Lyric Analysis

Lyric Analysis 

The purpose of analysing our song lyrics before planning the visuals of our music video is to be able to have a clear representation and understanding of the songs meanings, values, genre conventions and everything else that goes into making a successful and relevant music video for that song. When analysing our chosen song, panic cord, we looked for the hidden meanings of the song in order to try and match these and film them so they are clear for the audience when making the video, as well as the audience relationship to highlight a clear target audience and engage them when creating our music video. We also looked at the ideas of MES, narrative and style , in order to re create them through different micro elements which we also planned to match the lyrics and purpose of the song. These include different styles of cinematography, mise en scene, editing and lighting and colour, all of which can be identified and made into a visual representation by analysing the lyrics. We will be able to find a clear structure for planning our narrative and when and what we will use certain visuals, as well as deciding whether our video will be performance, concept, or narrative based for our audience to enjoy. Finally, we looked at artist representation in the lyrics and how each line, flow, chorus etc. represented the artists personality and the character she is playing in the narrative, for the audience to then judge and have their opinion on. Analysing our song lyrics also helps to demonstrate certain planning techniques as we then know what is in order and needs to be completed and set out for us to make it conventional through the micro elements. We are able to identify what cinematography can be used, what editing styles and lighting and colour techniques as well as any mise en scene elements that have already been noted in the lyrics such as certain iconography and settings that we can then put into visuals, in a manner that is conventional to the indie genre.

When analysing our song lyrics, I was able to identify a number of different hidden meanings through the lyrics which can be filmed and put into the music video so they are clear for the audience. The main hidden meaning I identified in these lyrics was the repetition of the word maybe to start a new line of the song. This lyric is the hook of the song and is a notable and key utterance that audiences will memorise and identify with the artist and song, therefore it shows some connotation into the propose of the lyrics and the artist representation. The repetition of the word 'maybe' shows her confusion about the relationship and how she is unsure as to how things are going and where she stands with her boyfriend. It also shows how she has panicked in the relationship and she is contemplating as to what she has to do next in order to get things back on track. The audience are able to relate to the artist as well through this hidden meaning as it shows she is down to earth and a loving character. The lyrics also say 'maybe I pulled the panic cord', which shows that she didn't know what she wanted and panicked in ending the relationship. Another hidden meaning I found in the lyrics for panic cord was when she repeats the lyric 'Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do' followed by, 'that's the way the story goes'. This is a hidden meaning that shows society's views on the perfect relationship and how things should go, yet this is to high an expectation and she preferred to have a relationship at her own pace and how she wanted to do things. It also shows that the video has a performance style towards it as these lyrics and music notes which she is singing. These hidden meanings can be used in my narrative through micro elements by planning a particular camera and editing technique that will suit them such as close up and fast paced editing as they are perceived as mysterious and a way of expressing emotion, much like the purpose of these hidden meanings. In terms of mise en scene, the lyrics help to identify a particular setting and representation of the artist therefore we will follow the structure of the lyrics and written narrative and put them into a visual effect.

There were many genre codes and conventions that we identified when analysing the lyrics for panic cord, with each of the elements of codes and conventions identified belonging to the indie genre, as Gabrielle Aplin is an indie artist. One of the main codes and conventions I found in the lyrics was the materialistic idea of the souvenir box when she says 'We're just a box od souvenirs'. This is conventional to the indie genre as it shows the iconography that can be used in the video and she is referring back to the indie purpose and concept of the song, love. She is suggesting that her love with her boyfriend is like a bunch of memories and items that remind them of each other showing that she is very thoughtful and loving towards the boy and it is not a simplistic relationship. The audience are able to relate to the artist when seeing this as it shows that she is down to earth and a loving character and the box of souvenirs are portrayed as a symbol  of their love. This is also conventional to the indie genre as we often expect indie artists to be very thoughtful and extravagant with their relationships. Another code and convention used in the lyrics was when the artist says 'I wanted you to change'. This shows that there is complications in their relationship and the concept of the song is beginning to take structure as by this point they have broken up and the artist is singing about what she wanted to happen and her idea of her perfect relationship. It is conventional as she is describing her take on love and expressing a lot of emotion in her lyrics, which is common amongst indie artists. It is also conventional as she is engaging with the audience by giving them an insight to her relationship and feelings.

