"Sweet Dreams" lyrical analysis

Beyonce:Sweet Dreams

Beyonce has created an alter ego whom she calls ‘Sasha Fierce’ this is someone who takes over when she is on stage to protect who she really is. In her recent album ‘I am Sasha Fierce’ there are two disks, I AM…, provides Beyoncé with a musical showcase for a group of intimate heartfelt ballads, it is about who she is underneath all the make-up and drama. While the SASHA FIERCE disc gives voice to a more fun, sensual, aggressive, outspoken and glamorous side to Beyoncé's up-tempo, dance-oriented persona.

The singer wanted to break out of her traditional R&B genre and explore new things, she wants people to hear songs with stronger song lyrics and in singing these songs she feels the emotion in the story is sold so much better, this can be seen in the song ‘Sweet Dreams’’, which I have chosen to analyse. According to Beyoncé, "SASHA FIERCE is kind of the opposite, she's more the other side because sometimes you don't want to think, sometimes you just want to feel good. She's the party girl, she's bootylicious. She is but I'm not. She's my alter ego. I'm finally revealing who I am."

I have chosen to analyse the video to ‘Sweet Dreams’, as this is the song I have chosen to create a music video to. I therefore thought it would valuable to do an in-depth analysis so I can get a better understanding of the meaning behind the song, adapt ideas and also to enable for me to take on a different approach to the original video.

People often misinterpret the real meaning to Beyonce’s songs are simply viewed by most people as being “sexy” or “fashion” or just about love and relationships. But there is a much deeper meaning in her songs and I think this is reflected in her video to ‘Sweet Dreams’. For the reason that, within the video and lyrics lies hidden symbolism and references to dark themes such as possession and mind control. The lyrics of the song and the imagery of the video have a supernatural and unearthly quality, where Beyonce professes her love to someone or something she calls a “sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare”. The song reflects upon the new Beyonce she has created, her darker alter-ego ‘Sasha Fierce’. When this other side of her comes out she is no longer in control but rather being taken over by someone else. But ultimately this is not a real person. So this state of mind control can be a sweet dream, which is a blissful state where the boundaries between reality and fiction are blurred or it can be a nightmare that she is no longer in control of her own body and allows herself to do things that ordinarily she would not be comfortable with.

The film noir sets up a very distinctive style to the video. The careful use of lighting has been depicted to convey a particular atmosphere and mood for the song. There is a contrast between light and dark made evident throughout the video. This could be interpreted as the representation of the binary opposition, good and evil.

The video begins with a long shot which shows Beyonce lying on a bed in a dark room, with black pillows and we can hear the diegetic sound of her heart beating. Note she displays contrasting colours, on the top she wears white and the bottom half is covered by a black sheet. This could represent the good side of her and her darker alter ego. Within the mise-en-scene and sound a tense atmosphere has immediately been created. A lullaby tune begins to play which is different to one you might expect to hear, it adapts an eerie and unwelcoming tone, this signifies danger. As the video follows the conventional shot syntax we get a close-up of her face to establish character for the audience and to illustrate emotion, which then switches to an extreme close-up of her eyes to illustrate that she is asleep and begins twitching which indicates she may be dreaming. The camera begins zooming in and out in sequence with her as she toss and turns to the beat. Although zooming is unusual because of the possible disorientated effects, however it has been purposely chosen to represent disorientation within her sleep. As the lullaby grows louder it depicts a menacing tone but it also sounds like a triumphant tune, this may represent the new creation of ‘Sasha Fierce’

A long shot displays her being risen from her bed, guided by a dove. This could have several connotations depending on how deep you read into it. A dove is associated as a symbol of peace and love and religious connotations can also be made. Given the context within the scene we create darker connotations such as a holy sacrifice usually a dove would be symbolised as peace and good nature, but it has a holy connotations like a sacrifice maybe? The dove could be the beautiful element to the nightmare that is taking over her body. An extreme close-up focuses upon her eyes as they open wide and we hear a piercing scream. This gives closure to the scene whilst conveying a sense of danger to the audience.

