When constructing my music videos, I need to look at both past and present videos. Both the Killers and Brandon Flowers take influences from 1980’s music, whether this be ‘the Beatles’ or ‘Duran Duran’ or any other popular band from the eighties, the influences are there, not only in the sounds the Killers make but in their videos as well.
The Killers- When you were young
The first obvious thing to note in the Killers videos is the obvious narrative structure for them. There is often a story within the video, a story that isn’t necessarily related directly to the lyrics, a particular favourite example of this, would be “When you were young”. This story is set in Mexico , the first scenario is the protagonist of the video, a Mexican woman seeking love, the video opens with a shot of her praying, she leaves the church and we meet who we can really call the antagonist of the video, we see them kiss and assume fall in love. In the next shot we see a couple making love, we assume the man and woman, when in fact the antagonist is cheating on the protagonist. Needless to say, the protagonist catches the cheating, thus causing the disruption. We have a series of flashbacks generated from the protagonist, we witness the marriage of the couple and how happy they are. We witness the quest from both characters of the story, the quest of them trying to return to their happiness before the disruption. The Climax of the sequence is when the protagonist enters the bar in which the antagonist is bartender, they shake hands and he says something to the protagonist there is no voice over or sub titles- but what he says sparks the girl he cheated with to leave the bar in anger. The antagonist hands her a red table cloth and carries her bags to a table, all the while ‘the Killers’ are actually playing in the bar on a stage. The final shot is of the man his arm round her shoulder sitting her down and she smiles, we assume the couple will re-kindle their love, forcing a
Re-equilibrium.
This is not the only killers song to have a narrative video behind it, however so many just focus on Brandon Flowers singing to a camera, showing the rest of the band as a fashion image, their way of lifestyle etc.
Lyrics:
You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now
Here he comes
He doesnt look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined
When you were young
Can we climb this mountain
I dont know
Higher now than ever before
I know we can make it if we take it slow
Let's take it easy
Easy now
Watch it go
We're burning down the highway skyline
On the back of a hurricane
That started turning
When you were young
When you were young
And sometimes you close your eyes
And see the place where you used to live
When you were young
They say the devil's water
It ain't so sweet
You dont have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet
Every once in a little while
You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now
Here he comes
He doesnt look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined
When you were young
(talks like a gentleman)
(like you imagined)
When you were young
I said he doesnt look a thing like Jesus
He doesnt look a thing like Jesus
But more than you'll ever know
Lyrics:
You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now
Here he comes
He doesnt look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined
When you were young
Can we climb this mountain
I dont know
Higher now than ever before
I know we can make it if we take it slow
Let's take it easy
Easy now
Watch it go
We're burning down the highway skyline
On the back of a hurricane
That started turning
When you were young
When you were young
And sometimes you close your eyes
And see the place where you used to live
When you were young
They say the devil's water
It ain't so sweet
You dont have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet
Every once in a little while
You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now
Here he comes
He doesnt look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined
When you were young
(talks like a gentleman)
(like you imagined)
When you were young
I said he doesnt look a thing like Jesus
He doesnt look a thing like Jesus
But more than you'll ever know
The Killers- Dustland Fairytale
Another example of the Killers use of story in their music videos is a song of their latest album ‘Day and Age’ the song is called ‘A dust land Fairytale’, the song is set in both the past and present 1960s for past and around the year 2000 for present.
