Broadening Imagination Through Music Video 2.0

Well, it’s been a while since I wrote an article about how a music video can visualize the story of a song or even create another visualization. You can read it here:

Broadening Imagination Through Music Video

There is nothing I could add to this article actually. The explanation is still the same as the previous one. I just want to add 2 new music videos that I want to talk about. Won’t Go Home Without You by Maroon 5 and Film Favorit by Sheila on 7.

(While the truth on why I suddenly had the urge to write this article was just because I couldn’t sleep and my head was full of random thoughts.)

Okay, moving on.

In my previous article, I grouped the subjects into 3 groups; Music Videos that Don’t Visualize the Story of the Song, Music Videos that Visualizes the Story of the Song, and Music Videos that Visualizes a Different Story of the Song. While in this continuation article, the subjects will only fill the 2 last groups.

Won’t Go Home Without You — Maroon 5

I asked her to stay
But she wouldn’t listen
And she left before I had the chance to say
The words that would mend
The things that were broken
But now it’s far too late; she’s gone away

Every night you cry yourself to sleep
Thinking: “Why does this happen to me?
Why does every moment have to be so hard?”
Hard to believe that

It’s not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won’t go home without you

The taste of her breath
I’ll never get over
The noises that you made kept me awake
The weight of the things that remained unspoken
Built up so much it crushed us everyday

Of all the things I felt but never really shown
Perhaps the worst is that I ever let you go I should not ever let you go

You know, when you love them so much that even after your break up you still love them and still want to get back to them. In this case, Adam Levine broke up with his girlfriend and it was a rough breakup for him because he was too late and there were many things left unsaid — unfinished business. He wanted to clarify or at least say some things to her but she had already gone before he had the chance to make it right.

I am putting this music video into the first group — Music Videos that Visualize the story of the Song, even though the music video itself doesn’t fully visualize the story of a song. Judging on every Maroon 5’s music video, they rarely create a music video that fully visualizes the story of the song. Most of them are videos that showcasing the band, especially Adam Levine himself.

At 2:00 it is shown that Adam walked in a hurry while was thinking about his ex.

The vivid memory of Adam and his ex

The scene itself fits with this lyric section:

Every night you cry yourself to sleep
Thinking: “Why does this happen to me?
Why does every moment have to be so hard?”
Hard to believe that

The black and white scenes come often but fast. It shows that Adam still thinks about his ex. Even though not every goddamn time, but his ex and the memories often come to his mind and disturb his life. Then he would think why is it him? Why is it him to receive this hard moment? To the point that he is unable to sleep easily because of his own thoughts and his memories of his ex.

Moreover, he might often wander around and lost in his never-ending thought about his ex. He is still trapped in his past. He loses.

Then in 2:22 he slowly started walking but he encounters many obstacles. It’s not that he falls down, has an accident with some vehicles, or anything like that. The obstacles are simple. He is asked to take a picture together by strangers on the sidewalk.

One of the scenes where Adam Levine was asked to take a pic by strangers

And here is the lyric for this scene:

It’s not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won’t go home without you

The lyrics and the scenes are well blended. Especially in the sentences, ”Just give me one more chance to make it right. I may not make it through the night.” It shows that because of the obstacles, Adam might be late, but he will still be there eventually.

Both the lyrics and the scenes create 2 visualizations.
1. Adam has already tried to be better and make it right. He might’ve been late, but he has been there tried to fix everything.
2. Adam is trying to be better and make it right again. He is well aware that it’s not easy to change and be a perfect person for her. But he is trying and he will not stop until he is back with her.

Adam is tired and gives himself a break

In 2:55, Adam is sitting and taking a break. This scene could visualize this lyric:

Of all the things I felt but never really shown
Perhaps the worst is that I ever let you go
I should not ever let you go

With the combination of Adam is taking a break and flash and vivid memories about his ex, it could be analyzed as deep down he regrets his choice. He might not be showing it. But he carries tough feelings and killing thoughts every day, keeps blaming himself, and wishes he could go back to the past.

Film Favorit by Sheila on 7

Sheila on 7? Again? Well, why not?