The cinematography identified in these lyrics are chosen by myself and when analysing the lyrics as the lyrics of the song give us an idea and impression as to the relevant and suitable camera shots and techniques in order to give off the concept of the song. One of the cinematography shots we will use for our music video is  a close up. A close up shot is effective as it dramatically shows the expression  and emotion on the artists face and it is also a common and popular camera shot that Gabrielle Aplin uses herself in other previous music videos. This shot will be used a variety of times in my own music video, most notably during the chorus where she states 'maybe I'm the one to blame, maybe I'm the one to blame'. A close up will be used here as there is nothing significant in terms of the narrative or artist representation going on in the video or a lyrics so a close up is a way off adding some dramatic and emotional effect for the audience and the purpose of the song. The close up will be used to show our artist Kerry looking sad and thoughtful, whilst contemplating whether she has made a mistake and and her relationship. A close up is effective for this as it clearly shows her facial expressions and leaves the focus on her rather then the setting in the background, allowing the audience to really capture the moment and emotion. Close ups are conventional to the indie genre because they are suitable and relevant to the personal lyrics and song that indie artists tend to produce and they give an insight into the artists life and feelings as we expect indie artists to be very open and not hold much back. Another camera technique myself and my group used when analysing the lyrics and planning our music video was panning. Panning is where the camera tracks and follows a certain character, object or moment in a visual representation for the audience. In my case, we had the camera track and follow one of our extras, myself, the person who breaks up the relationship. This camera technique will be used towards the end of the video where she says '  maybe, you were just to nice to me and maybe, it took me way to long to leave'. The camera technique shows the boy walking over to sit down with the girl and talk to her in a attempt to get her away from her boyfriend and this is suitable to the lyrics as she is describing how maybe her boyfriend is to nice and not there sort of guy she is looking for and how she wants someone different and a bit more dangerous and on edge, something which this new boy appears to be. She also explains how she wanted to leave earlier and that maybe she was looking out for this boy and wanted to talk to someone else and by using the panning technique, it is a connotation of the series of emotions the artist is feeling as she is feeling adventurous and happy at the start off the panning shot, before looking sad and confused when her boyfriend leaves. This shot is also conventional to the indie genre as it helps to highlight how indie artists are often mysterious characters and the panning is a connotation of a journey with deep and thoughtful meaning, much like many indie artists music careers. 

One of the most common editing styles we used in my groups music video was shot reverse shot. Shot reverse shot will be used a number of times during the music video, most notably during the out scene and bonfire scene and these will be used towards the start of our lyrics and song to first introduce the love and happiness amongst the couple during this moment. The lyrics that show shot reverse shot are when the artist says 'this meant more to you then it did for me, i was full of doubt and you believed'. The lyrics used during this editing technique are subversive as they do not support the visual representation of the artist. The lyrics show how uncommitted and unsure she was in the relationship and how the boy was more committed then the girl and felt more feelings towards her then she expected, whereas our visuals show how at the time the couple were loving towards each other and each shot of the faces of the artist and boyfriend show them smiling and hugging, full of hope and admiration about their relationship. This editing technique is also conventional to the indie genre as it shows the contrast or similarities about each persons emotion and helps to bring the narrative to life and be more realistic, which indie artists pride themselves on as they are down to earth and natural. Another editing technique my group used in our music video was fast paced editing to show a montage of memories. This will be used during the chorus where the artist sings 'maybe it you were just to nice to me, maybe i took way to long to leave, maybe once we felt the same, maybe I'm the one to blame' with the last line repeated three times. This editing technique will correspond well with the chorus as they are both fast paced and upbeat moments of the song and the video. It is conventional as the memories shown on screen during the montage will quickly flash up to add to the extreme and hectic emotion that the artist is feeling and how everything she says in her lyrics is visually true. This editing technique is also conventional to the indie genre as where it shows a montage in a high tempo tone and pace, the artist is sharing many personal experiences and emotions that we expect indie artists to identify in their music as they are very open and down to earth. 

