Tag: Video

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Still Waiting

Music in America has been forefront in the efforts to change the world. From Nina Simone to Jimi Hendrix, musical artists have used their medium to speak out against oppression and voice their opinions. John Mayer offers his own take on this in his single, “Wating on the World to Change.” The song is one of Mayer’s most popular; it won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

The official music video from JohnMayerVevo

The music video on YouTube has nearly 41 million views. The video opens with pictures of New York City. John Mayer walks stoically along the East River. He looks out over the river, waiting for something to happen, waiting for the world to change. The video cuts to three graffiti artists, Futura 2000, Tats Cru, and Daze. They are gathering supplies for some large graffiti projects across the city. The rest of the video shows broken clips of them working on their art. It is in slow motion, with a blue filter that gives a laid-back and chilled out mood, fitting the music very well. We do not see their completed art until the end, creating an element of suspense as the song progresses. When it is revealed, we see that their art relates to the theme of the song. The first image is the word “Exploited” written on a wall, with the ‘O’ exploding into pieces. This depicts the exploitation of humans and the planet that happens in the US and around the globe. The next image is the words “wake up!”, with the ‘K’ constructed of assault rifles. This points to anti-war efforts and gun violence. Across the city, we see pictures of a circular design which perhaps depicts an atom, warning about the horrors of nuclear weapons. Finally, the word “Think” is written in bold letters on a billboard. All of these things illustrate the horrible things about the world that we must change. As the song says, “we see everything that’s going wrong, With the world and those who lead it.”

A still shot from the music video

From war and gun-violence, to exploitation and environmental issues, the problems are rampant. However, the song’s response to these issues has caused controversy. It states, “We just feel like we don’t have the means, To rise above and beat it.” Mayer feels powerless against the systemic problems he encounters. He and his friends, like the graffiti artists, are outsiders, they’re “standing at a distance” which means “It’s hard to beat the system.” Mayer is content to sit back and wait for changes to occur, until his generation “rules the population.” Critics take issue with this stance. As YouTube user Sebrina Greggs points out, “all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.” User Elani Aniyvwia elaborates: “We need to stop waiting for the change and be the change. Dr King didn’t wait. Neither did Mother Theresa. They became the change and changed the world!! We are the ones that have the power to change the world. We need to stop waiting and be the change.” TheBuddyLama says “Waiting = Apathy.” This critique of Mayer’s hit song comes from other sources. An NPR article claims that “Rather than urging people to change the world, he seems to say, there’s nothing we can do.” Mayer comes to his own defense: “Look, demanding somebody do anything in this day and age is not going to fly…All I want a song to do is just to kind of present an idea…”


We are the ones that have the power to change the world. We need to stop waiting and be the change.

-Youtube User Elani Aniyvwia

So where is the line between political action and making demands that will turn off others? How do we seek change in a way that does not alienate others, but instead brings them in as allies? Mayer seems to suggest the moderate approach of starting a conversation, but not being overbearing. Like the graffiti artists, Mayer outlines a problem that must be solved but does not offer a solution. He is content to begin a conversation and back away. But will this really “bring out neighbors home from war?” Mayer is ok with waiting, and says that, “All I want a song to do is just to kind of present an idea…”

Whatever the critique of John Mayer, whether wittingly or unwittingly, Waiting on the World to Change” began a conversation which has continued on years after the song’s release. Perhaps it worked; for the world to change, first we must have these conversations. At Mayer’s expense, perhaps the wait has grown a little bit shorter.

Sources:

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/john-mayer/waiting-on-the-world-to-change

http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2007/john-mayer-waiting-on-the-world-to-change/

https://borderlessnewsandviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Waiting_on_the_world_to_change_by_PaLiLinz.jpg

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7765148

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Bohemian Rhapsody

 Music videos were at first used for marketing and advertising purposes. They were used to increase the sale of a certain album or a song. However, music videos has also been a great tool for artists to use to complement their songs. A music video usually gives one’s song greater meaning and an easier way to understand what the music is about. The sounds, visuals, and the effects all contained in the music video and the music creates a unique experience that is its own. The artist can use symbols or references to make their music video more relevant and deep. One of the sensational songs that uses the music video make the song greater is Bohemian Rhapsody.

         There are six different parts in this song that is very different from each other. They all use a different musical style such as rock, ballad, or even opera. As the musical styles change, the visuals and the mood of the music video also change to fit the style that is being played. The song opens with an acapella of a multi-track recordings of Freddie Mercury singing. In the music video, it shows all four members of the band in dim lighting lip syncing the lyrics. The lighting helps with the mood of the slow style of the song. Later in the song, Mercury’s head is more prominent to depict him as the main character of the song as he sings the main lyrics. The other members are shown to be singing the chorus in the background.

         After the introduction, the song enters into a ballad. Here, the music video changes to show the members of the band playing their instrument. The lighting here is very colorful but a little dimmed to match the ballad style. Then there is a little guitar slow that helps to transition into the operatic part of the song. Here, just like opera, the members of the band are a different character. When there is a different character singing, that member playing that part will appear on screen. It feels like they are having a conversation because of this. The lights are also dim again just like the introduction here. Towards this end of this section, the music builds up that leads to a rock section. The music video tries to imitate a rock concert here to fit the style of the song. The visuals here are flashier and more dramatic than before which could be described as more calm. The clothing the members wear here are even flamboyant to help. As the song ends, the style and the visual goes back to how it was during the introduction.

I thought that one of the strong points of Bohemian Rhapsody’s music video was how there were many different styles of visuals to go along with the song’s change of styles. I thought that each style matched the mood of the part really well. However, I thought maybe it could have used some symbolisms or allusions to give it greater depth and meaning to the song. I just feel like they could have done a little more with it to enhance the music video whether making the the contrasts between the styles more different or something else. They could’ve maybe tried to emphasize the lyrics with the visuals. However, it was said that the meaning of the song was very individual to the listener. There are a lot of words in the lyrics that seemingly don’t make sense.

Zoom Out

 Bohemian Rhapsody is a great example that relates to what we have been learning in class. It shows how the use of technology can improve and be a part of music. Throughout class, we have been learning about how technology is used in a progressive way to change how we consume music. Some examples were recordings and the use of computers to create electronic music. With music videos, the songs that artists created were embedded with more meaning to help convey the message to the audience better.