Keep in mind that this song has 2 music videos. The first one is this one that I am going to talk about, which is the first music video that came out and it’s a Lyric Video. And the second is the music video itself.

In my opinion, there is nothing that could be perceived from the second music video. While the first one, even though it’s a lyric video, could create some visualizations. It’s more interesting than the second one. Thus, this music video belongs to the second group, Music Videos that Visualize a Different Story of the Song.

Terkadang hidup menggariskan misteri
Yang takkan pernah bisa aku pahami
Seperti aku yang tak pernah berhenti
Mencari celah menaklukkan hati

Mereka bilang, “Cobalah kau sadari
Misteri ini harusnya disudahi”
Aku mencoba sederhanakan ini
Agar semua orang memahami

Sama seperti di film favoritmu
Semua cara akan kucoba
Walau peran yang aku mainkan
Bukan pemeran utamanya

Karena mereka tak ikut merasakan
Indahnya hidup jatuh hati padamu
Sekali lagi aku ‘kan menjelaskan
Berhenti bukan pilihan bagiku

Sama seperti di film favoritmu
Aku takkan pernah menyerah
Tak peduli yang aku mainkan (Kumainkan)
Aku mainkan
Bukan pemeran utamanya

Okay, those words sound romantic. When you love someone so much and you are willing to do anything for them. You don’t care if you are not that important to them. But they are important to you, so you still do it anyway. To the point that everyone says that it’s silly and you should stop. But you won’t stop because they don’t understand your feelings toward them.

In this video, it doesn't have certain actors or actresses where they would perform some scenes. The actors and actresses in this video are random people in Yogyakarta street.

A random passerby

This video is showcasing every people who are fighting for their loved ones. It could be adults working and struggling,

A man selling bottled water

a family hanging out,

A family is hanging out and taking a selfie

and people hanging out with their partners and sharing a laugh with them.

A random couple in the middle of the road in Jogjakarta

What I want to say is, by only listening to the song, we might only perceive a story about a person who really loves their loved ones. But by watching this particular lyric video, we could perceive many stories.

1. Parents who are struggling every day from dust until dawn to feed their family
2. Parents who love their children so much
3. A couple who loves their spouse — could be boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife

I personally love this lyric:

Karena mereka tak ikut merasakan
Indahnya hidup jatuh hati padamu
Sekali lagi aku ‘kan menjelaskan
Berhenti bukan pilihan bagiku

Okay, you might do stupid things, you might hurt yourself, you might sacrifice yourself in order to make them happy. People will shout at you, “Can you just stop? Why would you do that?” Well, because it’s only you who can feel it. It’s only you who feel amused. You don’t care about those people who let you down. You keep going because you love that person/people.

A cute girl running around in a field

What’s trending on social media now is about childfree. Childfree people choose to not having a child. While people who want children or already have one don’t agree with that. Some people might be afraid to have children. They are afraid that they can’t afford to take care of them or not yet be ready to be a parent.

People who have children will do anything for their children. They will bleed to make their precious people smile. And this lyric video shows how it feels to be a parent. When you have children, your children are your priority. No matter what. Even though you are aware that one day your children will be grown-up adults and they will “leave” you and have a new life with their spouse.

Vehicles in the lyric video

This scene is unique to me. It doesn’t show people. It shows vehicles instead, plane, train, motorcycles, and cars. Combining “Sekali lagi aku ‘kan menjelaskan. Berhenti bukan pilihan bagiku” with that scene, it could create this particular meaning: I can’t stop. I must carry on. No matter what. If I stop, I could die, people could die.

Well, just imagine if you are on a plane and suddenly it stops mid-air.

And the rest of it? I don’t think I have to explain it one by one tho. Just watch the video and I am sure you could analyze it by yourself.

As I have stated before in my previous article: A music video is not only a moving set of pictures with the actors and/or actresses doing something. It’s more than that. A music video could be made with purposeful meaning. It could be an art that tells the whole story of the song it represents.

By watching a music video thoroughly, you could get some hidden meanings there. Good luck trying it out. Until next time!

Stay cheerful, stay healthy, and stay happy!