The document provides an analysis of Selena Gomez's music video for "The Heart Wants What It Wants". It analyzes the target audiences, implied meanings in the lyrics, themes portrayed in each verse, and overall genre and tempo. The target audiences are identified as people going through a breakup who want to feel less alone, Selena Gomez fans who want insight into her life, and women aged 21-27 dealing with relationship issues. Lyrics discuss feelings of confusion, addiction to love, and struggling to let go. Verses portray themes of loneliness, doubts about the future, and an inability to escape painful memories. The video has a slow tempo and is a departure from typical pop music video conventions

1. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan
Selena Gomez– The Heart WantWhatIt Wants https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij_0p_6qTss
Target Audience &
Needs
I thinkthat the targetaudience forthismusicvideoispeople whohave recentlycome outof a relationship and they feel insecure
and theyfeel likethey’renotgoing to be the same. The needs for this target audience is for the music video to make the people
who is watching this like they are not alone and other people are going through the same. I think the music video achieves the
needs and meets the target audience because it shows Selena Gomez being vulnerable and showing emotion, as seen in the
photos below. Another target audience is fans of Selena Gomez, the needs for this target audience is that they want to get a
glimpse intoherlife andsee the real her.Ithinkshe metthe needs of this target audience because before the song was released
she went through a tragic breakup with former boyfriend Justin Bieber, so in a way this song and music video is also
autobiographical.The lasttargetaudience Ithinkthe musicvideohasiswomenwhoare between 21-27. I think this because most
women think they should be in a serious relationship by this age and I also think it’s a very mature song which addresses
somethingwe all experience atsome pointinourlife.Alsointhe musicvideoshe comesacrossverygrownupandmature which is
stereotypicallyhowwe see womenbeingwhentheyreach21. She could’ve come out and made the guy seem bad but she shows
howit has affected her and in a way she’s come out of the relationship more mature and with a different view on life which we
don’t think a teen could react like that to a break-up.
Lyrics (Meaning
Implied?)
At the beginning of the video she says:
“When I was on, when I was on stage
And I was thinking of...
I felt like I know
I know him though
And I know that, and I know his heart
And I know what he wouldn't do to hurt me
But I didn't realize that I-I-I

2. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan
Feeling so confident, feeling so great about myself
And then it just be completely shattered
By one thing, by something so stupid
But then you make me feel crazy
You make me feel like it's my fault
I was in pain”
In the introduction to the song in the video she says “Feeling so confident, feeling so great about myself and then it just b e
completelyshatteredbyone thing,bysomethingsostupid”.Inthese lyricsshe issayinghowconfidentandhappyshe feltafterthe
break-upitwascoveringupthe fact that deepdownshe wasdestroyed. Butafter she sees something to do with her ex she can’t
keepupthe act and she justbreaksdownemotionally.Thiscouldbe referringtoher ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber and how it seems
harder for her to keep up the act because they are both in the public eye and it’s harder to not hear about rumours about new
relationships and the things he gets up to without her. Also she could be referring to how almost every magazine was starting
rumoursabout the reasontheybroke upand forcingherto relive everysecondof the tragic time in her life. In the last three lines
of the introwhere she says“butthenyou make me feel crazy,youmake me feel likeit’smyfaultIwas in pain”.I thinkshe’s saying
that somehoweverynegativeinthe relationshipturnsout to be her fault and after a while the person who’s being blamed starts
to believeitistheirownfault.It’s driving her crazy because she feels like he dumped her because she did something wrong and
she doesn’tknowso everything’s playing over and over in her head and really she didn’t do anything wrong it was his fault they
finished.
The first verse of the song is:
“You got me sipping on something
I can't compare to nothing I've ever known
I'm hoping that after this fever I'll survive
I know I'm acting a bit crazy
Strung out, a little bit hazy
Hand over heart, I'm praying
That I'm gonna make it out alive”
The first two lines of the song are “You got me sipping on something I can’t compare to nothing I’ve ever known”. In these lines
she issayingthat he makesher feelingsomethingthatshe’sneverfeltbefore. Selena uses the metaphor of a drink to compare to
theirlove.Thiscanbe tookintwo ways.It couldmeanthat lovinghimisbadfor heror that it makesherhappybeing near him and

3. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan
she feelsaddictedtohim.Inthe thirdline of the verse;“I’mhopingthatafterthisfever I’ll survive”. The fever she speaks about is
lovesickness.Inthe songselenadoesn’tmake being lovesick sound like a good thing which it usually is related to in other songs.
Thiscouldmeanthat she doesn’tsee the love she feltforhimasa good feelingbutinsteadshe seesitasa hurtful feeling. Another
thingshe bringsup inthislyricisthat she hopesto survive afterthe love goes. I think this means that she is saying that she hopes
she’sstrong enough to get over the guy and stop feeling feelings for him. In the last four lines of the verse she’s saying that her
love forhimmakesherfeel dizzyandshe doesn’tknowif she will ever be able to stop loving him. In these lines she also i s saying
that she’sprayingthataftershe stopslovinghim she wants to go back to the real her instead of seeing a negative view on things
which most people feel after they have split up from their first love.
The second verse to the song is:
“The bed's getting cold and you're not here
The future that we hold is so unclear
But I'm not alive until you call
And I'll bet the odds against it all
Save your advice cause I won't hear
You might be right, but I don't care
There's a million reasons
Why I should give you up”
In this verse the first four lines say “The bed’s getting cold and you’re not here the future that we hold is so unclear but I’m not
alive until youcall andI’ll betthe oddsagainst it all”. She’s saying that she’s not used to the fact that he’s not there anymore and
she’sfeelingalone until she hearshisvoice again.Alsoin the verse she admits that she doesn’t know if they are ever going to get
back togetherandevenwhen she hears him it’s still all the doubts are playing over and over in her head and she can’t see them
getting back together but secretly she wants them to be back to how they were. The next two lines in the verse are “save your
advice cause I won’t hear you might be right but I don’t care”. This is relating back to her relationship with Justin Bieber. During
thisrelationshiptheyreceivedalotof criticism abouthowtheylive andhowtheyshouldbe whentheyare together.In these lines
she’ssayingthateventhoughthe criticism may be right the things they are doing now makes her feel happy so she wasn’t going
change anythingbecause of what people said. In the last two lines she saying that if she makes a list about him of pros and cons
there are more cons that pros.
The chorus to the song is:

4. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan
“But the heart wants what it wa-a-a-a-a-nts
The heart wants what it wa-a-a-a-a-nts”
The chorus is relating to the quote by Emily Dickinson which says “The heart wants what it wants – or else it does not care” this
quote means to always go with your heart over your head even though your head might know the right decision to make. This
couldbe referringtothisquote as a reasonwhyshe keptgoing back to her on-off relationship with Justin Bieber. Although there
was a millionreasonstoendherrelationshipwithJustinshe letlove perceiver even though she knew they were not meant to be
together anymore.
The third verse to the song is:
“You got me scattered in pieces
Shining like stars and screaming
Lighting me up like Venus
But then you disappear and make me wait
And every second's like torture
Heroin drip, no more so
Finding a way to let go
Baby, baby, no I can't escape”
In the firsttwolinesof the verse we findoutthat he makesherfeel like the most beautiful thing in the world and make her shine
like astar but at the same time she’sscreamingabouthowmuchhurtshe’sgettingputthroughinthe relationship.Inthe thirdline
she makesreference toVenusthe Romangoddess of love andsex.Selenadescribeshowthisman can make her feel like the most
beautiful womaninthe worldbeforeruiningitall.Inthe line “Heroindripno more so” she letsusknowthat she is addicted to him
and she keepsongoingback andforth like anaddict does when they relapse. Also she wishes that it would be easy for her to let
himgo and stoplovinghimbuthe isn’t.In the lasttwo lineswe findoutthat she’s trying different ways to forget the feelings she
had butshe can’t. By usingthe word‘escape’she’slettingusknowjusthowpainful the relationship is. The word escape makes us
think of desperation to break free of somewhere.
The fourth verse to the song is:
“This is a modern
Fairy-tale

5. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan
No happy endings
No wind in our sails
But I can't imagine
A life without
Breathless moments
Breaking me down, down, down, down”
The first three lines to the verse refer to older fairy-tales and how they all have happy endings, for example snow white is a
heroine whogetsherprince charmingtostay with her all their lives. Nowadays there is no such thing as clean closure. She knew
the relationshipwouldendbutshe hungontoiton the off chance thatthe love inthe fairytaleswhere itall endshappilyeverafter
isreal.As a resultof her relationshipprovingotherwiseshe can’tenvisionaperfectromance anymore. In the last four lines of the
verse Ithink she says what makes you the most happy can also make you the most sad because when that person is gone all the
happy memories go with them.
Tempo The tempoof the songis slow.Thisisportrayedinthe songbecause the scenesfade intoeachotherand theystayon the screen
for quite alongtime.
Genre The genre of the songis Pop.The genre conventionsof apopmusic
videois;imageryisbased onsex andpartying,animationisused,
brightlighting,fashionable clothing,mostlyperformance based,
synchroniseddancing,close-upsare featuredheavily.The video
doesn’tfollowmostof these conventions.Itdoesn’tincludeanything
to do withsex butitdoeshave some sceneswhere theyare having
some sort of party, as seeninthe picture onthe left.Animationisnot
usedand the videoisinblackand white all the waythrough.Inthe
shotswe can’t see that muchdetail aboutwhatshe is wearingand
there isno dancingused.Close upsare usedheavily.
CameraTechnique The veryfirstcamera technique isamid-shot.Inthisshotwe see Selena looking down looking very upset in this shot it looks like
she’slookingata photoor letterthatis eitherfromoroff her ex-boyfriendandit’sbroughtmemoriesback. Inthe secondmid-shot
we see Selenaputtingatopon and she lookslike she’sjuststoppedcrying.Thismakesthe audience realise thatshe is really upset
aboutthe eventsthathave takenplace regarding her relationship with Justin Bieber. In the third mid shot we see selena Gomez

6. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan
takingherhair out of the back of hertop. She still looksupsetthisistellingthe audience thatshe issohurt thatshe can’t evenfake
a smile. Inthe fourthmidshotwe see her lookingdownonce againbutthistime she’slookingdownata deskmaybe she’s looking
at a magazine that has started another rumour about the breakup between her and Justin and that has made her more upset. In
the fifthmidshotwe see herlookingdowntoherlap lookingnervous.Thismakesthe audience wonderwhat she is about to do or
whoshe is aboutto see.Inthe sixthmidshotwe see herwearingarevealingtop.Maybe thisisa clue to howher relationship was.
By wearinga revealingtopshe wantspeople tolookatherand to admire her.Thiscouldbe to make herex-boyfriendjealous or to
getthe attentionshe hasbeendeprivedoff throughoutthe relationship. Inthe seventhandlastmid-shotwe see herstoodinfront
of a wall andtwo menare behind her. Even though we can’t see her face clearly we see a glimpse of it and her facial expression
looks worried. This makes the audience draw their own conclusions about why she looks worried and who the two men are.

7. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan
As statedearlierthe videousesmanyclose ups.The firstclose upusedshowsSelenasmilingaftershe leavesaroom. In the scenes
before the close upappearsshe iscryingand showingavulnerable sidetoherself butwhenshe walksoutit’slike all that vanishes.
Thisimpliestous,as the audience,that even though she’s smiling in magazines it doesn’t mean she’s happy. Also this could she
couldbe sayingthat people shouldn’tjudgeherbasedon what they see or hear about her because the public only sees what she
wants them to see. In the next close up we see a different expression on her face. This time she seems sad and lonely. In the
backgrounditseemslike she’sina bar or club, a place where the press wouldn’t be. This also links back to the earlier idea about
hernot wantingpeople tojudge herbasedinwhattheysee intabloid magazines because it’s very rarely the real her. In the third
close upwe see herlookinguptothe ceilingwithtearsin her eyes. In the shot she seems like she’s remembering something but
she’sholdingbackthe tearsfor some reason.Maybe she’sinfrontof people andshe doesn’t want to show any kind of weakness.
In the fourthclose upusedwe see that she has justfullybrokendownemotionallyandshe can’tstop thisalso shows us how much
she was hurtby the tragic breakup. Inthe fifthclose upwe see that she wiped away her tears. In this shot she looks emotionally
drainedlike she hasn’thadanysleep/restshe alsolookslikeshe hastogo somewhere andthat’swhyshe hasstoppedherself from
crying. In the sixthclose upusedshe seemstohave a more angry lookon herface like she’stryingtoexplainwhyit’sthe bestthing
for them to do but he’s blaming her and doesn’t understand that she’s upset and that she didn’t want it to turn out this way.

8. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan

9. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan
Anothershotwhichisfeaturedheavilyclose tothe endisthe twoshot.The twoshot isusedto showthe relationshipbetweentwo
people. In the first two shot we see Selena with a guy who must be a boyfriend. This makes the audience wonder why she’s
breaking up with him because she looks really happy. This leads to the audience making their own assumptions about the
relationship andwhatproblemstheirsmilesmightbe covering.Inthe nexttwoshotusedwe see thatSelenalooksless happy than
she did in the first two shot. This could be because another girl has walked up to them both and the guy has greeted her with a
hug.This alsomakesthe audience jumptotheirownconclusionsaboutwhat’shappeninginthe relationship. The conclusions that
could be thought of here are that she is just a jealous person or she knows that he has cheated with or been involved with this
mysterywoman.Inthe third two shot we see the guy about to put his arm round her most likely to cheer her up or to make sure
she knowsthat he isn’tgoingto cheaton her.I thinkthe reasonwhySelenahasmade the audience come up with their own ideas
about this music video is because it is about her relationship with Justin Bieber and she doesn’t want to make it out like it was
his/herfaultsoitdoesn’tseemlike she’sbeingchildishandpassingall the blame ontosomebodyelse when it a tiny bit of it might
have beenherownfault.Inthe fourthtwoshotusedwe see Selenabeingcompletelyignoredbyeveryoneincludingherboyfriend.
This could make the audience think that one of the negatives about being with him is that she doesn’t fit in with his group of
friendsandshe justendsupfadingawaywhenshe’sthere.In the fifth two shot it shows the couple in a different way to how we
have seentheminothershots.Inthisshot theyare bothsat ina house alone and they both seem happy and affectionate to each
other.The editinginthisshotisdifferenttothe everyshotused,the editorof the musicvideohasmade ita different kind of black
and white andtheyhave made itlooklike it’sonan old TV. This suggests that they haven’t been like this for a very long time and
justthe memoryof thembothbeingtogetheriswhatiskeepingthem bothtogether. In the sixth two shot used we see her sat on
hislap withherface on his.Thishas beeneditedinthe lasttwoshotusedandin the same setting.Inthistwo shot they both seem
a lot more passionate thanwe have seen them both. Once again though the idea of it being a very distant memory comes to the
audiences mind.

10. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan
Editing One of the editingtechniqueswe see isflashback.We see thisclose tothe end, they are mostly only shown for two seconds each
but three of them are shown for a second. In the flashbacks we see Selena with the guy who’s playing her partner and in the
flashbackswe see theminahouse and inthe front of a car. We can tell it’saflashback because they have used a different kind of
blackand white andinsteadof itlookingclearlike itdoesduringthe scenesleadingup to the flashbacks, in the flashbacks it looks
more washed out than the rest of the music video.
Use of Digital Effects The digital effectusedis black and white. This is used all the way through the music video. As a result of this I think it makes the
audience think of the olden days and it helps the audience realise that themes that the song and video addresses have been
affecting people for centuries.

11. Music Video Analysis Reece Mechan