Applying Goodwins Theory to Echosmiths

Come Together music video

Billy Clayton
Genre Characteristics
Echosmith are an American Indie-
Pop band based in Los Angeles
(pictured above). Because of the
genre of the track, the video contains
common characteristics of Indie-Pop
music videos such as the locations.
The video for Come Together is set
in a modern American high school
and cuts between shots of the band
performing in the gym, running in the
hallways and sitting in detention; an
easily achievable location without a
large budget, much alike the
locations of Indie-Synthpop artist
Charli XCXs music video for Break
The Rules (pictured below) set in an
American high school playing field,
gym and school bus. Echosmiths
music video also puts focus onto the
bands use of live instruments which
reinforces the common characteristic
of Indie bands use of live
instruments.
Relationship between lyrics & visuals
As soon as the music video begins, a short narrative takes place in which
the lead singer sits in what appears to be her fathers car and says I cant
believe I have to be here on a Saturday which then cuts to a shot of a
detention notice stuck on the school door which reads the names of the
band members; an instant link of lyrics to visuals. Next, the first verse
opens with Here we are with our backs against the wall as the band are
shown arriving at detention facing away from a large bookcase. When the
chorus arrives, the lyrics We are gonna come together, we are gonna run
together now are repeated multiple times throughout the song and create
the overall message of social activity that rebels against the rules. This
directly links to the various shots of the band joining one-another in the
classrooms and running together in the hallways.
Relationship between music & visuals
There are many shots in the video that have been cleverly edited to match
the pace of the track itself. When the lead singer gets out of the car to enter
the school, the track instantly begins the second she opens the door,
synchronising with the drum beat. Between 0:32 and 0.35, the individual
shots of the band members sat in the detention seats are synchronised to
change with each guitar chord, creating a consistent flow of music to visuals.
This technique is then repeated between 1:07 and 1:09 when the lyrics We
are, we are, we are play, the band members reactions to their teacher are
shown with each we are. Overall, in every performance scene, the band are
dancing on time with the track as well as the scene in which the teacher
begins to do a Ballet style dance in time with the slowest part of the song.
Visual Style
Like almost every other music video, a large amount of close ups are used to
display the artists in a specific way. In this music video, the lead singer is
represented via close ups of her face and focus on her red lips, her legs and her
shoes. Many of these shots can be considered voyeuristic which refers to the
sexual please of looking. This is due to the fact that she is being observed by
the much older teacher who appears to sit down and hitch up his trousers whilst
holding a stare at the female lead singer at 0:51 and again at 1:01 when he
smirks in her direction before quickly turning to frown at the males in the room
as if he has forgotten hes not alone with the girl. The lead singer being the only
female in the music video may also suggest male dominance which begins to
objectify her as something to observe. There are also multiple close ups of the
other band members but shown with their instruments or educational
equipment, setting the mise-en-scene as that of talent and intelligence. In the
females case, she is portrayed in a contrasting negative manner as she sits
with her phone, her nail file and a makeup bag which implies that females are
air-heads who only take pride in appearance.
Intertextual references in Come
Together
The music video for Come Together can be
compared to The Breakfast Club (1985)
due to its setting in an American high school
which focuses on five students who meet in
detention and befriend one-another. The
visuals of the band dancing on the stairs and
running in the hallways are also very similar
to the shots found in The Breakfast Club.
Another intertextual reference would be the
very popular and controversial 20
th
century
novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. This
novel revolves around a thirty-eight year old
literature professor called Humbert Humbert
who becomes obsessed with a twelve year
old named Dolores Haze who he later
becomes sexually involved with. This can be
linked to Come Together as the teacher in
this music video displays a high fascination
with the female singer in a voyeuristic
manner.
Comparing Come Together to Africa
Shoxx
The audience for Come Together by Echosmith
would be 16-24 year old white males and
females from America, Canada, the UK and
other European countries interested in Indie-
Pop, electropop and bands that fit into these
categories. This is because the main
demographic for the Indie-pop genre, Pop
specifically is made up of white people from the
ages of 8 24. I also estimated this because of
the group members themselves who are
stylised to a level that the audience would
achievably stylise themselves. The music video
for Come Together represents the USA as a
brightly-lit, teenage movie orientated positive
atmosphere. In comparison, the audience for
Africa Shoxx by Leftfield would be 24-38 year
old black and white males (primarily) from the
UK, America and Africa who have interests in
electronic, urban, hip-hop and industrial music.
This is once again based on the
representations shown in the music video i.e a
black man surrounded by working and upper
class white business men. The music video for
Africa Shoxx represents the USA to be a dull,
dark dystopian environment that encourages
judgement and seperation between the races.