The opening sequence before the song is important to establish narrative, mood and atmosphere. It has given the song a more serious set up, which in-turn may lead to the audience reading into her the meaning behind her lyrics through visuals in her video, instead of just viewing the dance element within the video. The film noir sets up a dream style to the video. The lighting used is unearthly and ominous and is always in contrast with a darker side; maybe to represent the dream and nightmare element. An extreme long shot locates Beyonce in an alternate world. It is represented as being far away from reality through cinematography such as tracking away from her, detaching her from the real world and through the mise-en-scene. For example a white horse is seen running in the background this represents that she is in a dream, faded editing is often used where Beyonce will be replaced by an emerging second image of her, this type of editing is usually used to signify the beginning or end of a dream, and this is an iconic element to the song. The narrative is non linear, as it does not flow in any type of chronological order, this is conventional of music videos as their main focus is not on narrative but on the artist and song itself.

It is common in music videos for there to be backup dancers. The backup dancers in this video appear similar to Beyonce; the duality theme has begun to represent her alter egos. The backups never overpower the main singer; they appear in order of height establishing her as the most powerful, this is represented through costume, her hair is big and unruly while theirs is up tight and scraped back and Beyonce is wearing knee high boots her posture is more outspoken showing confidence and authority. They can also be used to portray the singer’s emotions or thoughts, for example in one scene they appear literally broken in half as if illustrating her state of mind.

The editing of this particular music video uses match on action through out, I believe this is used to create a realistic music video and a video that is easy to view, without confusion for the audience as the concept behind the video is already very intense. The cuts are also so well integrated to the music video, and at times match with the beat of the music and lyrics that the audience are almost unable to notice the cuts within the video itself. Apart from a few obtrusive straight cuts which are used for dramatic effect such as when she appears in a new location or as a new character. Transition editing is also apparent, this type of editing is used to signify the beginning or end of dream sequences and is therefore suited in relation to the song.


In total Beyonce changes her appearance five times. Outfit changes are important in music videos to adapt to different locations, moods or character. As a female artist she creates added voyeuristic pleasure from adding sex appeal as most of her outfits are not provocative or offensive, but sexy and revealing. However the outfits are not what you would see one wearing on a daily basis but are iconic to the style of her video.
Her outfits are all black up until she changes into a silver, shiny dress which portrays her as feminine and glamorous. At this point her lyrics make reference to prayers which reflects upon God. It is important that dark themes and negative connotations are not linked with this as it could offend her audience. Her innocence is portrayed through the use of her arms down by her side with her hands sticking out rather child like might present themselves. Lyrical representation is used in her hand gestures as she forms a prayer shape.

In order to portray to the audience emotion and atmosphere, there are scenes whereby she appears in a mirrored room reflecting multiple Beyonce’s. This connotes a sense of confusion and being lost or caught up in something, trapped even. Her frustration is made apparent when she smashes the mirror into a million pieces creating a montage and fragmented scene. The pace is slow and the glass glistens in the light, this continues with the unearthly atmosphere, the pleasure element is suggested in the movement of the glass. It appears to be glistening in a magical sense suggesting it is not threatening like glass usually would be it is not thundering down but floating in the air, it has been given a ‘beautiful element’.

Out of the glass her robotic alter, Sasha Fierce is born. We pick this up through costume and body language. She appears wearing a robot suit boasting tin/metal like qualities and appears like a copper colour. This is important so the audience can understand the change. Her dancing changes from her usual ‘body poppin’ routine to a robotic dance style to compliment the outfit. I believe she has chosen to portray her self as a robot to represent that when Sasha Fierce takes over from the real Beyonce she is in a state of mind control and operates like a robot would.
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The final image ends with the camera panning down Beyonce’s body, and ending with her legs. This used to show the audience the new found confidence within herself and portrays her new controller by bringing closure to the video and in turn ending the dream by saying ‘Turn the lights out’, and the screen goes black.

kings of leon:Use Somebody

This song was the fourth song on the band’s 4th album ‘Only by the Night’ released through Columbia Records on 23rd September 2008. According to the Use Somebody Song-facts, Caleb Followill wrote this song about longing for somebody to have a cuddle with while feeling lonely on the road. He wrote on the band’s website: “It’s about being far from home.”

