Music Video analysis

Music Video analysis

Viewers typically do not regard the music video as a commercial for an album or act . Aufderheide (1986 ) describes the connection of viewer to video

"With nary a reference to cash or commodities , music videos cross the consumer 's gaze as a series of mood states . They trigger nostalgia regret , anxiety , confusion , dread , envy , admiration , pity titillation--attitudes at one remove from the primal expression such as passion , ecstasy , and rage . The moods often express a lack , an incompletion , an instability , a searching for location . In music videos

those feelings are carried on flights of whimsy , extended journeys into the arbitrary (p . 63

That music videos present compelling mood states that may claim the attention of the viewer is not a matter of happenstance . Abt (1987 states that "directors of videos strive to make their products as exciting as the music . In the struggle to establish and maintain a following , artists utilize any number of techniques in to appear exotic , powerful , tough , sexy , cool , unique (p . 103 . Further , Abt indicates a video must compete with other videos

"They must gain and hold the viewer 's attention amidst other videos help establish , visualize , or maintain the artist 's image sell that image and the products associated with it and perhaps , carry one or several direct or indirect messages (p . 97

Bon Jovi "Wanted : Dead or Alive

PRODUCERS : Patrick Leonard , Jon Bon Jovi , Richie Sambora : J . Bon Jovi , R . Sambora

Through the decades , amid changing hairstyles and evolutionary music forms . Bon Jovi has remained a relevant presence in the pop rock landscape . New album "This Left Feels Right " just offers new takes on old classics , including what is arguably the band 's high point "Wanted Dead or Alive " This reworking from Jon and the boys recasts the rock ballad as a dark , somewhat mysterious prowler , with acoustic guitar leading the way as an urgent electronic backbeat brings new the chief lyric "I 'm a cowboy , on a steel horse I ride , Wanted dead or alive " Bon Jovi 's vocal is buried in the background , as if hiding from some devilish presence , turning the song into a spooky revelation of the shadowy unseen

The new takes on simply prove the status the band has gained

Bon Jovi is possibly the biggest band of the 80 's , which is really saying something , and this goes without saying . In this very song , Jon Bon Jovi lets you know that he 's a cowboy , on a steel horse he rides he 's wanted , dead or alive

But if this all taken serious , the song "Wanted Dead Or Alive " is just a great song . It 's one of their greatest , from the peak of Bon Jovi 's popularity , from the eponymous "Slippery When Wet

What are most liked about this song are probably the lyrics

"I played for keeps

'Cuz I might not make it back

I 've been everywhere

And I 'm still standing tall

I 've seen a million faces

And I 've rocked them all

'Cuz I 'm a cowboy

On a steel horse a ride

I 'm wanted

Dead or Alive

The song is somewhat sad , and it really sums up the Bon Jovi party at the time in the late 80 's

If the review on the video was to be put briefly , it would be described in the next couple of words

The video is VERY good . It mostly features a performance at the time (which happened to be Bon Jovi 's Hair Days ) plus many backstage clips What makes it breathtaking is that it 's in black and white colors . The "Wanted Dead or Alive " video is 41 on MTV 's Top 100 videos of all time So , it MUST be really great . In the list of songs mostly liked by fans "Wanted Dead or Alive " is known to share the first place with "Slippery When Wet , leaving the second one for "Keep The Faith

Still , the new take on "Wanted Dead or Alive " has its roots hidden probably , deep in the history of the group . The first variant is certain to have been taken into account

It hardly needs a commentary that when one thinks of the western myth and Bon Jovi , the images that immediately come to mind are from the breathtaking video presentation of "Blaze of Glory " the title song for the film Young Guns II . Shot in color in the red rock country of Arizona 's Monument Valley where so many classic John Ford westerns were filmed , Jon Bon Jovi 's solo performance in the remains of a drive-in theater on the top of a mesa intercuts scenes from the film and ends with lightning illuminating the horizon and the theater in flames . As riveting as these images may be , Bon Jovi 's earlier video for the song "Wanted : Dead or Alive " is an even stronger embodiment of the value tension of the western myth

As Rushing (1983 ) notes , the myth of the old west is a story of the clash between the savage frontier , and the individuality needed to tame it , and community which requires cooperation and conformity if it is to bring its civilizing influence to bear . The heroes of 1950s and earlier westerns were individualists , who , as in Gary Cooper 's portrayal of Marshall Will Cane , often rode off into the sunset after saving the community from the depredations of the frontier when its cooperative-conformist values failed it

"Wanted : Dead or Alive " represents a blend of the performance and narrative styles of video , becoming a narrative about performance as an enactment of the value conflicts symbolized in the myth of the old west Andrew Goodwin (1992 ) suggests this video functions as pseudo documentary , noting that

"Even performance videos that contain narrative elements may be placed in this category , since it is so often the act 's performance iconography that is made into a story , rather than the song itself . Bon Jovi 's WANTED : DEAD OR ALIVE conflates both levels , in that the refrain "I 'm a space (sic ) cowboy " seems to reference both a fictional identity (based on the western ) and a metaphorical allusion to the musicians as real people (who are , by implication , outlaws (p . 89

Goodwin is in error in his citation of lyrics "space cowboy " is the musical property of John Denver not Jon Bon Jovi , but is correct in his discussion of performance iconography since guitarist Richie Sambora had adopted a cowboy hat and fringed jacket as his wardrobe trademark long before this song was recorded

Probably , the musician-as-outlaw motif is only one possible reading of the value opposition contained in the song , since the lyrics tell of

