Similar Textual Analysis:Ne-Yo – So Sick - Imran Bashir

R&B

Mainstream Young Adults

Lyrics Can Be Found Here http://www.songlyrics.com/ne-yo/so-sick-lyrics/

#So Sick is a 2006 song by new coming artist Ne-Yo the video was launched as the first single of his album “In My Own Words” the video was directed by Hype Williams and had a positive reception from audience around the world

The music used is a R&B track with has a typical R&B structure with verses a hook and a chorus, it has a slow melody and also a bass line which shortly comes into the song. There is a linear narrative with uses of flashback for example throughout the sings there our flashback of him and his lover happy, when the song’s lyrics explain the story of him losing his lover and there our performances of Ne-Yo, there are a balanced mix between all of narratives of performance, linear narrative and flashback. The main theme of the song is undying love as he loses his lover and still wants her this also reinforces the ideology of girl power being dominant and manipulative over men.

The music video starts with a long shot of the scenery which seems to be snowy mountains, so guessing the film was shot in winter. When the track starts playing it shows a shot of the artist, whilst there is a frame with the shot of the snowy mountains still remain. The artist Ne-Yo appears to be wearing a winter furry jacket and a hat reinforcing the fact that its cold. The cold can be used to reinforce he has lost something he feels cold with the title of the song being so sick. There is a lot of white used within the music video I think this is to reinforce the fact that its cold and he’s lost something he’s ‘So Sick’

There are then more scenery shots of the mountain with fades between Ne-Yo and a female with the female us as viewers think she is the female partner of Ne-Yo. She seems to be wearing makeup and has long curly brown hair. Throughout the video she changes costume and at times is wearing sexual clothes The video is shown with both performance shots as well as a narrative with lyrics matching shots to give a sense of idea and reinforce the understanding for example Ne-Yo sings “gotta change my answering machine now that I’m alone” whilst this is being played over there is a shot of a answering machine.

During the shots it’s clear that the female is his lost partner and they break up, she seems to be wearing revealing clothes with sexual shots this reinforces ideology and hegemonies that women are for men’s sexual desires. The setting and props used are the house which seems to look like an expensive home with lots of modern furniture and open spaces, towards the middle of the song there our shots that of Ne-Yo and the female actress playing his partner where they are getting along and having a good time in happiness this is a flashback, we know it’s a flashback as he is singing the lyrics.

Ne-Yo the artist is positioned in the frame mostly centre and middle with close ups where the use of facial expression can be seen he looks sad and depressed throughout the video there aren’t any long shots of Ne-Yo on his own, and the female partner has mostly close up shots of her on her own the shots with both of them are mainly medium to long shots. There are fadings between Ne-Yo and the female partner this is used to show that they are separated. There are jump shots from performance to narrative where Ne-Yo is featured in both and there is a use of tracking when both Ne-Yo and the Female are running through the snow having a snowball fights.

The main theme in this music video is lost love this is show by fading shots, the use of colour which is mainly white to represent coldness and that he is alone and the use of lyrics reinforce that feeling. The ideology is that he lost his love this is clear by the lyrics and that love is powerful it made him sick , there is a linear narrative that boy has girl boy looses girl boy is upset and tries to get the girl back while there are flashbacks also.

Michael Jackson – Beat It

Pop/R&B

Mainstream

Lyrics Can Be Found Here http://www.songlyrics.com/michael-jackson/beat-it-lyrics/

Beat It is a 1982 song by legendary American Pop singer Michael Jackson. The video, which launched Jackson's stardom to international audiences, was directed by Bob Giraldi and set the tone for what would become Jackson's trademark style.

The video's visuals and narrative are tied directly to the lyrics of the song. Jackson sings advice about a confrontation - a person or group of people have angered another group These groups are likely gangs, as depicted in the video. The angered group tells the other not to show their face around anymore, and the song continues advising them not to antagonise the situation and to just "beat it".

Through the city to have a fight. Acting upon the lyrical advice to avoid confrontation, Jackson himself eventually stands between the two gangs as thy are about to fight and convinces them to stand down.

The visuals are also tied directly to the music, in a style that would become known as the definitive Michael Jackson music video manner. Significant portions of the video involve highly choreographed dancing (Notably the gang's fight is really more of a dance number with weapons) to the rhythm and melody of the song. Even in shots where there is little call for dancing, we still frequently see actions in time with the music - such as Jackson shaking his arm for emphasis to the rhythm.

Furthermore, the video is edited in such a way that the majority of the cuts, particularly in the early scene in which word of the impending fight spreads through a pool hall, are at the change between bars.

Jackson himself is general shown either dancing, or in pose designed to suggest he will be dancing soon. This reflects his image as a heavily performance-oriented singer. As a result of videos like this and Thriller, Jackson would eventually become as well known for his over-the-top dance numbers as for his songs. Notably, this video create the Jackson-Trademark "mass dance number" which would be a frequent motif in subsequent iconic Jackson videos, such as the video to Smooth Criminal.

Overall then, this is a hugely influential music video - both for Michael Jackson himself and for the medium generally. One of the most significant and well-implemented efforts to marry stage musical class performance with a narrative in a music video of its day, it still stands up today as incredibly well produced.