The first shot is a long, inside looking out shot. Bringing us in to the diegetic world through the living-room of what seem like ordinary people watching television. Through the windows you see the New York skyline which has several connotations such as night life, fun, excitement etc. This could be to signify the contrast between lifestyles; the kicked back lifestyle that they are believed to have and the busy, non-stop lifestyle that they do have.
There is a combination of ELS, Aerial shots tracking and swooping into and over the busy, illuminated, vibrant city of New York by night, also known as ‘the city that never sleeps’, something which can be related to the famous lifestyle, as they are always busy and on the go. The lighting is very important in this video, setting up the film noir and is predominant in the first 33 seconds of where the camera goes in and out of differently coloured lights from different sources, such as buildings, vehicles, stages etc

The fast paced editing represents their fast pace lifestyle, movement and always on the go. Along with the sped up footage of the road, cars and shot of the aeroplane taking off, this may also indicate that they are on some kind of journey, as they are a new band are still finding their feet. There are numerous intercuts between that and footages of them playing live performances with live audiences, bright lights, live bands, this complements the other locations that we establish their 'rock star' lifestyle. The low-key lighting acts as a tool for mystery, the band are wearing sunglasses at night and get out a chauffer driven car, this relates them to 'stars'. The band appears alive, enthused and excited on stage which reflects upon the location.

A rock video wouldn’t be the same without including elements that represent and illustrate the stereotypical outlook of the rock genre; sex, drugs, rebellion, a carefree lifestyle/attitude. These are reinforced by scenes such as a band member blowing smoke at the camera, reflects rebellion and attitude, he has long black hair and tattoos are visible illustrating the stereotypical ‘look’. By controlling the mise-en-scene in this way the audience is likely to accept it more readily and therefore get more voyeuristic pleasure. The montage sequence of editing is achieved mainly by cuts but the first time we hear words being sung, is when we see an overlap, when a lit up New York building is faded out to be replaced slowly by an extreme close up of the lead singer, connecting the two key elements together; stars are a source of light, in respect he is a star, he is now the light. This is the first time where we see the editing, visuals and lyrics all intertwined.


The extreme close up is used to establish character and emotion, there is certain sadness in his eyes which the audience can relate to as his desperate plead is made obvious when he sings “you know that I could use somebody”. He is looking up to the sky as if looking for God to help him. The video cuts to a flash image of him on top of a girl in bed and we see a close up a cross necklace that is dangling down, this reflects religion and God and connotates as a savior. This puts the audience in a position to feel sorry for him. The straight cut back to him on his chair signifies his loneliness. He now sings at the camera as if singing to the audience, this brings them in further, making them believe him and feel part of valued member of an audience.

The video goes black and white for about 20 seconds as we see shots of the band rehearsing and hugging each other before a performance, laughing with one another. Having drinks in a bar. This signifies the normality in their lives; they are trying to convey to their audience that underneath all the bright lights they are just as normal as the next guy. This makes the band seem very down to earth and can help people relate to them, this is the boys, not the rock stars. The music at this point is very slow, this reflects on the mood and the audience are able to pick up on the tone as being far away from reality, but the tension along with the beat begins to pick up until we see them actually performing live and the colour comes back, bright and strong, this is the return of the pop stars.
It is known that within the rock genre they like to focus more upon the music than elements such as dancing. It would make it less authentic as you would not expect a rock band to do a dance solo. Instead their priorities lie with their dedication to the music; this is represented in the guitar solo which is performed. This is a conventional element of the rock genre and helps define it. This allows the audience to get more enjoyment out of it.

