LYRICS ANALYSIS I

Released as Who You Are’s second single, “Price Tag” was a huge commercial success, topping the Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK charts (her first #1 in all these countries).

The song is about making music because you want to, not just for the sales and pleasing the people around you. Jessie references this when she says that she writes about her life, and as this song was written at the start of her career, when she first came to America, it reflects her views on her career sort of as a first impression of the lifestyle.

The introduction of the song refers to people who helped Jessie J compose the song:

-“Coconut Man” (Lukasz Gottwald)-“Moonhead” (Claude Kelly) - ‘Pea’ (Jessie J)

These nick names were used to reinforce the significance of the composers as well as their sense of human and relationship.

Intro: Jessie J‘Okay, Coconut Man, Moonhead and PeaYou ready?’

‘Seems like everybody's got a price, I wonder how they sleep at nightWhen the sale comes first and the truth comes secondJust stop, for a minute and, smileWhy is everybody so serious, acting so damn mysteriousGot your shades on your eyes and your heels so highThat you can't even have a good time’Verse I directly introduces the audience to the topic of the song. She suggests that people in today’s society became much more materialistic. The fact that she has related it to sleeping suggests she is surprised how excessive consumerism became people’s priority, leading it even to suffering insomnia. The idea of consumerism is supported through the second line which suggests that money have more value than honesty. The artist is trying to reflect on this and suggest people should stop and enjoy themselves for a while. This idea is strongly reflected through the performance of the artist as well as the lip-syncing, allowing the message to be emphasised even further. Her body language is significantly working along the lyrics and props. This can be seen on the left with the screenshots representing Jessie J holding a price tag, while her stylisation demonstrates clear link to high hills being chained together, reinforcing the idea of people risking to ‘drop’ as they are seen as being high.

‘Everybody look to their leftEverybody look to their rightCan you feel that? YeahWe're paying with love tonight’Jessie’s talking to her audience at a concert: look around at each other, and feel the music and the love. There’s nothing but positivity here! For once you don’t have to focus on materialistic things like clothes and you can just enjoy yourself. This verse significantly reflects this idea as she is directing it to the audience, making them more engaged with the song.

‘It's not about the money, money, moneyWe don't need your money, money, moneyWe just wanna make the world danceForget about the price tagAin't about the, uh, cha-ching cha-chingAin't about the, yeah, ba-bling ba-blingWanna make the world danceForget about the Price Tag’.

The chorus of the song shows relation to the music industry which is currently all about the money due to high production expectations. This is something Jessie J does not agree with. Her song is directed to the audience saying that music is about having good time, laughing and ‘making the world dance’. We should stop focusing on material things and enjoy our lives. This is supported through the hybrid of performance and the narrative which is emphasising the significance of the lyrics. The use of props such as money tree, music box - representing expense but also gold rings and gestures symbolising money allows to visually see the subject of the lyrics.

‘We need to take it back in timeWhen music made us all uniteAnd it wasn't low blows and video hoesAm I the only one getting tired?Why is everybody so obsessedMoney can't buy us happinessCan we all slow down and enjoy right now?Guarantee we'll be feeling alright’The music box is used as a tool of taking it back in time. The first two lines strongly suggest that music used to be much more before than money, business. It was something that united everyone together, spending time dancing and singing. She contrasts this with modern, mainstream music which presents clear sexualisation of woman. This can be supported through the hybrid of Jessie J and other girls who have exposing and sexual stylisations. The fact she uses questions within the texts, again engages the audience, causing stronger reaction and thought. However, she also questions herself making her thoughts even stronger. She encourages people to slow down and find the happiness as it doesn’t cost anything. The use of puppets stylisations suggests we are attached and dependant on money and we are lacking free, fulfilling time with people who we care about. The puppets can be considered as a symbol representing the consumption and materialism in today’s society.

After the chorus the rapper B.oB starts his collaboration with Jessie J. The hybrid is continently changing between the artists to emphasise their cooperation and introduce the new artist. This is effective as it’s emphasised by the beat.

‘Well, keep the price tag, and take the cash backJust give me six strings and a half stackAnd you can keep the cars, leave me the garageAnd all I.. Yes all I need are keys and guitarsAnd it's within 30 seconds I'm leaving to MarsYeah we leaping across these undefeatable oddsIt's like this man, you can't put a price on a lifeWe do this for the love so we fight and sacrifice every nightSo we ain't gon stumble and fall, neverWaiting to see this in the sign of defeat, uh uhSo we gon keep everyone moving their feetSo bring back the beat and then everyone sing’

The first few lines of the lyrics performed by B.o.B suggest that people should keep all the materialistic stuff they already consumed. Directing it at himself he states to leave him a guitar and a garage. This can be automatically treated as a symbol and link to youth dreams where the music becomes the most important part of your life. This can be supported through the garage which is often seen as a first place where artist practise their first tunes.

‘And all I.. Yes all I need are keys and guitars. And it's within 30 seconds I'm leaving to Mars’ underlines the reference to the band 30 Seconds To Mars. Flying away to another planet is recurrent theme in B.O.B.’s songs throughout his entire carrier, since The Adventures of Bobby Ray up to Strange Clouds (“Fly Away”, “Satellite”, etc). He is saying that with only “keys” (piano) and a guitar, he can take you on a trip (metaphor for what his music does) to another planet.

