Textual Analysis of a Music Video

The music video that I will be analysing is called Dry your eyes by The Streets. This is a low budget music video as there are no special effects used, and the locations that the video is shot in are everyday places such as a pub, a swimming pool, a cinema and a supermarket. The clothes worn by the individual singer are everyday clothes, therefore there would have been no expense used by wearing expensive outfits and costumes. The character in the video appears to be an average man, someone that you might walk past in the street, which helps the viewer to connect with him as he isn't wearing his celebrity status.  His story is realistic and relative, meaning audiences would find it easy to relate to his problems, which is probably why this was such a popular song when it was released.

The lyrics in this song are depressing and sad, as the song tells the story of a relationship that has come to an end;

'Dry your eyes mate
I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts
But you've got to walk away now
It's over'

These lyrics have a strong connection with the visuals in the video, and because there is only one character the whole way through and no girl is shown, it suggests that he is replaying thoughts in his mind of what has previously happened, and expressing them through this song.  The fact the the sole character has a dog as a companion also emphasises his loneliness, suggesting that no one else has time to listen to his problems, or that perhaps he just wants to be on his own. 

Dark colours and dullness is also used a lot in the video, for example in the cinema, and in the pub at the beginning the lights are switched off, which reflects the singers mood and emotions. The locations used could also have been places that the couple regularly used to go together, and the fact that he is revisiting these places on his own shows his sorrow, and suggests he is trying to grieve his loss.

The singer lip syncs on beat with the music throughout most of the song in the video, which emphasises to the viewer that the lyrics in the song are what he is feeling inside.  The whole of the video is narrative based, and there is no band shots used because it would not fit in to the theme of the song as it is a slow and meaningful song, written to capture people's hearts.