Textual Analysis In Class 2

The music video i am analysing is Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry. Although the song appears upbeat under the surface of it all Katy is addressing a world of repetition and ignorance of us all. The song was written to spread her own political views that she has shared more recently through her increasing dedication to political activism. in more recent months, campaigning for Hillary Clinton and producing a PSA about anti- immigrant policies in American history. 

Katy Perry attending Womans March January 21st 2017 in Washington DC. 

Narrative

The narrative of the piece is that we are live in our own little bubbles in life and we cannot see the world because we are too busy trusting everything that we are shown. Although there is some performance in there it doesn’t show Katy as famous it shows her as a normal person. However unlike everyone else who hasn’t been pricked by reality she can see the world from a different perspective. The main bulk of this piece is narrative it tells the story of the way we keep going round in circles every day in the same job, same location, mind-set etc. until we literally drop. We keep working like batteries to power something until they die and are replaced with new ones. No one is original everyone copies each other in a huge long ‘chain’.

 This shows how gullible people are believing it is the greatest ride in the world just because it says it is. ‘So comfortable with living in a bubble bubble, so comfortable we cannot see the trouble trouble’. This is presenting that we are so glued to what we are informed by the media and government online that we don’t even look at the world through our own eyes. We view it through lenses. Furthermore the use of the compatibility rating on how in love you are when you go through the ride. Showing the change in people just being controlled by new technologies and the use of likes and emojis on social media as tools to justify how popular and liked they are or how hated and unwanted that they are. The use of all the women doing the exact same thing could present the social pressure to always look good and the fact people are always capturing moments through camera lenses instead of with their own eyes.

Katy has a magical Disney princess dress on which makes it seem even more so that this whole music video is just a fairy tale and a dream of what life is made to seem like but none of it is actually real life is not this way at all.

She speaks of the house prices falling in America which is a huge issue and the colours are made the same as candy strawberry drops red and white. The American Dream is a vision every American holds it is to have a house, family, job and money.  Alongside, bombs away showing the political views of dropping bombs on other countries and the missile threats between America and Korea. The way in which everyone proceeds to watch the nuclear family video through the 3D glasses like it is not okay to be anything but keeping towards the same type of family structure. The man as th breadwinner but just sitting and relaxing, the child colouring and the mother doing the ironing as she is a traditional housewife. They are all pictured happily like the perfect family, but this is untrue not everyone lives this way and that is what Katy Perry is trying to emphasize. This part of the video shows the brainwashing along with the guinea pig wheel where people just keep running like machines until they literally cannot take anymore.

The prick from the pretty red roses that look so sweet and beautiful show the message that people and objects can be deceiving this red rose could represent anything from love to danger or both at times. However, this rose pricked her back into reality. 

All seen as equals and it links to the song as they are all doing the same movement they are all chained to the same rhythm. Showing no one is above anyone only the government and politicians who lead us to believe this lies. The high camera angle of Katy staring up gives me the idea that she is praying for someone to help her stop the system that the bourgeoisie has inflicted upon the proletariats.

God above to make this stop and for everyone to go back to being individual and secondly, to present the scale of how many people are actually ‘chained to the rhythm ’.

This will help when making my own music video because I have now seen how another successful artist has put her own personal thoughts and feelings into her video in a creative manor.