The story starts with a man, we assume the protagonist as we have been introduced to this character first and are aligned with this character. The video begins, similar to that of ‘When you were young’, without any music, just sound coming from within the scene. The man sits on his cars bonnet and has a flashback, the flashback is of the 1960s the times of greased hair and leather jackets, we see 2 characters, one presumably the old man from the beginning the protagonist and the other that we later find out in the video to be the antagonist, within the shot, we have a close up of hands tying cloth around their fists, with voice-overs of other characters edging the two characters to fight. As the video develops we find out that the fight is over the love of a girl, thus the disruption the characters. Before we really see any fighting we return to present day, back to the old man, we see him pull up to a gas station over looking a field, a montage of flashbacks ensue, we are taken back to 1960, we see him and his girlfriend holding each other, very much in love, throwing stones into a pond, smiling, the old man moves into a motel, flashbacks of the couple In the 1960s continue, he sits down on his motel bed, and the camera zooms in on a envelope in his hand, the release order for a prisoner. This is followed by more flashbacks of the night of the fight, as they collide and the crowd cheer them on. Brandon Flowers is also shown singing alone in the desert, isolated from the story the video presents to us. As the video progresses, so does the narrative structure, we see another boy, the antagonist sat outside the girls window looking up, we assume that this boy is jealous of the couple, we also assume this is before the fight we have seen earlier on, this creates a motive for the approaching fight. As the girl kisses the protagonist in her room, we see the antagonist on his car, sharpening a knife, which clearly illustrates events that are about to unfold. We see the old man, going through his life, as he eats food in a diner we have another flashback of him in his car, as the antagonist pulls up alongside him, this image seems to have multi-textual references to the classic car race in ‘Grease’, along with the characters dress style and life style. The video progresses, until we get a flashback of the fight, in which the antagonist pulls the knife from earlier on, this action is followed by the protagonist pulling a knife on the attacker. We witness the girl screaming as the brawlers slash at each other, and the song becomes much more fast paced, to match the pace of the narrative. The fight continues, until eventually one character stabs another, it is unclear at first who is stabbed until later on in the storyline, where we realise that the protagonist has stabbed the antagonist, which explains his Prisoner release form. The final shot, is of the old man approaching a house, in which a woman answers, the woman is obviously the girl from the past, the two smile and hug, there is obviously still love between them and now they can finally be together again. We actually don’t find out the quest until the end when we find out that it was to meet up with this girl and win the girl back again after along time in prison. This would mean that the climax/resolution would be the confrontation between the protagonist and the girl. After the two hug, we know they are going to get back together, thus causing a Re-equilibrium.
Lyrics:
The Dustland Fairytale beginning
With just another white trash county kiss in '61.
Long brown hair, and foolish eyes.
He'd look just like you'd want him to
Some kind of slick chrome American prince.
Blue Jean serenade
Moon River what'd you do to me
I don't believe you.
Saw Cinderella in a party dress, she was looking for a nightgown.
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands, he's getting ready for the showdown.
I saw the minute that I turned away, I got my money on a pawn tonight.
Change came in disguise of revelation, set his soul on fire.
She said she always knew he'd come around.
And the decades disappear
Like sinking ships but we persevere.
God gives us hope but we still fear what we don't know.
Your mind is poisoned.
Castles in the sky sit stranded, vandalized.
The drawbridge is closing.
Saw Cinderella in a party dress, she was looking for a nightgown.
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands, he's getting ready for the showdown.
I saw the ending when they turned the page, I threw my money and I ran away.
Sent to the valley of the great divide
Out where the dreams all hide.
Out where the wind don't blow,
Out here the good girls die.
And the sky won't snow
Out here the bird don't sing
Out here the field don't blow
Out here the bell don't ring
Out hear the bell don't ring
Out here the good girls die
Now Cinderella don't you go to sleep, it's such a bitter form of refuge.
Why don't you know the kingdoms under siege and everybody needs you.
Is there still magic in the midnight sun, or did you leave it back in '61?
In the cadence of a young man's eyes.
Out where the dreams all hide
Lyrics:
The Dustland Fairytale beginning
With just another white trash county kiss in '61.
Long brown hair, and foolish eyes.
He'd look just like you'd want him to
Some kind of slick chrome American prince.
Blue Jean serenade
Moon River what'd you do to me
I don't believe you.
Saw Cinderella in a party dress, she was looking for a nightgown.
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands, he's getting ready for the showdown.
I saw the minute that I turned away, I got my money on a pawn tonight.
Change came in disguise of revelation, set his soul on fire.
She said she always knew he'd come around.
And the decades disappear
Like sinking ships but we persevere.
God gives us hope but we still fear what we don't know.
Your mind is poisoned.
Castles in the sky sit stranded, vandalized.
The drawbridge is closing.
Saw Cinderella in a party dress, she was looking for a nightgown.
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands, he's getting ready for the showdown.
I saw the ending when they turned the page, I threw my money and I ran away.
Sent to the valley of the great divide
Out where the dreams all hide.
Out where the wind don't blow,
Out here the good girls die.
And the sky won't snow
Out here the bird don't sing
Out here the field don't blow
Out here the bell don't ring
Out hear the bell don't ring
Out here the good girls die
Now Cinderella don't you go to sleep, it's such a bitter form of refuge.
Why don't you know the kingdoms under siege and everybody needs you.
Is there still magic in the midnight sun, or did you leave it back in '61?
In the cadence of a young man's eyes.
Out where the dreams all hide
Brandon Flowers- Crossfire
Brandon Flowers videos have a similar idea to that of the Killers music videos, even the style of music is very similar to that of the Killers as Flowers was the main lyric composer for the band. They also contain a narrative structure similar to that of Killers music videos. Flowers first single ‘Crossfire’ was released in 2010, and was the first of his solo album to be released as a single. I am going to look at this single and compare it to videos by Killers, this will hopefully give me a idea to the types of videos accompany both Brandon Flowers as a solo act and the Killers harmonious songs.
