Genre Theories to a music Video.

'Take Me To Church' by Hozier, is a song from the self-titled album, which follows the genre of soulful rock 'n' roll, with a slight hint of the gospel genre coming through. Whilst the song lyrics them self have a meaning behind them, the music video makes you interpret it in a way which is your own, and is in some ways, controversial; which links in with the previous blog post - http://tasminebentona2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/response-to-q-magazine-controversy-in.html. The meaning behind the music video which the artist intended, was that the music video 'criticizes the repression of gay people in Russia'. Hozier said, 'The video has a theme - an organisation that undermines humanity'(). This ideology is definitely apparent in the music video, with the main theme in the video being the love between a gay couple, who are targeted by a gang, and one of the males ends up being attacked. 

Soul music is a combination of gospel and R&B. It began in the 1950s,and it's roots originate from four main sources: racial, historical, geographical and economical(3). Applying Altman's theory to this music video is easily applicable when you watch the music video, due to the fact this video subverts generic conventions in my opinion, as this music video is arguably controversial. This video supports the ideology that there is no such thing as 'pure' genre anymore, as this song/video is a mixture of soul, gospel and rock 'n' roll. 

Fiske's theory also applies to this music video, as the video definitely represents the zeitgeist and tells the audience something about the way of the world. This music video represents the zeitgeist, as it clearly signifies and represents the issues relating to homosexuality in Russia. I feel this music video definitely fits this theory and ideology, and it's possible that other music videos of this genre also reflect the zeitgeist and help support this theory. 

The entire music video is in black and white, which I feel also helps represent the zeitgeist. I feel that the zeitgeist is negative, and that the main theme in the music video is negative. Furthermore, black and white is seen as depressing and therefore helps get the message across that the main theme is also negative. 

I feel that the part in the music video where the two men bury the chest, with a large metal lock around it, in the ground signifies that they have to hide their love in order to protect themselves from other people who disagree and are against it. It also suggests that in Russia people have to bury their love deep in order to prevent the risk of them getting caught. I believe that this scene in the video represents the zeitgeist and supports Fiske's theory once more. 

Sources.

(1) http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=32921
(2) http://www.reflector-online.com/opinion/article_7f5adde8-b30c-11e4-af17-cfb3caaf4bc3.html
(3) http://randb.about.com/od/rb12/a/Soul_Music.htm

Response to Q Magazine - Controversy in music videos.

"When a musician starts to use the phrase 'mini-movie' to describe a video, it's time to quit" is a phrase from Dave Grohl, who's words were for the 'ripe folly of Guns N' Roses' comically excessive November Rain', however his words also came to mind for Rihanna's controversial 'Bitch Better Have My Money' premiered earlier this year. The article unpicks every detail of the music video, giving a negative impression through sarcasm, exemplified when words and phrases such as, 'snooty', 'self-regarding, hubristic and flamboyantly expensive' and 'if you missed it, it's not that complicated' which then continues to give a sarcastic synopsis of the video. The article pointed out that 'the internet unpacked the sexual and racial politics of the video in double-quick time', suggesting that there's multiple controversial parts in the video.

The Q Magazine article, September edition, expresses their opinion on recent music videos, with music videos such as Bad Blood by Taylor Swift being featured in the article, being mentioned as 'smug, 'outdated, and that 'Taylor Swift wants to cement her status as an A-List celebrity and every famous woman's dream BFF'.

The article focus' on controversy within music videos, and music videos which were perhaps made to cause controversy, however does hint that this may not always be for the worse. 'Bad Blood only topped the Billboard charts for a week because of video views'. The article then goes on to say 'without a video, Bitch Better Have My Money peaked at a disappointing Number 17 in April'. This article suggests that controversial music videos aren't always a negative thing as they help raise the song in the charts, exemplified in the Taylor Swift/ Rihanna example. 

Controversy in music videos is becoming much more common, as it is often used to gain a more press and a bigger audience. People hear that the music video has something controversial in it, or is a different style to what the artist is usually known for, and they watch it just for the reason that it's different, not because it necessarily is what they like. Controversy is also a way to get their opinion across when the artist feels as if they couldn't just say what they think. This article overall presents the different reasons why music videos are controversial.