The single seems to try to withdraw a stereotypical viewpoint on pop-stars and people in the music industry whom are judged to fame obsessed and believe they are better than everyone else. It is in some way a message to let all the fans out there know that even though it may be hard to believe because in reality they are never left alone, but deep down they are lonely at times, just like everyone else. It tells the audience and their fan base that they are down to earth this is something we can all relate to. And something we are perhaps looking for in music artists.

HSM:"What time is it?"

I thought it was important that I explored genres that appeal to a younger audience. The songs featured in the musical film ‘High School Musical’ are pop songs in there prime. The song I have chosen to analyse ‘What Time is it?’ is particularly upbeat and energetic. Its target audience falls between the ages of 6 and twelve and age known as ‘tweens’. Regardless of the specific age, it is where they’re just beginning to form stronger social bonds with their peers and desiring more independence from their families, usually in the form of wanting to be more “grown up”. However they are still holding onto their innocence. The whole film noir has a very bright, energetic and fun style to it. It has involves no complex meanings or symbolism as the audience would not appreciate this. The song is referring to the break up for the summer holidays, something which school children often look very forward to and get excited.

As the video begins it is set in a class-room, this is made clear props such as the chalkboard in the background and students sat at desks. Moreover there is a teacher’s voice made distinct in the background. Through controlling these elements it helps the audience to accept the video more readily as it ties in with the school theme. A pan of the classroom introduces all the characters to the audience at a close-up shot to convey emotion in the face which is happiness; this makes the environment feel warm and welcoming to the viewer.

The students are waiting for the bell to ring signifying the end of school. They are chanting the word ‘summer’, this builds up tension for the start of the song. An extreme close up of a giant clock represents the song in itself and we hear the diegetic sound of the ticking which is time with the chanting. It indicates a countdown like a bomb waiting to go off, the past paced editing and the growing pace of chanting represents the tension growing as the excitement becomes unbearable. The clock strikes twelve and the students burst into a wave of screams of excitement. A long shot is used to show, papers being flung into the air, like a bomb explosion at the end of a countdown. Students appear excited as they begin dancing around. The lighting is very warm and the colours are very bright and attractive giving out a positive and alive vibe. They are represented in a way which should be shared by the target audience, carefree without a worry, focusing on friendships and having fun. This has established the narrative for the audience so that their better understanding can allow them to experience greater voyeuristic pleasure from the video. And the singing begins.

Throughout the song we have moments where the visuals represent the lyrics, this helps the audience to have a better understanding of the song, i.e. the chalkboard is brought out reading, ‘schools out’ simultaneously with the lyrics. The video represents a number of stereotypical cliques which might be expected in American High Schools especially; Firstly we see the stereotypical ‘hot couple’ this is clichéd as the most popular girl, and most popular guy (usually star of a sports team). Within the lyrics there is a strong semantic field of romance, this is reinforced with the use of shot reverse shots to display the interaction between one another. The body language has to be kept PG in the sense of how they portray themselves. They must avoid conveying sex appeal as this is not be appropriate for the audience, so feelings are portrayed through things such as hand holding, her outfit reveals no inappropriate flesh etc. The scene ends with a two shot of Troy and Gabriella which suggests their unity.

Within the next seen we see the conventional ‘popular crowd’, Sharpay and Ryan they are established as the attention seekers and crave the famous lifestyle. Everyone seems to look up to them and wants to be like them, this is represented through low angle shots are used to frame them at the top of stairs to illustrate their authority in the social ladder. They are dressed very glamorous and are shot with hordes of people flocking around them taking pictures and holding out books for her to sign indicating the stereotypical lifestyle of a celeb; fan base, paparazzi and autograph signing, this is reinforced by camera flashes and the stairs appearing as a red carpet.
Amongst other ‘cliques’ we see stereotypes such as cheerleaders, again wearing red and white and boasting pom-poms and the basket ball team who all possess a basketball of their own. These props are used creatively by intertwining them into their dance routines. There is very much a dance theme within the video, this is a conventional norm in music videos and is what might be expected especially of the genre. However the dancing is not portrayed as sexy or provocative, it adapts a more ‘in unison’ approach and is more flamboyant and eccentric. For example the tracking shot which navigates us through a line of people acting as if they were on a roller-coaster, this illustrates their energy and hyped-up manner. As this music video is featured in a musical, it takes on a much more theatrical approach then other genres of music I have done research into. There are a lot less establishing shots as the audience are more aware of the school surroundings already and are comfortable with this. It uses editing techniques and shots that establish character reactions as there a multiple singers compared to the norm so it is essential they are established as a group.