Mise en scene will be used effectively during the whole music video I have made and is identified a number of times is the lyrics. Firstly, we identified the costume, hair and make up that our artist will wear when analysing the lyrics 'I pulled the panic cord'. The panic cord is the name of the song and and a significant part of our video and lyrics which shows a lot of dark and meaningful emotion of how she is confused and in a bad position in her relationship. The panic cord is also a key terminology that audiences will recognise us for therefore she will wear dark coloured make up and have natural straight hair to give her a gothic and mysterious look, whilst wearing black tights, doc martins and a baggy jumper to also show her natural and conventional indie side towards her. This will correspond with the lyrics as she does not look glamorous and extravagant but in contrast looks like she's ready for heartbreak and pain, also showing a dark representation of her character which we can also identify in the lyrics. This clothing and make up is conventional to the indie genre as it shows her and all indie artists as having two sides to their character. Another aspect of mis en scene we used in our music video and identified in the lyrics was iconography. This gave us our first incentive and idea to use the memory box when the lyrics say 'we're just a box of souvenirs' and this is a key part of our narrative. A memory box will be used at the beginning of every scene and the artist will draw a souvenir out of a love hearted shape box as a connotation of her still having feelings for the boy and how she is feeling heartbroken. This is conventional to the indie genre as indie music videos tend to have significant items of iconography in them which help to portray the deep and meaningful concept of the video. The next element of mise en scene used was the facial expressions and this is used in the form of a close up shot. during the chorus where she states 'maybe I'm the one to blame, maybe I'm the one to blame'. A close up will be used here as there is nothing significant in terms of the narrative or artist representation going on in the video or a lyrics so a close up is a way off adding some dramatic and emotional effect for the audience and the purpose of the song. The close up will be used to show our artist Kerry looking sad and thoughtful, whilst contemplating whether she has made a mistake and and her relationship. This facial expression is conventional to the indie genre as it shows her as natural and down to earth and someone who is not afraid to show emotion, therefore the artist are able to relate to her as it shows her as strong and independent. The final element of mise en scene identified in this music video positioning and lighting. This is used throughout the video and lyrics where she is performing in her bedroom with natural lighting coming from the sun beaming down on her in her bedroom playing the guitar, singing to show she is natural and down to earth. 

I can represent our artist in a number of ways through the hidden meanings in the videos and the lyrics as they express a number of connotations of the song, the artists characteristics and the concept of the song. One of the main hidden meanings in the lyrics for panic cord is where in the chorus she states 'maybe I'm the one to blame'. For this lyric I will use a clip of a scene where my artist is showing her darker and more mysterious side to her character to represent how the couples breakup was down to her and her unpredictable character rather then just because of the boy. This will be seen in my video when the boy is trying to acting loving and sympathetic towards the artist but she is turning him away and also where she throws the picture of the couple into the fire at the end of the video to portray how she is done with the relationship and has no feelings for the boy anymore. This hidden meaning therefore represents my artist as mysterious and having a darker side to her character. Another hidden meaning in the lyrics 'we're just a box of souvenirs' at the beginning of the song. This hidden meaning and connotation is a metaphor for the couples relationship and how there relationship was nothing but a bunch of past and broken memories that the girl cherishes with her memory box (as seen in the video). This helps to represent the artists character as nostalgic and that she likes to reflect on the past back to happier times

In conclusion, analysing my lyrics has helped me with preparing and planning for my storyboards and filming as it has given me a clear understanding of the concept and narrative I want to use and adapt in my video. Analysing the lyrics highlights the important and most conventional lyrics that I film scenes for and  use to represent my artist. For example, lyrics such as 'lo ma fi di so la di do' are examples of music keys and notes and the music is at a low tempo during this part of the song so for my storyboard I will either include a montage of filler memories or a performance based scene of her singing the musical keys. I can then plan the micro elements around this lyric and scene depending on what my audience want to see the most and what is most conventional, so analysing lyrics therefore gives me a clear understanding of genre conventions and what micro elements such as cinematography, editing techniques etc are best suited to my song.