Two videos

I said I had been thinking about writing on music videos since June, and the reason I knew that was because it was related to the Fall Out Boy concert, but there were a couple of other things.

I reviewed Snow White's Poison Bite the week before Fall Out Boy, and Turrentine Jones the week after. Those two bands had videos that stuck in my mind as the opposite of each other, and there was so much going on with the Fall Out Boy videos, that all of those being on my mind so close together is a big part of why we are getting into this segment. I just had to write about a lot of other things first.

Meet Me in the Graveyard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulxrw6bBABM

Della May: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXdsDqBuqtM

When I first saw "Meet Me in the Graveyard" I thought it was a total mess with way too much going on. I think some of that was the initial jolt, because on subsequent viewings it doesn't seem as jarring.

There is still a lot going on, from a murder scene, the victim's trip to the graveyard, the band playing both with and without makeup, tiny animated skeletons, and cheerleaders. With all of that, it's kind of hard to focus.

One thing that I find interesting is that you do see the band both with and without makeup. Most bands seem to stick with one or the other. They may go through different phases, but within the phases they are consistent. If you had seen the band only without makeup before the arrival at the graveyard, and then only with the skull faces after, that would cover both, but with greater consistency and an apparent meaning.

Also, the murder victim's struggles inside the coffin seem to indicate that being taken to the graveyard is not desirable, but the song calls it "a better place", and then there are cheerleaders, so overall it just seems very scattered, and not of a firm mind. From what I have seen, their other videos are more focused, but I think the one that works best is "There's a New Creep on the Block", which is essentially a performance video.

On the other hand, "Della May" is the beautiful in its simplicity. Well, it is more beautiful from a cinematography level too. It does seem to be easier to make things look good in black and white, but in this case it is also very compatible with the lack of complication.

Starting with an overhead shot of a bright-eyed baby in a crib, we see a progression from little girl, to young woman, to adult. There is a gradual wearing down, seeing less enthusiasm, and less joy, but as the older woman returns to the playground, she remembers and rediscovers, and we go backwards closing out on the infant again.

The idea of a circle is reinforced through images like a mobile rotating above the crib, merry-go-rounds on the playground, and even a circular picture as we focus on the adult, and as adult and child both she partakes of the back and forth of the swings. It all work together, in my mind, to say that life does have its ups and downs but happiness comes from not forgetting the simple (there's that work again) pleasures. I could be misinterpreting, but it seems to work perfectly, both for and with the song.

There are reasons for not always having the video be so synchronized with the song, and reflecting the song can mean different things anyway - I know that, and will be writing more about that. Snow White's Poison Bite has a completely different feel from Turrentine Jones, so it would not even make sense for them to have a video like "Della May".

I still think this video is a little slice of perfection.