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The Suburbs - Arcade Fire - Analysis The music video first sets the scene with an establishing shot of peaceful looking suburbs on a sunny day with only the sound of police sirens in the distance that contradicts the peaceful looking surroundings. Shortly after the song begins and the first lyrics that are sung are "In the suburbs, I learned how to drive" which again makes us feel like this is a normal sub-urban neighbourhood. Although the kids in the video seem to your to be driving a car as they are making their journey on peddle bikes. The next line of lyrics say "and you told me we'd never survive, Grab your mothers keys we are leaving" This again contradicts what we are seeing as during these lyrics we see a group of youths who are having fun and that are not doing anything particularly dangerous that would mean they wouldn't survive. "Grab your mothers keys we are leaving" again links to them not being old enough to drive, so maybe they are planning on running away and escaping from the suburbs. Tracking shots are used through the scenes of children playing so that we get a sense of us being there with them, It gives us more immersion. "You always seemed sure that one day we'd be fighting. In a sub- urban war, your part of town against mine". The first sentence in this quote has no link to the video as it still shows the kids having fun although it is true that all groups of friends have their fights, arguments and debates. The second half of the quote has a link to the visuals as you see the children next to a fence looking over to the other side where there is a smoke cloud rising as if there has been a fire or an explosion, also there is a apache helicopter flying off in the distance which links to the connotations of war that are being represented in the lyrics. This is when we realise that everything may not be as peaceful as we first expect it to be. A wide shot shows the full view of the wasteland that they are looking at in this scene. "I saw you standing on the opposite shore" is sung whilst the children look over in the distance towards where the helicopter is heading. "but by the time the first bombs fell. We were already bored, we were already bored, already bored" now the youths have

The suburbs arcade fire

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The Suburbs - Arcade Fire - Analysis

The music video first sets the scene with an establishing shot of peaceful looking suburbs on a sunny day with only the sound of police sirens in the distance that contradicts the peaceful looking surroundings. Shortly after the song begins and the first lyrics that are sung are "In the suburbs, I learned how to drive" which again makes us feel like this is a normal sub-urban neighbourhood. Although the kids in the video seem to your to be driving a car as they are making their journey on peddle bikes.

The next line of lyrics say "and you told me we'd never survive, Grab your mothers keys we are leaving" This again contradicts what we are seeing as during these lyrics we see a group of youths who are having fun and that are not doing anything particularly dangerous that would mean they wouldn't survive. "Grab your mothers keys we are leaving" again links to them not being old enough to drive, so maybe they are planning on running away and escaping from the suburbs. Tracking shots are used through the scenes of children playing so that we get a sense of us being there with them, It gives us more immersion.

"You always seemed sure that one day we'd be fighting. In a sub-urban war, your part of town against mine". The first sentence in this quote has no link to the video as it still shows the kids having fun although it is true that all groups of friends have their fights, arguments and debates. The second half of the quote has a link to the visuals as you see the children next to a fence looking over to the other side where there is a smoke cloud rising as if there has been a fire or an explosion, also there is a apache helicopter flying off in the distance which links to the connotations of war that are being represented in the lyrics. This is when we realise that everything may not be as peaceful as we first expect it to be. A wide shot shows the full view of the wasteland that they are looking at in this scene.

"I saw you standing on the opposite shore" is sung whilst the children look over in the distance towards where the helicopter is heading. "but by the time the first bombs fell. We were already bored, we were already bored, already bored" now the youths have moved on to a more populated area where they are hanging out and up to no good using BB 'pellet' guns shooting towards people at the shops. This links with the idea of them being bored because they have to get into trouble to keep themselves occupied although they look like they are enjoying it. The reference to bombs continues the idea of war that is reference throughout. A medium close up shows two of the youths sitting down with their arms around each other which shows us that they are a couple.

The chorus is " Sometimes I can't believe it. I'm moving past the feeling. Sometimes I can't believe it. I'm moving past the feeling again" The first chorus doesn't relate to the visuals much as they are just running from trouble and hanging out as they were before. We could interpret that the words "Im moving past the feeling" means that they are growing apart as friends and their feelings for each other are fading.

During the instrumental and the start of the first verse which is "The kids want to be so hard" we see military convoys invading the suburbs and patrolling the streets which could be why the kids want to grow up to 'hard' as they could see the military men as their role models.

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"But in my dreams, we're still screaming and runnin' through the yard, and all of the walls that they built in the seventies finally fall, and all of the houses they build in the seventies finally fall. Meant nothin' at all, meant nothin' at all. It meant nothin'" As they say that the walls and building finally fall we see the youths riding back through the suburbs as they did in the beginning but this time there is rubble in the background which makes us think that the military have began tearing down the houses and structures of the suburbs . "It meant nothing at all" could tell us that because they are still kids having fun and nothing has effected them yet that they don't care about the destruction.

During the next chorus we see them playing and riding around as usual until part way through where it cuts to the night time and we see one of the youths more grown up, late teens, riding his bike through the suburbs where the military presence has increased and they are shown dragging a body of a man across the street away from the road, also the other youths are riding though the town looking more worried as they witness people being forcefully evicted from their houses.

The next line is "So can you understand why i want a daughter while I'm still young?" During this we see one of the youths in his own house with his daughter and his partner which directly links to the lyrics. But also "while I'm still young" , he wants a child why he is young because with all the destruction he may not live to be very old and enjoy his life.

" I want to hold her hand and show her some beauty before the damage is done" and this is another reason he wants to have a daughter at a young age while there is still some beauty in his surroundings that he can show her. The visuals show two of the youths, a female and a male, who have been together from the start hugging for security on the sofa to try and black out the mayhem and damage.

But if it's too much to ask, too much to ask then send me a son" at this point he is thinking that he just wants a child and he doesn't care what gender it is because he wants to show them the world before he is unable to. In the visual we see them being checked by the military and focally pushed against a fence as one looks at the other in disgust.

"Under the overpass, In the parking lot we're still waiting. It's already passed". The video shows one of the youths finishing work and walking in the car park as he reached his bike he sees that it has been vandalised and slightly destroyed. I think this part is a flash back to a time shortly before they are interrogated.

"So move your feet from hot pavement and into the grass" This could mean that they are stood and are hanging out where they are not suppose to (this being the hot pavement that if they stay they could face consequences) the grass on the other hand is a safer area where they will not be hurt as it isn't as hot or dangerous as the figurative pavement.

"Cause its already passed Its already passed, already passed" During this the youth that seems to be the main character is in a shallow focus shot looking overwhelmed by all that is going on around him that the audience just sees as a blur.

The Third and final chorus shows the youths looking at each other in hatred and disgust as all the war has torn them apart. Especially for two of the characters who are later violently fighting as the others look on in shock and are unable to do anything as the door to the restaurant where they are

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fight is locked. They manage to flag down a military vehicle which we can presume helps them but we do not know for sure as this is where the video ends.

Throughout the video most of the shots are medium shots of the actors or are close ups as they want to capture the expressions on their faces because they change throughout as the times get harder for them. We can also relate to some of the struggles and the peaks of their lives just by interpreting what they are feeling though their facial expressions. Overall keeping a lot of the shots the same in the video has worked for this reason.