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Music Video - En Vogue - 'Don't Let Go'

Music Video Analysis: En Vogue - 'Don't Let Go'

After just watching the video for 'Don't Let Go' by En Vogue once, I realised a huge difference that it had compared to other music videos. This was regarding one of Goodwin's theories that no other video I had analysed included. This led me to further analyse the video in detail.

En Vogue - Black Costume

Within the opening thirty seconds of the video, it becomes clear how important the references to colours are and how by understanding the link between the colours used, the narrative becomes a lot more clearer and descriptive. The colours red, purple and black are prominent throughout the costume which is chosen. Not only is this vital within the members of En Vogue themselves, but also the male antagonist within the video.

Purple Lipstick

 All of the girls from the band are wearing black clothing suggesting that they are victims or even struggling to get to terms with something. The black clothing is presented alongside a dark/deep purple lipstick which one of the band members is wearing. This later becomes extremely significant as the male antagonist in the video is seen on screen wearing a purple shirt with a deep purple/deep red waistcoat.

Male Wearing Purple

 The connection between the colours both he and the members of the band are wearing reveals that he is the male that the lyrics of the song are referring to. Furthermore, the use of the colour black in which the girls are wearing suggests that the man is causing them pain (in terms of narrative) without intentionally realising.  Similarly to all of the other girl band videos that I have analysed, En Vogue have distinct moments on screen in which they are dancing a choreographed routine.

Choreographed Dance Routine

However, where the other videos had either a full chorus of choreographed moves or different choreographed sections throughout the video, 'Don;t Let Go'  only has a couple of moves which the girls do simultaneously.  As a member of their audience watching the video, I feel that the lack of dance means that I am able to connect with each of the girls individually for a longer amount of time and therefore listen more to the lyrics that they are each conveying.  Furthermore, I feel that this was an extremely good decision in terms of genre characteristics as it subverts from traditional girl group videos and allows the audience to focus on the meaning behind the song.  With 'Don't Let Go', this is very important as the song is primarily about the lyrics and not so much about the typical ideologies that are based around what a girl group video should be like.

Close-Up Shots

In terms of the demands of the record label, the video of 'Don't Let Go' by En Vogue consists of a lot of close-up shots of the individual members of the group.  The close-ups tend to be directly of the girls' faces rather than a medium close up which is seen commonly throughout other girl band videos.

Close-Up Shots

 I would argue that this has been done to once again thoroughly learn about the group members as individuals and focus on the expressions in their faces in terms of the lyrics that they are singing, rather than combing a close-up shot with some of the clothes that they are wearing.
This allows the audience to connect with the meaning of the song and the emotions that the girls are trying to convey.
The aspect of the video that I had not come across when analysing others was the use of intertextuality.  Within 'Don't Let Go', this is the relation to the film 'Set it Off'.  The film consists of four black women (immediate relation to the members of En Vogue) and their suffer due to a lack of money.

Use of Intertextuality

I believe that this film has been referenced within the video as the clips of the film consist of a male and female together, but the obvious plot of the film is to do with suffering.

Voyeuristic Treatment of Female Body

This relates to the male antagonist within the En Vogue's video and the impact that he has on the women.  (This is described thoroughly through the use of colour spoken about above).  Surprisingly, 'Don't Let Go' has quite graphic references to voyeuristic treatment of the female body.  Even though this is a key ideology which tends to be very prominent within music videos of girl groups, I thought that due to the nature and the meaning of the song, if there was any reference to the female body, that it would be subtle and minimal.

Female Body Used to Atrract Men

However, there are times within the video where close-up shots are used to exemplify the female body.Even though this is this, the images that are presented on screen do also relate to the lyrics of the song, for example 'right to lose control'.  This reveals that the voyeuristic imagery ties in to the link between lyrics and visuals.  Like all of the other video I have analysed, in terms of Goodwin's theory relating to lyrics and visuals there is clear relationship between the two.

