Andrew Godwin

Andrew Goodwin's theory is that "The traditional narrative analyses, using ideas such as 'Todorov' don't actually apply to pop videos. The main reasons for this theory are;

• Pop videos are based on the songs and do not have the traditional narrative structure.
• Pop videos narratives are different from, prose, plays and films.
• The Artist is usually the narrator and the character in the video
• The Artist often looks directly into the camera, to 'interact' and to connect with the viewer.

Pop videos also rely on the use of repetition. The video often repeats scenes/images in the way that the song repeats the chorus or certain lines. The repetition in songs, or parts of the rhythm help us to identify the genre of the song. Therefore this helps us to intertexuality identify other songs in the same way.


Pop song and videos have closure and an ending. 3 minute singles must end and this is reflected in the structure of the music. This builds to a climax, before fading away.


Some videos are autonomous from the music they spring from. The visualisation of a song may go beyond the original meaning. Sometimes the video provides a visual pleasure, that encourages repeated viewing, which promotes the music.

There are three types of relations between songs and videos are:

• Illustration
• Amplification
• Disjuncture

Illustration is where the video tells a story of the lyric. Nick Jonas - Who I Am
This is an American Pop Rock/Soft Rock/Teen Pop video, that appeals to a British audience as well as many other audiences. The lyrics suit the video, this is due to the videos content. The basis of the video is a section of him performing with his band along with shots of different people ranging from a Gothic girl, a disabled athlete to someone who had cancer that has existed for three generations of family. This shows they have hired 'Real life individuals to pose for living portraits that tell us who they are. There are also several shots of these people holding cards saying "Who I Am" this corresponds to the song. Then they flip the card after, to reveal a simple statement of their identity, including himself identifying himself as a diabetic. This makes the video rateable to more audiences, as the song is about loving someone for who they are and what they do. The music video also backs up what the artist says the song is about:“it’s about how I want someone to love me for my passion for music. It’s all I’ve ever thought about "Who I Am is really about me talking about myself and realizing you need to know yourself before you can find love."



Disjuncture is when there is little connection between the lyrics and the video or where the video contradicts the lyrics. The Drums - Best Friend
This is an "Indie Pop" video, the video has little connection with the lyrics. At the start of the video, Jacob, Connor and Adam are in a room waiting for Jonathan, this links with the lyric "Everyday I waited for you", this then contradicts itself as Jonathan arrives through the window and picks up the mic. As the band are all in a room performing together and the lyrics state "You're my best friend and then you die" this also contradicts the lyrics, as all the band members, who you'd assume to be "best friends" are all together. However, when the song is coming to an end, the rest of the band members pack up and leave Jonathan alone in the room, this could perhaps be a link between the line "You would always drift away" implying that they are going away without him forever, as then he would wait "everyday for you" /them.



Amplification is when the video introduces new meanings that do not contradict the lyrics but add layers of meaning. Two Door Cinema Club - Come Back Home

This is a British Indie Rock music video. The video shows the story of an car accident that has taken place. The video then divides into three panels to illustrate what the three band members had been doing separately, before hand. This repeats three times, in the eyes of all three members of the band, however each time it repeats, they are doing each others day. The lyric "Another Saturday, Another careless move" at the start of the video indicates
The lyric " To find another way" corresponds with the video, as it shows the band members all taking different ways.