NARRATIVE ANALYS

IS

A R C T I C M O N K E Y S – L E A V E B E F O R E T H E L I G H T S C O M E O N

LYRICS Well this is a good idea, He wouldn't do it if it wasn't, He wouldn't do it if it wasn't one. Well my friend fancies you, Oh what a way to begin it all, You said, "It's always exciting words to hear"

And we woke up together not quite realising how, Awkwardly stretching and yawning, Its always hard in the morning,

And I suppose that's the price you pay, Well oh it isn't what it was, She's thinking he looks different today, And now there's nothing left to guess now,

You left before the lights came on, Because they didn't want to ruin, What it was that was brewing, Before they absolutely had to, And how can you wake up, With someone you don't love? And not feel slightly fazed by it, Oh, he had a struggle,

And they woke up together not quite realising how, Awkwardly stretching and yawning, It's always hard in the morning,

And I suppose that's the price you pay, Well oh it isn't what it was, She's thinking he looks different today, And now there's nothing left to guess now,

Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on, 'Cos then you don't have to see, 'Cos then you don't have to see, What you've done...

Quick, let's leave, before the lights come on, 'Cos then you don't have to see, 'Cos then you don't have to see, What you've done...

I'll walk you up, what time's the bus come? [repeat]

EQUILIBRIUM

DIS -EQUILIBRIU

M

NEWEQUILIBRIU

M

The beginning of the video shows the man going about

his everydaylife, not expecting that

anything outof the ordinary to happen.

When he notices the woman about to jump off

the building and she becomes overly attached to him, the disequilibrium has set in. This is where

the themes of regret, heartbreak and

attachment link to the lyrics of a one night stand

gone wrong.

The new equilibrium confirms the open narrative

as the viewer sees the woman back where she started, expecting an

endless loop of what just happened. However, we can never be certain as we are

left without definite closure.

BINARY OPPOSITIONS

The man and the woman represent two different

values, working towards Strauss’ theories. The man is married, appears to lead a normal life and is a kind person to have helped her. The woman, however is a psychologically damaged

character.

The video is an illustration style video (Andrew

Goodwin’s theory) as it links directly to the lyrics. The song explores a one

night stand and the act of escaping after a bit of fun, when the realization hits. The lyrics explore a light hearted theme of a night out, however, the video amplifies the lyrics using much stronger themes

such as morals and mental health.

The unglamorous location, complete with fencing,

graffiti and brick walls in a city that looks like Sheffield

(where the band comes from.) This kind of location, as well as the murky filter on the camera is typical of indie rock, leaning more towards a grunge style.

Indie pop, however, would be a lot brighter, but the locations would still be as

low budget.