'More Than Friends'

Many of the lyrics are shown through actions, gestures and even facial expressions.  Firstly, when the lyrics 'more than friends' are sung, a member of En Vogue is seen taking of her jacket in a seductive way in front of the male antagonist.  This suggests that the relationship they have is more than friendship and based on romantics.

Long Shot of Arm Action

Another example of the relationship between lyrics and visuals is depicted through the lyrics 'don't let go' with emphasis on the word 'go'. When this line is sung, the girls are seen on screen doing a particular action with their arm in which they clench their fists and then open it up, following with letting their hand down.  This action almost has connotations for 'letting go' which is a key phrase sung throughout the song.  In terms of illustrating, amplifying and contradicting the lyrics, the visuals illustrate them in both the examples given above.  Within 'Don't Let Go', there is one main reference regarding the link between music and visuals.

Example of Music and Visuals

This example is mainly in terms of the editing techniques and how the cutting rhythm changes in accordance to the beat of the song.  There are individual close-up shots on screen of the individual members of the group when a certain beat appears to be heard.  Similar to that of the lyrics and visuals, I would argue that this illustrates the music rather than amplifying or contradicting it.  Lastly, the video has many references to the notion of looking, though throughout the same layer.

Notion of Looking

The notion of looking is in terms of the male antagonist looking through a camera, as if to be taking pictures of us as the audience.  The image on screen then switches to him taking pictures of one of the girls from En Vogue as if to capture them after capturing us.
Overall
From analysing 'Don't Let Go' by En Vogue, it has stressed the importance of making a strong connection between lyrics and visuals.  This is something that we will hope to do as a group when making our video of 'Alrite Stillll' by RD.

Music Video - The Pussycat Dolls - 'Don't Cha'

Music Video Analysis: The Pussycat Dolls - 'Don't Cha'

The song titled 'Don't Cha' by The Pussycat Dolls was their first song to be released nationally. From the title alone, it is clear to understand that much of the video will be focused on voyeuristic imagery and allowing the target audience to learn about each of the members within the band individually. By focusing on shots of each of the girls, not only does it help the record label in terms of how the artist is sold, but as it is the band's first song it allows each of the girls to show the audience a bit about themselves.

Extreme Long Shot - The Pussycat Dolls

As seen in the image to the left, the first time all of the girls are presented on screen is shown through an extreme long-shot.  This has been done to show the target audience the whole package of the band members and advertise them thoroughly for the first time as a group.  Accordingly, as Busta Rhymes features on the track, his costume makes him stand out from the girls around him as he is seen to be wearing a red top in contrast to the girls, wearing more subtle colours such as black and white.  This particular costume has been chosen for Busta Rhymes due to the girls just starting out in the music industry.  Moreover, as Busta Rhymes was known for many years before, by making him stand out reveals to the audience that The Pussycat Dolls are already collaborating with huge artists.

Nicole Scherzinger - Positioning

Similarly, this idea of status within the industry is depicted again when the main Pussycat Doll, Nicole Scherzinger, is positioned on screen behind Busta Rhymes.
The fact that she is on screen alone with him stresses her importance within the band and emphasises the fact that she is the main singer.  However, Busta Rhymes remains to be in front of her which reveals that at that particular time, she was not as big as him in terms of being an artist.  Again, colour has been used to clearly resemble the importance of the artists as Nicole is dressed in neutral colours such as black and white, whilst Busta Rhymes is presented in strong, vibrant reds.

Medium Shot - Lyrics and Visuals

One of Goodwin's theories related to the ideologies based around the relationship between lyrics and visuals.  Within the first thirty seconds of 'Don't Cha' by The Pussycat Dolls, this connection has already been established.  Nicole Scherzinger sings the words 'lets dance' and the image displayed on screen is of her dancing, focusing directly into the camera.  In terms of illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the song, I would argue that the visuals illustrate the lyrics.  This is because the visuals clarify what the lyrics are revealing, but do not go as far as taking what is seen on screen to the next level.  This differs from 'Waterfalls'  by TLC as a lot of the representation between lyrics and visuals is amplified, for example when the band members evolve from waterfall figures.

