Disturbia

                                       

  "Disturbia" is a song by artist Rihanna, taken from the re-release," Good girl gone bad:Reloaded(2008）”, which changed Rihanna from a cute "girly girly" to a sexy adult, highlighting the fact that she had grown up and was no longer a "good girl". The song is an up tempo dance-pop and electro-pop song and it describes the general experiences of anguish, anxiety and confusion. 

      At the beginning of the video, there was a wired sound like fingers running along a piano. We can see a hand that had fingers painted black along with long fingernails paly along a piano. Then Rihanna appeared as a powerful woman, with a fan in her hand. She was all in black suit and sitting on a black leather chair appearing in control whilst her chair is spinning. This black suit and chair made her a character like Evil Entity who would control others and make people being possessed. There were also other strange characters surrounding her doing weird things. One example can be a man with one eye patch was spinning two wheels with his arm. Everything seemed in Rihanna’s control and a performance is just beginning. 

   

  She took pleasure in tormenting the possessed Rihanna, who was shown in many different ways in the video. On the one hand, the evil entity can be the dark side of the human being that tried to control their spirits and behavior. On the other hand, the evil entity and different characters of Rihanna in the music video represent Rihanna's different images and she want to change the typical image of audience and become a bad girl.

   

 When the music " dum dum di dum " appears, viewers can see Rihanna with short haircut and lens which make her eyes look white. Eyes is the windows to the soul. It means that Rihanna's soul was taken away by evil entity. She was behind the bars, representing the imprisonment of her free will and thoughts. She was depressed and spared no effort to escape from bars but failed eventually.

  

  

  The later part of video shows that Rihanna was rasied at arms in length above by crowds with hands reached out to touch her, which indicates that she is above everyone else and seemed untouchable like kinds of worship. And them a bunch of people were dancing in a robotic way, just like zombies. It seemed that Rihanna was controlled by evil entity and danced with other monsters and she has gone insane because she wanted to get rid of control but failed. After that Rihanna was attached a post and burnt at a stake, which shows that evil entity tried to torture her and destroyed her body and minds. At the second bridge of the video, Rihanna was wearing a bodysuit that made up of webs and then a spider crawed her body and the lyric " Am I scared you now", indicating that she wanted to show audience that she was not a little girl squeamished by spider and she eager to shock the audience.  At the same time, her hands and feeds was trapped inside the walls and ground and she wanted freedom so much. 

  This video demonstrates the dilemma of evil and possessed. The different Rihanna in the video is different images in different people. She wants to use this music video to breakthrough the preconceived ideas people given to her and creates a totally new Rihanna, who is an elegance, cold-blooded and mature woman. What does the image of Cleopatra represent? Why does the evil entity win at the end? 

For more information:

http://aurion-tenosai.deviantart.com/journal/Truth-about-Rihanna-s-quot-Disturbia-quot-Part-232056562   

Turn Me On

David Guetta Feat. Nicki Minaj

   France native, David Guetta has sold over three million albums and fifteen million singles worldwide. In 2012 he was nominated for two Grammy awards and was nominated for one Brit award. Turn Me On was released on January 27^th 2012 and features Nicki Minaj

   
     Solely from the title Turn Me On and the lyrics you would assume the song is about something sexual but the video takes another side as in turning cyborgs/Barbie’s on to be life-like and real. The main binary is the women within the video are or have been constructed as robot forms contrasting to David Guetta who is both male and human. This could suggest him being superior to the Barbie’s as this is his song or that he wants to turn them on for his own use either physically or sexually. Another difference is the focus on Nicki Minaj as a different Barbie compared to all the others trying to find and possibly destroy Minaj as if she is the “real” Barbie.

