Goodwin’s Theory applied to three music videos

Saeed Moulai

3 Music Videos

• Girls Aloud – Sound Of The Underground• Dr Dre – Still Dre• Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer

Goodwin’s TheoryGoodwin's theory states that there are six main conventions to a

music video. These conventions are a thought beat, a link between audio and visual, star image, technical aspects to a music video

and narrative and performance.

Thought Beat

Girls Aloud – Sound Of The Underground

• Girls Aloud's Sound Of The Underground uses a good range of aspects of thought beat.

• Firstly, during choruses the use of layering of voices is applied, especially to Cheryl's which ties in with Star Image.

• The song is describing a party of the “sound of the underground”. This ties in well because of the tone of voices used and the way in which the song is sung, its hectic and fast paced which is much like a party.

Dr Dre – Still Dre• This song has a constant beat throughout the whole

song, although it is taken up and down a notch at certain points the tune is quite constant. This creates a good beat for the rap and for dance moves.

• The song includes layering during the chorus which gives a greater and makes the lyrics stand out more.

• The tone of Dre’s voice fits in well with his star image as well as the visuals that are being presented in the video

Bon Jovi – Livin On A Prayer• There are three members of the band

who sing, and in chorus’ there is using of layering to give it a bigger and more powerful effect

• The use of holding words for prolonged periods is a trademark of Bon Jovi and links in with their recognisable look and star image

• The tone of the bands members voices fit in well with the look as well as the meaning of the lyrics that are being sung

• Cut to beat adds a bigger effect which is looked for

Relation Between Music and Visuals

Girls Aloud – Sound Of The Underground• There is a strong relation between the lyrics

and visuals here, in fact the name of the song is the “sound of the underground” and they are seemingly filming the music video underground which links well.

• There is a part where the lyrics are “the girls get down to the sound of the radio” and it shows all five members of the band dancing

• Another example of the link between visuals and lyrics is where the lyrics are “disco dancing with the lights down low, beats are pumping on my stereo” and whilst those lyrics are being sung the camera focuses on both the flashing lights and the band that is playing which links in with the “beats on my stereo”.

Dr Dre – Still Dre• I think that the relation between lyrics and visuals in this video are

strong. This can be seen from the first 5 seconds where the lyrics go “It’s Snoop D.O.G.G and Dre” and at the same time a shot of Dre and Snoop Dogg sitting in a car together comes on the screen.

• Another example of the strong relationship between visuals and lyrics are when Dre raps “And I’m still on the block” and at the same time there is a crane shot of Dre riding around a block of apartments in a car.

• A third example to reinforce this is when the lyrics go “Still hitting them corners in them lo-lo's, girl” and there is a shot of two women dressed in bikinis on the back of a car. This shot showcases Laura Mulvey’s theory of Male Gaze.

Bon Jovi – Livin On A Prayer• This is a performance music video, so there is no narrative

between the lyrics and visuals, so for that reason there is no obvious link between them, unlike others with narratives

• There is some link between them though, for example, when the lyrics read “We’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got” the band members grab and embrace each other implying they’re ‘holding on to what they’ve got’. There are many other examples of subliminal links between lyrics and visuals in these videos

Star Image

Girls Aloud – Sound Of The Underground

• Although there are 5 singers in Girls Aloud the main one is Cheryl Cole. She is the star of this band in its clear to see in the music video, here are a few examples of how she can be portrayed as the main singer. Here we can see that she is in the middle of the two being the centre of attention, and here is a shot of her on her own, which is frequent throughout the music video, she gets more camera time than any of the others.

• Girls Aloud are stereotypically feminine, and this can be seen through the use of costume. They are all wearing typically female clothing with the colour pink, which is a stereotype that Girls Aloud have conformed to, this is part of their star image and what has made them so successful.

Dr Dre – Still Dre• Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg are both stereotyped

as gangsters and pimps. This video matches the stereotype through the use of costume, they're dressed in sports tracksuits and dark clothing, as well as the use of dark and neon lighting. Conforming to this stereotype has made their fans enjoy the music more and making Dre and Snoop Dogg more identifiable and recognised.

• This music is aged at young people and this can be seen through the use of background actors who are actually part of the target audience, this makes it relevant to the audience.

Bon Jovi – Livin On A Prayer• Bon Jovi clearly have a very strong star image, they

are still to this day one of the most recognisable bands around. Their star image is recognisable in many ways, firstly just through the sheer use of crazy hair, crazy costumes and crazy make up. This isn't even to mention their distinct recognisable voice and style of music, which fits in perfectly with their costume and look.

• The lyrics of this stereotype also live up to this, and many other things link in and match the stereotype and star image that Bon Jovi are trying to give off. By having this stereotype it makes them more recognisable and therefore popular, making them more successful.

Narrative And Performance

Girls Aloud – Sound Of The Underground• This video is solely a performance video, and it conforms to

Goodwin’s theory due to the fact that all 5 band members are not only featuring in the video but they are performing in the video too. Goodwin says that by doing this it promotes the band and people would want to watch their live performances, as well as giving a special connection between the performer and the fans.

• The use of miming is also frequent throughout the video, and this adds onto the point of making the video look like a real performance, miming is one of the most common tactics used when performing in a music video

Dr Dre – Still Dre• Most of this video is performance by showing Dr Dre and

Snoop Dogg rapping in random locations.• The video contains no real narrative theory but has

elements of narrative because it shows them driving around in what seems to be a slight chronological order.

• Use of props to portray star image is frequently used in this music video, including the use of cars and apartments.

Bon Jovi – Livin On A Prayer• There is very little to no narrative in this video, but the lyrics do tell

a story which shows aspects of narrative throughout the video as previously mentioned.

• Most of the video is performance based and it even shows the band warming up and getting ready which makes the audience feel closer to the stars as well as making them want to see them live.

• The use of props and mise-en-scene in this video link in well with the characters star image and persona that they are trying to portray

Technical Aspects Of Music Videos

Girls Aloud – Sound Of The Underground

• One way in which technical aspects are used in this video is through the use of slow motion, this links in with Laura Mulvey’s male gaze

• The band can be seen dancing in time with the music and dancing together, this creates a sense of togetherness in the band and creates an effect.

• The song has lots of beats and drops which has created opportunities for the visual image to cut when the beat drops, this creates a professional look.

• There is a black, white, and pink colour scheme throughout the video, this can be seen through the use of costume, make up, lighting and camera angles.

Dr Dre – Still Dre• Constantly throughout the song there is a cut to when the beat

changes, which is frequent throughout rap videos with a heavy beat like this.

• There is strong evidence that Mulvey’s male gaze theory exists in this video. This can be seen on many occasions when women are almost being objectified and presented like an asset through the video, these visuals also match lyrics which talk about females in this way. The women in this music video are also dressed in minimal clothing and the use of shots focus on the woman’s curves and breasts which is also a common trend in Mulvey’s theory.

Bon Jovi – Livin On A Prayer• There is a use of ropes and strings

which propel the lead singer above and into the audience, this creates a big effect and was seen as very impressive back when this music video was shot in the 1980s, this absurd daredevil antics link in well with the star image and persona the band try to give off

• To add to the effect through the use of editing the shots cut to beat and there are many low angle shots which portray the band as powerful and successful.