Lyrics and Visuals 

Within the rap that Busta Rhymes starts the song off with, there is another clear reference to lyrics and visuals.  This is conveyed through a medium shot in which Busta Rhymes brings his arm nearer to the camera, presenting emphasis on his watch.  The lyrics of the song 'only diamonds under my sleeve' reveal that he is showing the camera and the audience the diamonds around his watch.
Furthermore, as the music video progresses, another example is presented on screen.

Close-Up Shot - 'Fun'

This is when the lyrics 'don't cha wish your girlfriend was fun' are being sung and there is a close-up shot revealing a member of the group winking.  Connotations for winking involve being cheeky, playful and flirtatious which directly relate to the meaning behind the lyrics.  Again, these two examples illustrate the relationship between lyrics and visuals.

Like all of the other videos I have analysed, 'Don't Cha' has prime examples in which the whole group are seen dancing together doing strict choreographed moves.  This relates to Goodwin's theory regarding the belief that music videos demonstrate clear genre characteristics.  

Choreographed Routine

More specifically, this genre characteristic relates to girl groups having distinctive choreographed routines within their music video.The particular dance routine is frequently on screen throughout the chorus of the song, and from previous research, this appears to be true of most girl group music videos.  This is partially due to different girls singing different lyrics and versus throughout the rest of the song ad therefore the camera focuses on that particular individual rather than the whole group.

Music and Visuals - Lights Off

In terms of music and visuals, 'Don't Cha' has a very strong beat in which what is presented on screen dynamically relates to it.

Music and Visuals - Lights On

For example, there is layer which visualises the girls walking down some stairs with huge performance lights at either side of the staircase.
The lights flash from on to off, flashing on when a particular beat is heard.

Close-Up Shot

The Pussycat Dolls' video 'Don't Cha' has a lot of close-up shots of the girls, especially Nicole Scherzinger.  This is both typical of girl band music videos and also the demands of the record label.  Images of the girls are great for advertisement for their video and also helps to sell the girls as artists.  In addition, this particular theory that Goodwin imposed in extremely important in this case.  

Close-Up Shot

This is due to 'Don't Cha'  being the first single that The Pussycat Dolls released so it was vital that they followed distinct guidelines that record labels enforce as they would want to receive as many purchases of the song as possible.  This is similar to what is seen within both 'Survivor' by Destiny's Child and 'Waterfalls' by TLC as there are clear, prominent close-up shots of each of the girls individually.

Revealing Clothing

 Lastly, Goodwin spoke about voyeuristic imagery and exposure of the female body.  He continued to suggest that music videos have a tendency to objectify women and exploit them in terms of their physical appearance.  Due to the lyrics, title and meaning behind this song, 'Don't Cha' represents this theory a lot, as the song itself is about luring men in and being attractive to them in terms of appearance.

Revealing Shots

This is shown through the girls wearing revealing clothing, such as belly tops and tight shorts or skirts which expose their female qualities. Presenting these images on screen is the use of close-up shots which focus directly on the clothing the members of The Pussycat Dolls are wearing.  However, the clothing that the girls are wearing is not completely minimal (i.e. they are not depicted through over-exposed tops or clothing made of flimsy material).  This decision may have been due the video being The Pussycat Dolls' first, and therefore not wanting to portray them in an immediate exploitative way.
Overall
Overall, from analysing 'Don't Cha' by The Pussycat Dolls it is clear to see that the music video type is performance.  There is no concept aspect involved in the video at all, and the only times that narrative is viewed on screen is when there is a clear link between lyrics and visuals.  

Music Video - TLC - 'Waterfalls'