The next line ‘leaping across these undefeatable odds’ suggests that unsigned artist have little or no chance of breaking into the music industry. The next few lines within the verse suggest that you get only one life, and the best things aren’t for sale. This can be seen as B.oB ‘s personal opinion as he creates an image of a person who does not rap for the money. He raps because it’s something he loves, He wants to engage with the viewer. This can be supported through his body language full of expressions, but also hand gestures and direct eye contact. His performance is combined with the props reinforcing the message he is trying to pass on. You can see that he is full of passion and engagement which he is aiming at the audience. ‘So we ain’t gon stumble and fall, never... So bring back the beat and then everyone sing’ strongly supports this idea.

LYRICS ANALYSIS II

The title ‘Firework’ is directed at the audience, specifically anyone who’s ever felt worthless or unloved. Katy Perry has been significantly inspired to write this song after reading a paragraph of a novel titled ‘On the Road’ by Jack Kerouac. During one of the interviews she said ‘’ Everybody’s taking a chance … everybody’s doing something really positive and good and moving forward and being a better version of [themselves]. And that’s when they turn into the firework.’’ I think the intended message behind the title is very strong and can be interpreted in many ways.

The first verse refers to people who are feeling worthless, surrounded by various problems. The metaphor of feeling ‘so paper thin’ or feeling like a ‘plastic bag’ reinforces this idea even further. The fact that Katy Perry is referring to the wind suggests a sense of relief and setting free. As the song continues the use of metaphor of house made out of cards builds up significance of feeling broken and unhappy. This is visualised through the kids characters who are exposed to parental argument. The hand gesture of the girl and miserable facial expression which can be seen on the screenshot above reinforces that even further, creating strong reaction within the audience.

The second part of verse one suggests that you end up keep trying to tell somebody what’s happening, but no one is listening. No one cares about your problems and what cause it has on you. There is simply no one you can lean on or talk to. However, Katy Perry suggests that there is still a flickering flame, a chance you can become a wildfire, you just have to find it and let it up. The use of a question at the end of verse one, allows to engage the audience, making them believe there is still hope. The use of word ‘you’ is effective as it strongly attracts the audience, making them feel more engaged and sympathetic.

The pre-hook of the song engages the people to believe in themselves, in order to find the power to make a change. The phrase ‘ignite the light’ refers to finding that inner beauty and power in order to let everyone know who you are and stop living in the shadows of others. She engages the characters within the video to let your personality and character out. This idea is supported visually as the pre-hook is based around Katy Perry where is gains the power to ignite her own light. This is showed through various angles and close up in order to build up the significance of the lyrics. This is then followed through other character’s narrative where the older brother find the power of ‘light’ to stop parental argument and give relief and sense of security to his little sister. The scene is then moved on to a dying girl who sees the firework from the windows of a hospital creating a sense of hope and mental and physical fight.

The verse two suggests that you shouldn’t feel worthless and have nothing to offer to the world. You are one-of-a-kind. There is no one else in the world as everyone is unique and original. You have great worth, simply by being you. This approach is emphasised through close up shots of Katy Perry lip-syncing. The emotive facial expressions reinforce that message even more. The phrase ‘’the doors are closed’’ suggests that you might have nowhere to go because you haven’t found the door yet which leads you to the perfect path. However, you will know when the right time comes and then you will realise. This idea is then supported through the characters. A young women who didn’t feel comfortable in her own skin then exposes her body at the party like everyone else. The embracement and low confidence is gone. Similarly to the other character who stands up to find a company at a club, after he’s been cautious and separated from everyone else. These narratives emphasised the lyrics, suggesting that the right time comes for everyone and although it’s hidden inside you it will eventually come out.

The final bridge and the hook are used to empathize the turn of events of all the characters found within the video reinforcing the idea of a hybrid, particularly the narrative. This is really effective as it reinforces the message of the song. The turn of events can be seen through the screen shots on the side where their beauty, confidence and hope for better is exposed. The reference to the moon suggests that your vivid beauty will even outshine the light of the moon. This is also supported through the various use of word ‘boom’ towards the end of the song to underline the significance of the ‘firework’ metaphor. It shows that when other people tell you that you cant do something, don’t listen. Show them what your capable of as everyone has the potential within them selves. It is all about showing them your real you.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the lyric analysis clearly showed me how important it is to understand the text you are willing to show. Both music videos successfully showed me how to combine the narrative and performance together, creating a hybrid but also how to compose it well along with the lyrics. The fact that the artists used props, mise-en-scene and body language full of gestures to reflect the symbolism and meaning, gave it more natural and engaging feeling for the audience, allowing the visualisation to become much stronger and more powerful. I think both of the videos had a strong message to pass on the use of characters, props and locations emphasised it even further.

Overall, I found this task very useful as it demonstrates how much words within the lyrics can change the visualisation. At the same time I think this task showed me the importance of lyrics and how it can change the concept or a narrative of a music video. This is something I will definitely take into consideration during construction of my music video. As a director I will take into account all these aspects as I believe it will change our thoughts and conceptual ideas.