   
     This video correlates to the two cyborg videos watched in class because in the beginning Nicki Minaj was portrayed as a cyborg just like Lil’ Kim and Missy Elliot. It was interesting that David Guetta was the one responsible for constructing the woman/cyborg using what appeared to be a directions manual or recipe. Perhaps this is reference to the song being his work and she is merely featured. Another possibility is that men are the dominant gender within our society therefore they can control women and construct them as they please. Towards the end of the video the other Barbie’s seem to strip Guetta down to a robot like figure as well, this change could be to get back at him for something or that they want him to “turn them on."

The main story line of the video is about making Barbie’s real and turning them on, weather it is sexually or physically, such as making them life-like. When the Barbie’s try to ransack the building that David Guetta is in, it appears that the Barbie’s are trying to find the one that is not the same (Nicki Minaj). Nicki Minaj was made into a Barbie like the rest of them and they tried to find the real one and terminate her. Possibly the other Barbies that were trying to find her could be mess-ups or practice Barbie’s until Guetta created the perfect Barbie (Minaj). Within the context of the video the repeated lyric turn me on, is used as literally creating the woman (Minaj) or turning her on physically, as opposed to sexually like the lyrics entail.

    
    The end of the video is peculiar; the Barbies want Guetta to transform by stripping him to a wire form? Do they wish to make him into a robot as well to have sex with him? What was the effect of the male “Kens” within the video surrounding Minaj?


If you want to read another analysis of the video go here : http://popcrush.com/davidguettanickiminajturnmeonvideo

Pursuit of Happiness

         This music video stars Kid Cudi,  an African American rapper who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Born Scott Ramon Mescudi, Kid Cudi broke out into the hip-hop scene in 2009 with his debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day. This Gold album contained hits like “Day’n’Nite” and “Pursuit of Happiness”. Kid Cudi is signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music Record Label. Kid Cudi is known to have struggle with the use of alcohol and marijuana in his past but has since turned a new leaf.

Smoke is the first and last thing shown in this video and remains present throughout. It gives a certain shady feel, which represents the haze of life. During the video, the haze acts as an element that merges his reality and fantasy, making it hard to distinguish between the two. At one point the haze settles to the ground and is rowed through as if it was a boat in water. Kid Cudi is in this boat with two other women who are directing it. This portrays how, in his pursuit for happiness, others took over his life and now it is not his own. It is controlled by a current of uncertainty and directed by others. This haze and misguidance hinders his ability to find true happiness by his definition. 

The couch within this video is shown repeatedly and is always being sat on in one form or another by Kid Cudi. The video portrays the couch to be a center of his world, a magnet that always is drawing him back. In the beginning of the video Kid Cudi is trying to get off the couch but ends up right back where he started. Each time he attempts to leave he gets one step farther, but as soon as he gets through the door he tries to find a different way to leave. This parallels the paths of life. As you go through life you take two steps forward then one step back. Once you hit a dead end you hit reset and go back to the couch. His relation to the couch is indicative of a relationship. At first he struggles to resist the pull to the couch. However, towards the end, he ends up accepting it and staying with it. This shows that the couch is and always will be a point where Kid Cudi belongs.

Once Kid Cudi makes it out of his room and into the world, it shows him at a costume party. Everyone but him is wearing physical masks. This plays towards the haziness of life. Kid Cudi, by not acknowledging the people around him, is showing that he doesn’t know or care who these other people are. What is not apparent, is that Kid Cudi, himself, is wearing an emotional mask, keeping himself cut off from others. This fact is paralleled by the little girl that follows him around. She displays no emotion, yet wears a sweater that is covered in what people perceive as materialistic objects that bring short term happiness. Kid Cudi realizes this and continues to search for the longterm happiness. 

        This video shows Kid Cudi rising and falling into a “dream space”.  Cudi can be viewed as a dreamer in his own pursuit of happiness. What do you think the binary between black and white means?  What is the significance of the little girl that follows Kid Cudi around?  What do you think Kid Cudi is actually looking for in his “pursuit of happiness”?  What is the effect of Kid Cudi basically going right back to where he started from every time he opens a door or leaves the room?

