Lana Del Rey - Goodwin Analysis

Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans: Goodwin Analysis

Unlike typical pop music videos, Lana Del Rey isn't seen with a cheesy dance routine, but she also hasn't got a live performance. Her music video is very staged and artistic. The opening shots are made to seem like she is underwater which immediately foreshadows the video's narrative ending. The soft movement of the water effect goes well with the violin music in the background and it makes it seem almost angelic.

As the song begins, there are obvious cuts to fit the beat of the song, something that makes the video a lot more interesting. I can already see that there is a voyeuristic element to this music video as there are frequent shots of Lana Del Rey, of her body and close ups of her face. She is seen wearing make-up and her hair is perfected, showing that she is glamorous and is the main focus of the whole video. We see her look up at the camera as she sings "you know you made my eyes burn", which is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

The whole video is in black and white, showing that the focus was intended to be purely on the content of the video rather than any loud, bright coloured distractions. There is frequently a shimmer of water reflection seen on her face, foreshadowing later events and relates back to the title of her extended edition album called "Born to Die: Paradise Edition". Like the typical solo female artists, as expected, the lyrics frequently mention her admiration for someone and the video has shot reverse shots from her to him, as she sings about him. There are many close ups of her, making her the selling point and showing off her glamorous appearance. (Something I would definitely want to include in my music video for a female solo artist). 

The whole video is quite artistic and doesn't follow much of a narrative other than her loving a man who kills her at the end. However, there are so many glamorous shots of her, even slowed down to emphasise how important her appearance is. There is also a relationship between the lyrics and visuals as she sings "I will love you till the end of time" as the whole video is centred around her fast approaching death by the one she loves.

Overall, I think that this music video definitely proves that when it comes to female solo artists music videos, there isn't that much of a need for a narrative or even anything other than the performance of the singer or the artistic flare which can be expressed more in the editing. Whilst this video lacks some narrative and colour, it is still seen as interesting and enjoyable due to the beautiful performance shots and the artistic element.