I’ve noticed as I have been enduring my research journey that artists tend to have a reference to ‘you’, this is as though they are singing to the audience and including them within their music. At the end of the sequence an extreme close-up is used to establish the kiss mark that she has left on boy’s year book. An extreme close-up is used to frame the yearbook allowing the audience to pick up on the page on which it lies; the ‘wild cats school play’, reinforces the diegtic world with authenticity and verisimilitude.

There are a number of elements which help to bring a sense of realism for the audience. Unlike productions aimed at an adult audience where the viewer is allowed to get caught up in fine line between fantasy and reality. But as we are targeting a much younger audience it is important that reality is not mixed up but established at the stereotypes are portrayed in positive light. This video banishes the idea of cliques by illustrating each kind on its own and then showing everyone coming together to form as one.

Bright lights, colours and costumes help to set up the film noir. The colours represent the colours of summer which is iconic to the song lyrics. Also there is a dominant colour scheme of reds and white which are the school’s colours. Sound is a very important feature of music videos, besides the actual song, sounds that are part of the diegetic world helps to understand narrative and convey emotion, mood or tone. In this video a school bell is used to signify the beginning of the song. As the video comes to an end a second bell is sounded this this defines closure.

The whole style of the video is very positive. For example ‘an education vacation’ has positive connotations instead of encouraging people to treat the summer holiday as a ‘bum off’ period. This is in important factor because the ages at which the video is targeted are at the stage where they are starting to take into account things they see in the media and copy them as a sense of ‘fitting in’. It is therefore important the song and its video employ a positive style and outlook.

The Idea Behind my Textual Analyses

Before any planning stages can be taken underway it is important that I fully understand all the conventions and concepts there is to know about music videos. Instead of analysing music videos that are all going to be similar to the one I would like to make, I decided it would be more valuable if I was to research into a variety.

I have chosen songs that are different in genre and are aimed at very different audiences in both age and music preference. I have analysed the music video to a song which appears in a musical, this takes on a very different approach to others I have looked at.

I have opted to conduct my analysis in this format to get a better understanding of what to elements would be suitable for my music video to adapt and employ and also aspects of which I should not include. I will be able to find the kinds of approaches that are suited to particular audiences.

This will hopefully gain me the knowledge that will be needed in order for me to create a successful and believable music video.

X x mind map x X

Music Videos : The History

Today music videos represent a crucial part of the music industry. Artists owe their careers to music videos as they are being given the chance of impressing the public not just with their vocal talent, but also with their looks or moves. And it all had to start somewhere.

In 1923 the Frankfurt school was set up andit was concerned about the possible effects of mass media. The Frankfurt school envisioned the media as a hypodermic syringe, and the contents of the media were injected into the thoughts of the audience, who accepted the attitudes, opinions and beliefs expressed by the medium without question. Then a new approach tothe dynamics of audience/text relationship was suggested in the Uses andGratificationmodel.

In this model, theorists asked how were the audiences using the media to gratify their needs. They suggested that audiences had specific needs and actively turned to the media to consume various texts to a satisfaction of these needs. The audience in Uses and Gratifications were seen as active, as opposed to passive audience in the Effects model. The music industry needed to create a medium which would provide voyeuristic pleasure for its audience and the idea of using video came about to create an element of pleasure in watching.