Dreamworld 3

I feel the video showed how having power (money) can ultimately give you whatever you want. Some women may act out of character, (letting men slap bologna on their butt) simply because they are willing to do certain things in order to get recognized. Clearly it  looks degrating, however, "some" of these women are putting themselves in this situation, making it look acceptable. At the end of the day it all comes down to men/women profit. America is not always pretty, that's just the way life is..

Response to Dreamworlds 3

I would like you all to post a thoughtful 4-5 sentence minimum paragraph about the film we watched today, Dreamworlds 3.  This is a space for you to agree, disagree, or offer ideas about how to counteract the problems that Sut Jally identifies in the film.  You can post this paragraph as either a separate post or as a comment on this post.

Another way to respond is you can think about how Jewel's video "Intuition" works or doesn't work (this is discussed in Dreamworlds).  Or how does India.Arie's video relate to the ideas presented in the film (the lyrics can be found here). 

Miley Cyrus- "Can't Be Tamed"

 

Miley Cyrus- "Can't Be Tamed"

Miley Cyrus started her career as an actress/singer on the Disney channel.  She has changed a lot since her younger days on the kid-friendly show.  Miley is now 19 years old and wants to be seen as an adult so she rebels so she is not seen as a child anymore.  In this music video “Can’t be tamed” Cyrus clearly expresses her rebel side. When this music video first came out people were making a lot of comments about how Miley Cyrus was presenting herself and what came off as "slutty" to a lot of viewers, however it reveals more than just skin.

            She's on display depicted as a rare bird, she's in a cage, and people are watching her closely. It seems like the audience is all rich people watching her as if they paid to see her. There are many different kinds of feathers; the group of dancers are also birds, the glass shatters when she walks past. Also, that she can fit through the bars of the cage so easily. Once she's out of the cage her wings/feather disappear and it's like she's a human outside the cage but a bird on the inside. There's also a scene where she's laying on peacock feathers and it looks like her outfit resembles a snake skin. Maybe she feels like she has the characteristics of many different animals. Also, this ability to switch between skins reveals her ability to be free and to not be restricted by what it is that she is depicted to be.
            The most obvious binary in the video is the human and exotic animal comparison. We see the people in the 'audience' viewing the exotic animals in the cage. There is also a binary of men and women and Miley is shown dancing with both. The use of light and dark is also shown throughout the video. Another example are the lyrics “I can't be tamed” while she is in a cage.
            One of the common themes that happens repetitively in the video, with help from the lyrics "I can't be tamed" is Miley Cyrus's intent to be rebellious against and unrestricted by anyone who tells her what to do or what is acceptable of her. By being rebellious she refuses to be controlled by rules that are set by individuals (the majority of men), but also by society in general. She shows this by dancing semi-provocatively on men and women which can signify that anything goes with her and that she does not want to follow the rules that are set forth for her to follow. She also says she’s a rarity like the bird on display. She’s one of a kind and she can’t be changed and this also seems to be what the video is arguing,” She “can’t be tamed” for anyone.
            She says she can't be tamed, yet she's in a cage. This video seems to be arguing that although individuals are wild and free they are tamed by a certain degree in society. Why put her in a cage that she can just walk out of?  Why would she go back in the cage once she is free? Does she feel like she has a tame side as well and that is why she went back in the cage? How do some of these ideas resemble the society in which we live today?

 

Another analysis of this video can be found here:

http://allisbrawl.com/forum/topic.aspx?pid=1638908

The Bad Touch

The Bad Touch - Bloodhound Gang

When most people hear this song they don't know the title of it or who sings it.  All people know of this song is the repeating lyric "let's do it like they do it on the Discovery channel." So who is the Bloodhound Gang?  They are a alternative/rap/comedy rock group know for primarily only this song.  Bloodhound Gang's videos are unusual in content, and this is no exception.  The setting takes place in Paris, the City of Love.  The video starts out with the group dressed as monkeys.  The gang members are not only dressed as monkeys but acting the part. 

