Music Video Analysis:

Human League- Dont You Want Me

Claire Angus
Goodwin identified that the visuals within a music video may be edited in time to the
lyrics/ change the pace of the song. He also stated that these visuals are commonly
repeated within a chorus to emphasise the repetition in lyrics and beats/or create a
motif.
Goodwin found that most artists have a trend of repeating certain actions within their
music videos in order to establish this as their 'trademark' action and therefore making
their songs recognizable due to it reoccurring often. This represents the style of the
music the artist is releasing and is a marketing strategy in order to be remembered by
many different audiences. Genre is also shown by location. For example, songs within
the rock genre are often filmed near a stage to convey a gig, and songs within the rap
genre are often filmed in an abandoned warehouse or street.
Goodwin identified that it is a common feature for record labels to use close ups of the
artist/vocalist in order to promote the sales in the single. This convention is used in
order to show the artist throughout the video, but is most common with female artists,
as provocative angles are often used to sexualize the artist, following Laura Mulvey's
Male Gaze Theory. This could create an intimate medium.
Goodwin acknowledged that it was not uncommon to recognize either the visuals or
lyrics of a song to be a direct reference to another media text. This is used to engage
audiences and provide them gratification, if they recognize the link.
 Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics

The Human League, both performs and appears within the narrative itself,
which is typical of a pop rock genre. This convention is also seen in the The
Man Who Cant Be Moved by The Script, an example of modern pop rock.

Despite programmes only being broadcasted in colour in 1969, bright colours became
conventional of the pop rock genre, with vivid, idiosyncratic patterns and layers
attracting audiences in the 70s and 80s.
Costume/style, was a vital convention of the pop rock
genre, with some bands/groups expressing unique and
quirky outfits. The Human League all change costume
within the narrative.
Make-up is also a strong conventional characteristic of the
classic pop rock genre, shown throughout the video, to
accentuate the actors eyes.
Another pop rock characteristic is shadow/lack of lighting. This is
shown throughout the video, adding to the mysteriousness of the
narrative, and the stalker-like male character. Shadow/lack of
lighting is also most famously used in Every Breath You Take by
The Police.

The fast tempo notes played on the synthesiser are a common

characteristic of the pop rock genre, used in many videos, to
emphasise the pop within the two.
 There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (either illustrative,
amplifying or contradicting)
There is an abundance of clear links to the visuals, suggesting that the
video is mainly illustrative. For example, in the lyrics, Philip Oakey sings
Now five years later on you've got the world at your feet, which links to a
medium-long shot of a woman wearing, what looks like an expensive coat,
reflecting the Success has been so easy for you.

When Oakey sings Don't you want me, baby?, the scene cuts from a mid-
shot of him looking into the distance, with a creepy, disappointed stare, to
a medium-long shot of the woman in the narrative, further amplifying the
lyrics. This is repeated, due to the fact that it is the title of the track,
creating a melodic motif, to stick in audiences minds.

When the lyrics are repeated, more shots are shown to reinforce the
narrative, giving a clear indication of the connections between characters
in the scene and how theyre related through the lyrics.

The video is mostly continuity editing, as its aim is to provide a clear narrative, in order to share
the message of the song to the teen demographic.

Oakey sings You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry, which links to the shot of
Joanne Catherall, with a fearful/vulnerable expression, suggesting the danger of Oakeys character
in the narrative.
 There is a relationship between the music and the visuals (either
illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)

The music has a punchy, hypnotic feel, conventional of the classic pop rock genre. "Don't you want me,
baby?" is also repeated in the chorus, to further emphasise the narrative and the extent to which
Goodwin's theory applies.

The Human League use a mixture of major and minor melodies to

emphasise the themes of love and danger, specifically a one-sided love.

The fast tempo notes played on the synthesiser are contradictory towards
the visuals. The synthesiser makes the music sound fun and energetic,
however, the visuals show a seriousness and uncanny narrative structure.

From the beginning of the video, the visuals are in sync with the music.
Between the rests of the synthesiser, one shot moves on from another and, or
a movement or action is placed, in order to help the music to flow, further
reinforcing the use of continuity editing. At 0:15, a car door slams, just as the
rest is played.

When the music build up to the chorus, the tempo of the instruments increase and so
does the pace of the shots.
When Oakey and Catherall sing, they appear on screen, performing to the camera, which anchors
the relationship between the music and the visuals.
 The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the
artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work

There are plenty of close-ups of The Human League, as they are part of the narrative. This could also
be because the record label might want to boost the popularity of all of the band members, not just
Oakey and Catherall, despite the fact that they get more screen-time in this video.

Oakey has the most close-ups, to show his facial expressions and changes
in setting and costume. These close-ups of Oakey are repeated throughout
the video, which could suggest that the record label were trying to create
a motif with this specific song, and the notion of his stare.

When The Human League are performing to the camera, they are connecting with
their audience, possibly because the message of loving someone, could be a
relatable subject for their teen demographic.
 There are frequent references to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic
treatment of the female body

As Ive said in one of the previous slides, the notion of looking is

frequently referenced in this narrative. Because of the chosen theme
of love, the voyeuristic treatment of the female body is emphasised,
along with the eerie context behind it. The long depth of field also
emphasises the vulgarity and lack of privacy that the women now
have, since they are being stalked everywhere they go.

The notion of looking relates to the continuity editing, and the

way that the editing links shots together to show the main
character looking at various scenes of the female lead. This is
evident at 1:22, where there is a close-up of the male lead staring
at the screen with a slight smirk on his face, linked with the shot
of the woman on a film set.
 Whether the video is primarily performance-based or concept-based and how
each element is used in it

This video has a strong mixture of performance and narrative, where The Human League performs
the song whilst also acting in the same scene, creating a link between the two.
The narrative is clear at the beginning, but becomes more intense as the video progresses, with
regular cross-cutting from the male lead, to the female lead, foreshadowing danger.
I think this does portray the typical narrative structure, supporting the conventional pop rock genre,
as the video has a clear theme, a mixture between performance and narrative and has repetitive
lyrics.