song
Warning you
Oh, heart of mine
Sing a sad song
And it’s a fresh start fever
Who wouldn’t want to be here?
Welcome to the future
Dream a little bigger
As for now I reserve judgments
Until these chains, chains are redundant
The brave die young and that’s all right for some
But I'm after something long term, long term
Let’s make resolutions
I’ve only got problems and no solutions
You’re just someone to the world
But you’re the world to someone else who told you
Oh heart of mine
Sing a sad song, sing a sad song
Warning you
Oh, heart of mine
Sing a sad song
And it’s a fresh start fever
Who wouldn’t want to be here?
Welcome to the future
Dream a little bigger
And it’s a fresh start fever
Fresh start fever
Welcome to the future
Dream a little big dream a little bigger
You’re a hard act to follow
So I stare down this empty bottle
But there's no message at the bottom
So how do I solve it
I’m a hard act to follow
I know we sink so slo-o-ow
Shallow is as shallow does
Keep a track on all those scars
I said you’ve got a chip on your shoulder
Getting worse now you’re older
Getting hard now you're sober
[Explicit:] There's your life, it's fucking over
[Clean:] There's your life and now it's over
And it’s a fresh start fever
Who wouldn’t want to be here?
Welcome to the future
Dream a little bigger
And it’s a fresh start fever
Fresh start fever
Welcome to the future
Dream a little big dream a little bigger

3. This music video is completely
narrative based and has no
aspects of performance at all.
However, Andrew Goodwin’s
theory of an illustration video
does not fully apply as the action
does not directly link to the
lyrics.
The video includes some
disjuncture elements, even
though it is a linear narrative.

4. Strauss and Todorov
• Strauss’ theory of binary oppositions is evident in the conflict between the
protagonist’s girlfriend and motorbike coach/father figure.
• Disequilibrium is established when the girl leaves the house crying, it is
then apparent that the equilibrium has been ruined due to the boyfriend’s
struggle between his love for her and his ambition to race.
• The action links to the lyrics due to the emotions we see the main boy
experience (“The brave die young and that’s all right for some
But I'm after something long term, long term. Let’s make resolutions
I’ve only got problems and no solutions”)

5. Despite there being no performance in the video, all of the band members
appear as extras in the narrative. The lead singer, Josh (top left) has the most
screen time and plays the protagonist’s friend as he is the front man of the
band.

6. New equilibrium is achieved when the boy quits the race and is reunited with
the girl. The fact that he has a solution to his problem and has made a
decision links to the title (‘Fresh Start Fever’) as it signals that he wants to
start again with her. The happy ending provides closure in the linear narrative
and matches the bold drum beat that ends the song.