The gang sings about doing it like they do on the discovery chanel.  The song is very primative and primal.  The monkeys first capture four models walking down the street and ambush them with blowdarts while hiding in a bush.  They then go on to capture three chefs buy using meat on a stick.  Two gay frenchmen are then captured; but this wasn't shown in the censored version.  The monkeys then go on to capture a midget mime using a net.  All of the captured people are thrown into a cage.  The monkeys seem to be mocking the people in the cage.  This seems ironic because it is the opposite of what happens normally at zoo's.  At zoo's people look in and taunt the animals, but in the video it is opposite.  The monkeys then let the people out of the cage to dance.  All of the people look forced while dancing, but then the mime brakes away and is chased by one of the band members in a car and run over.  The way that the people are treated in this video is the same way that animals are treated at zoo's.  If an animal escapes people chase the animal and kill it if they need to.  This video seems to be arguing the primative nature of humans and how we can't escape our primative animal nature. 

Common themes in this video include conformity and mammal instincts.  The humans show conformity by dancing for the monkey's at the end.  When the mime escapes you see him hit by a car driven by a monkey resembling the behavior of humans toward animals.  This is important to the song because a monkey is a mammal.  The cage can symbolize many peoples lives because many people live there life trapped by school, or work.  The monkey's are living and acting primative but seem to have escaped conformity that seems to cling to people.  Paris is a very traditional city and monkeys roming the streets doesn't seem to fit when we think of paris. 

Why is the song called the bad touch?  Why are monkeys chosen to represent the animals depicted in the video?  How would it be different if a female group sang this song?

If you want to learn more about the Bloodhound Gang and this album click the link below.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Bloodhound-Gang-Biography/E2A5C70842CFA804482568C700098CB3

Research and the Annotated Bibliography

I wanted to write a brief blog to explain a bit more the kind of research you should be doing for your paper and how to write the annotated bibliography.

In your final Analytical Research Paper you will be making an argument that is specific to your primary source – whatever music video you have chosen to analyze. You want to thing about broader concepts but you will be thinking about how these play out within the context of your video. For example, if you were writing about “Love. Sex. Magic” by Ciara featuring Justin Timberlake you might consider how Ciara is presented as a sexual object performing for Timerlake and how this is related to her position as a black woman. You could definitely look for articles that talk about representations of black women in movies or music, but your final argument will be about the video specifically and what messages it presents about these issues. So, while you are looking for sources that make arguments in larger concepts, you will be considering how these arguments can be put into conversation with your unique analysis of the video you have chosen. In Writing Analytically, the authors talk about how you can use someone else’s writing as part of a reading practice or approach to a text (p. 117-119). You will probably not find peer-review articles or book chapters on your music video, unless you have chosen something that is a bit less recent, but you can find secondary sources that are related and can be used to complicate, contest or add to your unique reading of the video.

When you are writing your annotated bibliography, please be sure and read the directions closely so that you are not leaving something out. Your annotations are intended to show why the source is credible, how it will help your argument, and how you could/will position it within your paper.

Here’s an example:

Hooks, Bell. “Selling Hot Pussy: Representations of Black Female Sexuality in the Cultural Marketplace.” Black Looks: Race and Representation. Boston: South End Press, 1992. 61-77. Print.

This chapter comes from a well-respected book about African Americans in representation written by a professor that has written several books about feminist theory, race and popular culture. A reader can establish the credibility of this source by looking at the multiple references to other well-known theorists. Hooks also uses personal experiences and examples from popular culture which will be helpful in talking about the “Love. Sex. Magic” video. Hooks argues that Black women are represented in popular culture as pornographic sexual animals. Her discussion of how Tina Turner uses these stereotypes for economic gain would support my argument that Ciara is presenting herself as a sexual animal, especially when she wears the animal print body suits, in a way that links racist stereotypes with idea of what is “sexy.”