The video opens with a close up of Flowers beat up face, the same gritty feel and use of colour as ‘When you were young’. This already represents what kind of sound this is going to be, some sort of love story between Flowers, the protagonist and the girl in which he will be involved with. As the camera zooms out from the close up with Flowers to a med shot of Flowers bound to a chair by rope, presumably some kind of interrogation or torture is involved. As the lyrics begin, Flowers sings along with them, the camera also zooms out further to a long shot of Flowers in the chair. The camera stays focused on Flowers as a explosion blows across and onto Flowers from off screen, along with a Ninja hurled at a pile of boxes next to him, the camera, still focused on Flowers. The shot cuts to a women figure walked thought the door, famous star Charlize Theron, Theron isn’t a typical rescuer, she isn’t a stereotypical blonde, she fights ninjas, rescues Flowers, causes explosions, uses swords and guns and also knows kung-fu. She stands speechless in the doorway surrounded by fire obviously glad to have found hostage Flowers, we can assume the two are a couple the way he smiles at her. Camera cuts to a new shot of Flowers now tied up again to a mattress against a wall, still singing to the lyrics of the song, as two ninjas throw water over him and prepare to electrocute him. The camera zooms out as it did in the previous scene, soon after followed by an onscreen explosion of smoke as the two ninjas jump into a battle stance, in which Theron combats with ninja throwing stars, again the use of reverse role for a typical couple or even typical woman, as they are often the victims of being hogtied and being taken hostage. The scene ends similar to that of the first one were she tackles the final ninja as it runs up behind her, followed by Flowers smile. After this has happened twice we realise that the ninjas are the obvious antagonists, the disruption the fact Flowers is captured whilst the quest is for the protagonist, (arguably Theron by this point) to rescue Flowers from being a hostage. A third scenario begins, this time from Therons point of view as she rushes head on into confrontation with the ninjas, this in my opinion is the climax/ resolution of the music video. As Theron fights she shows off her use of skills in hand to hand combat against male ninjas with weapons, again this is to continue displaying the fact that man and woman have switched roles, and that she is obviously a dominant female. She fights her way to a upside down, Flowers hanging from the ceiling in a straight jacket, obviously followed again by Flowers smile towards Theron saving him again. The final shot is introduced as a over the shoulder shot of Flowers looking at Theron from the passenger seat as she drives the car, Flowers out of focus whilst Theron is in focus, this could be to show the dominance further between the two. Finally we see the car drive off down the road and Therons arm reach across and over his shoulders. The quest has been completed and the re-equilibrium has been created.
In conclusion, after looking at both Killers videos and Flowers, its fairly obvious to be able to compare them to each other, they convey the same themes, love, the same use of gritty texture to the video, and the narrative structure to the videos. The videos constantly leave you wanting more and tell an in depth story about the characters involved in the music video.
Lyrics:
There’s a still in the street outside your window
You’re keepin’ secrets on your pillow
Let me inside, no cause for alarm
I promise tonight not to do no harm
I promise you baby,I won't be no harm
And we're caught up in the crossfire
A heaven and hell
And were searching for shelter
Lay your body down...
Watching your dress as you turn down the light
I forget all about the storm outside
Dark clouds roll their way over town
Heartache and pain came pouring down like
Chaos in the rain, yeah
They're handing it out
And we're caught up in the crossfire
Heaven and hell
And were searching for shelter
Lay your body down...
Tell the devil that he can go back from where he came
His fire he airs all through their beating vein.
And when the hardest part is over we'll be here
And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fears
Boundaries of our fears
Lay your body down(6x)
Next to mine....
Lyrics:
There’s a still in the street outside your window
You’re keepin’ secrets on your pillow
Let me inside, no cause for alarm
I promise tonight not to do no harm
I promise you baby,I won't be no harm
And we're caught up in the crossfire
A heaven and hell
And were searching for shelter
Lay your body down...
Watching your dress as you turn down the light
I forget all about the storm outside
Dark clouds roll their way over town
Heartache and pain came pouring down like
Chaos in the rain, yeah
They're handing it out
And we're caught up in the crossfire
Heaven and hell
And were searching for shelter
Lay your body down...
Tell the devil that he can go back from where he came
His fire he airs all through their beating vein.
And when the hardest part is over we'll be here
And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fears
Boundaries of our fears
Lay your body down(6x)
Next to mine....
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