The road , a place where the faces are so cold

I travel all night just to get back home

Outlaws are not usually concerned about how people react to them , and we do not think of them as typically having homes to get back to . The non-concert footage emphasizes the boredom , exhaustion , loneliness and tension of the road , as we follow the band as it travels by airplane bus , van , and limousine (I 'm a cowboy , on a steel horse I ride , and as it waits in truck stop coffee shops , hotel rooms , and dressing rooms (Sometimes when you 're alone , all you do is think

Shot in black-and-white , featuring a song that appropriates its title from posters that advertised the bounties on the heads of desperadoes the video symbolizes the value opposition of rugged individualist performers and the fans that come to see them by emphasizing their separation . At one point , the lyrics comment on this directly (The people I meet , all go their separate ways ) as we see a group of fans get their picture taken with the group and literally get up and walk away their memory of the occasion preserved on film

The music style the band has been performing in is probably worth being discussed . Acoustic versions of the band are among the greatest achievements in special effects of theirs . Here the video version of well-known 'Wanted Dead or Alive ' is to be compared with some hits including 'Livin ' on a Prayer 'You Give Love A Bad Name ' and 'Born To Be My Baby

Bon Jovi are no strangers to acoustic tracks , with a fairly popular acoustic version of 'Livin ' on a Prayer ' floating around somewhere and of course the epic 'Bed of Roses , the latter in particular being a great track in its own right

As 'Wanted Dead or Alive ' opens the first full length acoustic Bon Jovi album , coupled with the four of them sitting in a park under a tree suggests something has gone awry upstairs 'You Give Love A Bad Name wins the prize for most changed song on the album as hints of a jazzy swing seeping into both the music and the vocals 'Bed of Roses ' however couldn 't possibly be too different from the original . It simply sounds like a new mix with Ritchie Sambora 's "texture guitar " buzzing over the top of the song

'Born To Be My Baby ' is about the first track on the album that translates very well into an acoustic track . The backing vocals towards the end give it a nice sense of progression 'Keep the Faith ' goes back to the other hand however

Possibly one of the greatest power ballads ever recorded , at least in the eighties , is Bon 's 'Always . Yet , another great song that lays a sort of testament to the fact that old Jon Bon just can 't sing like he used to

The acoustic versions are amusing at first , but foreseeing somebody listening to this more than a few times seems quite complicated . The nice chance to use a kind of mix of acoustic versions of performance and music video

Goodwin (1992 ) indicates that "music video clips (including performance clips ) often seem to be concerned with establishing a sense of community within a group of musicians . or between musicians and their fans (p . 107 , which is true here . We see the band share a moment before going on stage . For the only time when they are not on stage , we see no indication of any negatives of the road in their demeanor

I walk these streets , a loaded six string on my back

I play for keeps 'cause I might not make it back

I 've been everywhere

I ' m still standing tall

I 've seen a million face

and I 've rocked them all

The last line is framed by the most arresting visual imagery of separation in the video . Beginning with a shot from behind the lead singer looking out into darkness , the house lights suddenly come up to reveal a sea of faces

Rushing (1983 ) noted that "the paradox of being alone and in a community (p .16 ) was something the western hero had to deal with . If he was not an individual he could not be a hero , and if he did not meet the needs of the community he would not pass muster either

Likewise , the rock group meets its fans (community ) needs by providing an experience (concert , yet the group is not of the community (rugged individualists . In the classic westerns "a pattern of dialectical reaffirmation strengthens the mythic archetype by revitalizing both aspects of the paradox , as well as the inevitable tension between them (Rushing , 1983 ,

. 21 . Bon Jovi appropriates both the mythos and rhetorical strategy of these classic westerns in "Wanted : Dead or Alive

Different reviews given on the clip are also to be taken into account Points of view discussed differ a lot , each describing its own attitude to the music video taken . Here a couple of them is to be highlighted trying to determine the cause of the popularity of the "Wanted : Dead or Alive

It is one of the best because it shows their frustration backstage and how they hold it all together on stage . the greatest metal band of the 80s

Review by : Joseph A . Boomhower

I like this video clip because Jon Bon Jovi looks really hot in it and his hair is so stylish

Review by : Danial Raphael

Would Bon Jovi have sold millions upon millions of records if Jon Bon Jovi wasn 't so good looking ? Of course not ! Welcome to the world of MTV Benefiting greatly from that ever-popular visual medium , Bon Jovi became a household name . The music ? Well , if you don 't take it too seriously this album is actually good , clean fun . No doubt , several of these pop metal songs are extremely catchy , and if you can get past the clichyd lyrics present on virtually every song here you 'll probably find yourself enjoying this stuff despite your taste . On the down side , like all Bon Jovi albums Slippery When Wet isn 't without some filler tracks ( Social Disease ' Without Love , and the band can occasionally come across as Bruce Springsteen-wannabes (they even steal his can 't start a fire without a spark ' line . However , most of Slippery When Wet contains radio friendly songs that are hard not to like , propelled in part by Bruce Fairburn 's sleekly powerful production . Highlights include the massive hair metal hits You Give Love A Bad Name ' and Livin ' On A Prayer ' as well as their definitive power ballad Wanted Dead Or Alive ' Let It Rock ' and Raise Your Hand ' also deliver catchy sing along choruses , while Never Say Goodbye ' became an instant prom song standard

To draw the conclusion , we have to be cautious that when we pick up our methodological hammer of choice everything in the world of music video does not start to look like a nail .Freud is reputed to have said "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar " and perhaps the guitars in "I Touch Myself " are just musical instruments . To paraphrase Freud "sometimes a video is just a video " Accept it and enjoy it on its own terms

Sources

Aufderheide , Pat (1986 . Music Videos : The Look of Sound . Journal of Communication

HYPERLINK "http /www .highbeam .com " www .highbeam .com

Roberts , Robin (1991 . Music Videos , Performance and Resistance Feminist Rappers . Journal of Popular Culture ...