Dance for You

                   Beyonce is a popular female R&B and pop artist. Her videos are known for her singing, dancing, and sex appeal. Most of her videos are prominently provocative due to the sexual nature of her dancing. The video “Dance for You” displays all of her most popular qualities. The setting of the video is in what appears to be an old detective office room and in addition is in black and white, to add to the antiquity of the scene. The video portrays exactly what the title of the song is and what the lyrics are saying. The title of the song is “Dance for You” and throughout the video Beyonce is dancing for a power-holding white male in his office.

The most prominent binary in this video is darkness versus light, whether it be through race, lighting, or editing. Beyonce appears to be a strong black woman when in reality she is objectifying herself for a white man. During this time period a white man and a black woman would never be seen together, which may be the reason she is coming into his office at night. It could be concluded that she is his mistress or possibly a criminal. She is putting on a show for him during the whole video and never looks away from him, which also coincides with the time period because woman did not try to be independent and they were there to do whatever men wanted them to do. It seems as though she is trying to seduce the detective.

Something that doesn’t “fit” in this video is the appearance of the four other women behind the windows. Throughout the video, Beyonce is dancing for the man and now four women join her. It could be assumed that Beyonce and these women are possibly criminals. The fact that the man is a detective and that they appear in the middle of the night in a “line-up” to dance for him seems as though they are trying to seduce/persuade him. Going along with the criminal claim, is that the watchtower light seems to reveal identities of the women similar to an interrogation light that is portrayed in older movies.

What do the fans represent and what effect do they have on the women? Does the race of the other women play a role in the video? Why do you think the male never touches/shows emotion toward beyonce? 

You can find another analysis of the video here:
http://idolator.com/6091192/beyonce-dance-for-you-video

Are you "Feeling This"

Blink 182, over the past 20 years, has become one of the most successful punk-rock bands in history. The punk-rock era is fueled by rebellion and anarchy and blink 182 has come to completely embody these characteristics throughout their journey in the music industry. These characteristics are vividly displayed in their music video for “Feeling This”. Blink gives a typical story of rebellion through the setting of a prison and young rebellious teens.

            Rebellion is made clear through the use of multiple binaries throughout the video. “Feeling This” leads directly into the message of not conforming as the men are getting their heads shaved and are then found marching through what appears as a prison setting. This prison setting is quickly contrasted with the beautiful sunny outdoors of Blink 182 playing outdoors. With this given binary of the light and dark, the teens in the video can be seen striving to leave the prison-like school, for the light of the outdoors. With the thought of the punk-rock era, the outdoors and light symbolize freedom, and the jail represents the rules of society and social norms. The teens break through these conformities during the scene of the boy and girl talking at the glass window. This starts the rebellion as they want to be together and “get it on” but they can’t, so they break the rules and do the next best thing, “phone sex”. The binary of uniforms and no clothing is presented later on in the video, which further reinforces their strive towards freedom (no clothes). On another focus, apart from the storyline in the video, the band is also enclosed in a fence. In the beginning of the video, the viewer is unable to see whether or not the band is completely enclosed; however, the viewer is enlightened near the end, as the fence is only three sided. Through the simple use of camera angles, the idea of the band also achieving freedom from the cage is instilled.

            Through multiple binaries, which explicitly contrast each other, it is easy to follow the message of rebelling towards freedom in the video “Feeling This”. One interesting thought to go along with the video is, why are there pigs in the background of the band? Another noteworthy item: why is the band playing in an encaged fence? Why aren’t they in the school too? Do they feel bound by the rules of society also? Could this video just be a simple shot at the education system rather than society as a whole? Though this was sort of formal, let us know your thoughts! At least this was a popular video unlike the ones Brendan chooses in class. Tehe…Jk

If you want to check out another analysis of the video check out “Jack Goodman’s Media Project”.