The history of the modern music video has its roots in 1964 when ‘The Beatles’ brought out the first major motion picture, 'A Hard Day's Night'. This documentary stylemovie included musical segments that resembletoday's music videos and this was a huge influence on the way music would be promoted from then on. That same year, the band began filming short promotional films for their songs which were then aired on television variety shows and eventually used the films to tour for them, as did the likes of Elvis.

Over the years the content of music videos began to develop. ‘Mickey Mousing’ became a standard feature, miming along to the words. In 1972 David Bowie brought out a video to ‘Space Oddesy’ which was simply a performance of his music which provided no real entertainment or voyeuristic pleasure. Shortly after came the concept of using lyrical representation through narrative, illustrated in the video to ‘Sledge Hammer’.

The Australian TV show 'Countdown' played an important role in the development of the music video industry, which was first brought to our screens in 1974. Music video clips were used as a method of promoting acts that were to appear on the show. As the popularity of the video clips grew, the music industry began to realize the marketing potential of these music clips. One of the most notable video clips features was the AC/DC hit, "It's A Long Way to the Top." During the 1980s, 'Countdown' continued to be aired in 2 different countries.

(1st MTV logo)

MTV by almost three years, 'Video Concert Hall,' was the first nationwide video music program on American television. Premiering in June 1981, one of the first US programs to play music videos was the USA Cable Network program 'Night Flight.' Then just three months after came the broadcast revolution of MTV. Thirty years ago, music video used to be less important then it is nowadays and this channel was the phenomenon that gave so much power andimportance to the music video and it marked the beginning of the music video’s ruling over the music industry. The first video ever played on MTV was ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by The Buggles. As MTV was broadcasting 24-hour-a-day music, music videos were needed to be produced. Consequently, music video began to play an important role in artists’ careers.

In 1983, the almost 14-minute-long video for Michael Jackson's song "Thriller," was released. It was the most expensive video of its time, costing US$500,000, and Guinness World Records listed it in 2006 as the "most successful music video", selling over 9 million units. It was less a conventional music video and more a full-fledged mini-film and it became the world's most successful and influential video in music video history.

In 1988, the MTV show, Yo! MTV Raps was launched. This was a two-hour American television music video program, which ran from August 1988 to August 1995 and was the first hip-hop music show on the network. The show helped to bring hip hop music to a nation wide audience. Two of the videos that are most famous for being two of the three most expensive music videos of all time are Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream," which cost $7 million to produce, and Madonna's "Bedtime Story," which cost $5 million. The imagery used in “Bedtime Story” is very futuristic and abstract video and the images use lyrical interpretation to represent the mood of the song, this was a very new and influential development for the world of music video. It is considered that even Madonna’s career has been greatly influenced by her videos that not only used her videos to promote her albums but also to create her sexy, appealing image.

The song value in music videos is much different compared to in the past. The video now is just as important as the song itself, sometimes even deciding the success of a song or artist. Collections of music videos are now being sold on DVDs. Music video’s greatest fans believe that a music video should be assessed based on its visual qualities and not on the song quality. In the modern day it seems that the music ‘gurus’, have realised the potential of using female sex-appeal in music videos, therefore this feature is being used excessively as it is more popular for the public.

The breakthrough of MTV has been highly controversial: some saw as the beginning of an amazing, new, fresh era in music video, others considered it to mark the end of true musical talent, as artists have been become more appreciated for their looks instead of their vocal abilities. Music videos not only showcase an artist's singing talent, but also how they perform. Many musical artists made their careers a success by using music videos. The history of music videos that I have covered shows how the use of the videos transformed the music industry.

My Chosen Brief

Primarily I chose to work in a group of two on the task of creating a documentary style video piece. However, after giving it much thought my partner and I decided that if we were to try and create a music video it would give us the opportunity to think more outside the box in terms of being able to apply our creative and artistic streak to come up with more abstract and unusual ideas in relation to lyrical representation through imagery.

Therefore I will be working in a group of two to create a promotion package for the release of an album, which will include a music promo video, tied in together with a cover for its release on DVD and a magazine advertisement for the DVD.