Exploring Music Videos for Different and Influential Music Styles

Given that I am working on a pop music video, I shall first analyse a Music Video related to that genre. For doing so, I've chose Katy Perry's E.T, a collaboration video with Kanye West, which is a love story of two aliens in outer space, hence staying true to its title. While involving heavy make-up, and background construction, it is interesting to note that the video is in sync with the song. And due to the fact that the sub-genres Rap and Techno are present (courtesy to Mr.West), it has been set for a larger audience, rather than being limited to just pop-lovers. Kanye West is a Rapper, and his inclusion to the music video helps in extending the audience to both rap-lovers and techno-lovers. Collaborations like these have become an influential music style, since other famous artists like Lady Gaga, and Rihanna have done this repeatedly.

Here is E.T, Katy Perry f.t Kanye West:

Another example of an excellent collaboration is Rihanna f.t Eminem 'I Love The Way You Lie':



It can be observed in both the videos, that except they share a common theme, which is in this case; love. Although E.T focuses on love, as a result of mere impulse and a spontaneous reaction to her lover's qualities, I love the Way You Lie focuses on a complicated relationship, in which the couple presented is experiencing a conflict since the male lover (Eminem) explains that he can't stop loving her, despite having some issues with her.

Here are the lyrics to give a better idea:


'and right before i’m about to drown, she resuscitates me, she fuckin’ hates me
and i love it, wait, where you goin’?
i’m leavin’ you, no you ain’t come back
we’re runnin’ right back, here we go again
its so insane, cause when it’s goin’ good its goin’ great
I’m superman with the wind in his back, she’s Lois Lane
but when its bad its awful, I feel so ashamed I snap
whose that dude? I don’t even know his name
I laid hands on her
I never stoop so low again
I guess I don’t know my own strength'

And here are a few lyrics from E.T, in which a more spontaneous love relationship has been shown:


'Kiss me, k-k-kiss me
infect me with your love, and fill me with your poison
take me, t-t-take me
wanna be your victim, ready for abduction
boy, you're an alien, your touch so far away
its supernatural, extraterrestrial

You're so super sonic
wanna feel your powers, stumb me with your lasers
your kiss is cosmic, every move is magic'






Another significant aspect of such type of videos is the range of costumes used by the main vocalist, usually the female in this case. Both Katy Perry and Rihanna have a strong image for their fans, and they continue dazzling them with something new and unique to look at.

Here are the costumes Katy Perry used in E.T:

Katy Perry as two different aliens, and with two exotic, yet brightly-coloured costumes

And here are the costumes Rihanna used:

Rihanna in a shiny black-leather dress

Because E.T has a Star Wars-like setting, Katy Perry has used costumes, which make her look like a complex, yet beautiful specie. One of her dresses is similar to that of Lady Amidala of Star Wars, who dressed in the same manner, which was described as a stunning dress by her audience. 

Here is a picture of it:

Queen Amidala from the Star Wars trilogy

So, the audience for singers like Rihanna, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga is the same. Pop goes hand-in-hand with Rap and Techno, and therefore the audience for such type of videos is generally assumed to be a large one. No wonder Pop is gaining more popularity, because unlike metal or rock, it displays a huge amount of both vocal talent and an array of bright colors, which despite the theme being love, keep the audience glued to the video until it ends. The addition of Rap helps the audience in understanding the story, and brings the highs and lows in the rhythm to make it all the more unique.

In the case of a music video belonging to the genre Alternative/Rock, the story is a short, but with feelings of magnitude nevertheless. To explore this unique style, I've chosen Crawling by Linkin Park:

Unlike pop, rock songs focus more on grief, and depression, which is why their audience usually comprises of teenagers. A typical rock song usually has a story in which the protagonist is feeling depressed due to some conflict he/she is experiencing or due to harsh treatment at the hands of close ones. As it can be observed from this particular video, the girl has been beaten up by someone she once held close (parents or her boyfriend), and is silently reflecting on how pathetic her life has become while cleaning her wounds in a bathroom sink.  The emo look, makes her look all the more sad, and with the main vocalist reaching to unbelievably high pitches, one can naturally assume that this is her inner-demon part,  the part writhing and screaming in undiluted agony.

Now the costume isn't much to look at, but as can be observed from the video, it plays a vital role in both signifying the theme as well as identifying its audience.

Here is a post, in which I have given a detailed analysis of plain rock songs like those of a famous band called 30 seconds to Mars.