DECONSTRUCTION OF ‘EXPRESS YOURSELF’ - LABRINTH

By Ria Manzanero, Pamela Ngo, Ellen Harbi-to the- son

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=III3G1egUcU

Relationship between video and lyrics

The video’s lyrics are “Express Yourself, it’s not what you look like when your doing what your doing” “Whatever you do, do it good”. This has a connection to the narrative of the video as it shows numerous people expressing themselves. For example, the guy who graffiti's on the other mans van. And the person who breaks through the door and pretends to be playing the drums. Lyrics are also illustrated in the form of ‘lines’ on a blackboard. Representing the theme of childhood. This implies that you might often have to recognise your inner instincts and just ‘express them’ – like a child might, in the way they will act irrationally for fun.

How does it make the audience feel?

This video is a ‘feel good’ video, making the audience feel entertained and happy, as it shows people doing things that are funny and also entertaining to watch e.g. The police officer that smashed up his own police car. The idea of a happy audience is also illustrated in the bright colours used for the performance of Labrinth. It is shown in the way the studio in which the artist is performing in designed to appear like a comics/cartoon sequences, using bright primary colours and childlike designs.

POSTMODERN ELEMENTS WITHIN THE VIDEO...

Hybridity

This is when there is a confusion/mixture between old and new elements. This could be related to this particular song as the song Express Yourself was originally made by Charles Wright in 1988. However, the remake is by Labyrinth, and is a combination between the original song and r&b rap – which is modern.

Simulation

This is used in terms of the background. In the background of the singer, the set is completely out of context in the way it represents comic strips, cartoons and abnormal shapes and objects that wouldn’t be seen in everyday life.

Intertexuality

There is the use of intertexuality as at the beginning, there is the reference to a girl being a Barbie. Living in a Barbie-like house, dressed in pink and blonde. This is almost a parody, reinforcing an idea that has already been created within the media.

Disjointed Narrative Structure

This is a key element within this music video as there is no set story line. There are shots and short clips of different peoples lives, showing how they would ‘Express themselves’ – which essentially illustrates the song lyrics.

The active audience

This is the idea that the media now heavily relies on the audience to deconstruct or decode the product, in order to understand it. This applies within this video, as there is no set narrative. The audience have to look at the images and short clips displayed and understand that they are a reflection of people expressing themselves.