Analysis Of Music Video

"Life is full of risks, why not take them?"
-Lindsay Lohan

To help with my research into how to present a theory and a concept in our music video, I decided to write an essay and analyse a music video that inspired me. I later submitted this essay to universities, and met very positive reviews. Below is the music video in question, and beneath that is the analytical essay.

Lady GaGa 'Telephone' Music Video Analysis

Lady GaGa is, to me and to the public, more than just a pop singer. Lady GaGa interests me far beyond the boundaries of her music. She acts as a beacon of artistic inspiration and pop culture, in all major aspects of the media: fashion, television and art. In her latest music video, 'Telephone', GaGa truly amplifies all of these aspects, as a way of both reaching to society as well as to her fans.

Throughout the video, GaGa's level of intellect becomes apparent, and a clear homage to American society begins to unfold. From the beginning of the video, a string of stereotypes appear. From the opening scene within an urban prison, the viewer can see that the female cell mates are all sexually-infused young women. As GaGa takes to the outdoors partition of the complex, the presumed stereotype of homosexual interactions between women is presented, as GaGa is seduced by another woman.

The references to American society do not stop there. Throughout the video, modern culture is presented everywhere - mostly through the medium of product placements. Virgin phones, Diet Coke hairpieces, Plenty of Fish dating websites, Polaroid cameras, Miracle Whip mayonnaise and more all represent the commercial context that is truly groundbreaking. The video may appear as sadomasochistic, or as a promotion of murder, but the depth of its hype and its avant-garde potential, I believe, stem from the drastic presentation of American media and its attitudes towards commercialism, overproduction and homosexuality. As Lady GaGa mentioned in a recent interview, '(the video) has one foot in the art community, and one foot in the commercial world.'

I took great interest in the exhibition of modern American media shown in the video due to research I made towards my portfolio, in regards to Andy Warhol. Similarly, whilst GaGa presented elements of social awareness and pop culture in the 'Telephone' video, Warhol invested his art deeply into explaining his feelings towards typical Western society. A most notable example would be his first major release, the piece 'Campbell's Soup Cans'. Much like 'Telephone', the painting celebrated modern culture, and its ability to overproduce and over-consume.

The 'Telephone' video presented a thematic study of the artistic side of everyday life, which remains rarely seen in the repertoire of music video history.