Echosmith Come Together

Echosmith Come TogetherArtist - EchosmithTrack - Come TogetherGenre - Indie PopReleased - June 2013

Genre CharacteristicsThe genre for this song is Indie Pop. One characteristic of this genre is that in the music videos, there are live performance shots of the band as the performers can be identified and it adds character to their video.Another characteristic is the female being the lead singer which is indicated in Come Together with three other males playing instruments in the background behind her.The costumes worn by the band in the music video is high street style which is a characteristic which has developed into a common characteristic.Music videos being low budget are used a lot in the indie pop genre with locations such as studios and filming outside where its low cost.This music video is set within a school and there is also a live performance used which are within the genre characteristics of an indie pop music video with costumes being from the high street market.

Intertextual ReferencesOne of Goodwins theories is the Intertextual references used within music videos. In Come Together there is a male teacher who sees the girl as a sex object and from this, there is a reference from the film American Beauty where the older male is obsessive over the young girl. Within the music video, the young female had bright red lips which stand out as the voyeuristic characteristic which is also associated with the female character in American Beauty. Similarly, there is a novel named Lolita where an older man is obsessive over younger females which again is a voyeuristic view of females.The Breakfast Club is a film which is based upon school students in detention where they cause mischief and havoc which is situated in this music video as the girl is shown to not follow the rules by doing her nails, then there are shots of the band performing in a sports hall.

American Beauty red lips

The Breakfast Club in detentionLyrics And VisualsAs I watched the music video a few times, there was no consistency between the lyrics and visuals, however there were some lyrics which showed a strong relationship between the lyrics and visuals.The title of the song is called Come Together and when the chorus begins, the lyrics come together are sung and the visuals then cut to all four band members together either performing live in the sports hall or them being mischievous together.Also in the chorus is run together now and the visuals cut to shots of them running down the school corridors which is another link between the lyrics and visuals.When the beat of the music slows down, the lyrics just let go are used to which the visuals are of the older male teacher in a pink ballet outfit and he begins to dance which shows he is letting go of his hard side and letting out his inner feelings.

Music And VisualsThis music video has been edited to cut from the live performance of the band to the narrative of the story. The beat is lively and energetic which is synchronised to the visuals. When the beat increases in tempo, there visuals of them dancing and running which has been edited to good effect to show a strong relationship between the music and visuals.The song is quite a party type anthem and is fast paced and upbeat for the majority of the song and the visuals have a powerful link with the music as the band perform live in a sports hall and run around the school freely which can be interpreted as a party around the school and they are owning it.

Notion Of LookingThe first shot is of Sydney can be interpreted as a voyeuristic shot of Sydney (the lead vocalist) as there is emphasis on the red lips which stands out in the shot which can be viewed as rather sexual and can arouse males.In between the shots of Sydney, there are shots of the surrounding young males who keep on staring at her and she is the main focus of the video. As the teacher enters the classroom he hitches his trousers which can be interpreted that he is attracted to the young female which suggests the older male teacher is lusting after Sydney. To many audiences who this video is not aimed at, this could make them feel Nauseated because it is representing young females as sex objects which can be dangerous, especially if older men are attracted to this.This music video is reinforcing the appearance of girls and showing them to only care about their looks and put it before their education which is gender stereotyping. There are viewed as sexual objects which can be controversial as many people wont agree but it shows the change from decades ago when females in music videos werent explicit but in todays genre, they are more sexually oriented to gain a wider audience and appeal to a greater variety of ages.

Close UpsThere are frequent close ups of Sydney throughout the music video and her mouth, face and legs stand out which shows her as a very feminine female which is a convention of music videos.There are also close ups of the males but they are not used for them to be seen as the beauty, but it focuses on their ability to perform and their natural talents, whereas Sydney has close ups of her which can be interpreted as voyeuristic and her red lips stand out which draws the audience to them and they will stare at them.

Audiences of Come Together and Africa ShoxThe demographic for Come Together by Echosmith will be mainly females, an age range of 14-22 and be mainly white British. The audience will be students and be interested in the pop genre. The reason for this demographic is because the lead singer is female and its a pop song which is aimed at females more often. The band are aged between 15-21 so it will be aimed at audiences similar to their ages which most of this age would still be in education.The demographic for Africa Shox by Left Field will be mainly males, an age range of 16-26 and be mainly African American. The reason for this is the protagonist is an African American and the genre is more hip hop/dubstep which is aimed at males more. Dubstep is a relatively new genre and new generations are enjoying it more so the age range is between 16-26.These two music videos share no interests are could be interpreted as binary opposites as they show America in two completely different ways and are targeted to the opposite demographic. Come Together is shown in a up beat and glorious way where children are stereotypical and enjoy their lives and its like a dream as its so lively and fun. However, in Africa Shox America is shown to be like a dystopia and instead of a dream, it is a nightmare. Different ethnicities from white American such as the protagonist, a black African American, is treated in a demeaning and cruel way. Come Together is bright and cheerful which is a bit of fun, whereas Africa Shox is dark and dreary which shows America to have a class system which is sickening. The mise en scenes for both music videos are binary opposites and portray America in two different shades.