This Love Analysis- Maroon 5

"This Love" is a song by the American rock band Maroon 5. The song was written by frontman Adam Levine for their debut album Songs About Jane (2002).

The song's lyrics are based on Adam Levine's break-up with a former girlfriend. He revealed that the song was written in the "most emotionally trying time" in his life. He also describes some of the lyrics in the song as sexual.

I was so high I did not recognize

The fire burning in her eyes

(Too busy smoking Marijuana to notice any problems between them)
The chaos that controlled my mind
Whispered goodbye and she got on a plane
Never to return again
But always in my heart

(She's leaving him because they're no longer what they used to be)

This love has taken its toll on me
She said Goodbye too many times before
And her heart is breaking in front of me
I have no choice cause I won't say goodbye anymore
(They've broken up and got back together so many times that it's no longer going to work between them, they want to get on with their lives and not put each other through continuous pain)

I tried my best to feed her appetite
Keep her coming every night
So hard to keep her satisfied
Kept playing love like it was just a game
Pretending to feel the same
Then turn around and leave again

(Being used for sex, it's the only thing that seems to keep them together)

This love has taken its toll on me
She said Goodbye too many times before
And her heart is breaking in front of me
I have no choice cause I won't say goodbye anymore

I'll fix these broken things
Repair your broken wings
And make sure everything's alright
My pressure on her hips
Sinking my fingertips
Into every inch of you
Cause I know that's what you want me to do

(She wants him back, to fall in love and make love like a couple does, not just continuous nights of using each other for sex while their relationship fades)

This love has taken its toll on me
She said Goodbye too many times before
And her heart is breaking in front of me
I have no choice cause I won't say goodbye anymore

Maroon 5- Makes me wonder analysis

"Makes Me Wonder" is the first single released from Maroon 5's second album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long (2007). It premiered on the Las Vegas radio station Mix 94.1, and became an instant hit worldwide. Upon release, the song set a record for the biggest jump to number-one in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, rising from number 64 to number-one. However, the record was later broken by Kelly Clarkson's 2009 single, "My Life Would Suck Without You".

"Makes Me Wonder" began as a love song which Levine wrote about a "failed relationships", which he said went horribly wrong. However, when he revisited the song for Won't Be Soon Before Long a few years later, Levine "recognized a whole new dimension" to it which resulted to his adding political insights on the lyrics.

The lyrics of "Makes Me Wonder" have two different meanings. It contains political insinuations disguised as a love song because of Levine's not wanting to be preachy. It combines lyrics about his being in a state of a failed relationship and his "failure to understand or trust" the leadership of his country.

One meaning is about Levine's frustration at the state of politics and the United States' role in the war in Iraq. From the original lyrics, they incorporated the line "Give me something to believe in/Because I don't believe in you anymore" which became the refrain to the chorus. Levine revealed that the lyrics "maybe not targeted at the Bush administration, but maybe dancing around that territory a little bit". "Makes Me Wonder" shows the band's confusion about the politics in the country. Levine explains:

I really wanted to write a political song, a song that reflected the way I felt about everything. It's one of the most difficult things in the world to do without coming off as a total arse and preachy - all the things that I hate about a lot of songwriting. So I didn't want to overtly say it. I just wanted to allude to it.

I wake up with blood-shot eyes
(Crying about a lost love?)
Struggled to memorize
The way it felt between your thighs
(Forgot what it was like to make love to her)
Pleasure that made you cry
Feels so good to be bad
(Maybe an affair)
Not worth the aftermath, after that
After that
Try to get you back
(Trying to get his relationship back with his girlfriend)


I still don't have the reason
(Answer to why he had an affair)
And you don't have the time
(She doesn't want him to waste her time)
And it really makes me wonder
If I ever gave a fuck about you
(It wasn't a good relationship, nor did it have a good outcome)

Give me something to believe in
Cause I don't believe in you anymore
(Aimed at the politics side of the song as explained in the analysis above)
Anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference to try
(Yeah)(Make an attempt to sort the situation out)
So this is goodbye

Got them resting in my head
Decisions that made my bed
(Taken from the saying, ''you've made your bed now sleep in it'')
Now I must lay in it
And deal with things I left unsaid
(Regrets not saying certain things through out the relationship)
I want to dive into you
Forget what you're going through
I get behind, make your move
(It's your turn to make the decision)
Forget about the truth

I still don't have the reason
And you don't have the time
And it really makes me wonder
If I ever gave a fuck about you

Give me something to believe in
Cause I don't believe in you anymore
Anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference,
It even makes a difference to try
And it's over, hurt the feeling
But I don't believe it's true anymore
Anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference to cry
(Oh no)
So this is goodbye

I've been here before
One day a week
And it won't hurt anymore
You caught me in a lie
I have no alibi
The word is set on how to mean me
Cause

I still don't have the reason
And you don't have the time
And it really makes me wonder
If I ever gave a fuck about you
And I...and so this is goodbye

Give me something to believe in
Cause I don't believe in you anymore
Anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference,
It even makes a difference to try
And it's over, hurt the feeling
But I don't believe it's true anymore
Anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference to cry
(Oh no)
So this is goodbye
So this is goodbye, yeah [x3]
(Oh no)

Music video Director Kahn

Kahn directed the video of 'Misery' By Maroon 5
The video was filmed in May 2010. Levine stated to MTV News that the song's music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, focuses on violence, rather than sex, the song is about the narrator finding himself in a difficult situation when a relationship fades. The female lead attempts to torture and possibly kill her lover. Russian model and Adam Levine's former girlfriend Anne Vyalitsyna appears in this video. The various members of the band appear as bystanders or passersby who get variously hit by cars, etc., as they wind up becoming casualties of the female lead's violence towards Levine's character. 

We firstly see Levine falling onto the road on his back, he faces towards the camera and begins singing '' Oh Yeah...So scared of breaking it that you won't let it bend...'' Is when his current girlfriend was introduced, she sits on top of him seductively and begins kissing him, licking his cheek. She then picks him up and pushes him against a chain link fence which is when Levine begins singing. We see various shots of her groping his face fiercely yet still seductively. Adam attempting to grope her rear although she hits his hand off. He then pushes her against a garage door as she clings onto his jacket. Just before Levine begins singing the chorus, Anne headbutts him and he falls to his knees, he looks up at her then receives a slap round the face followed by a painful looking knee in the hip. 

Following the scenes we see various shots of adam being kicked punched, knocked by a car, stabbed in the hand, being hung from buildings, attempted drowning in a sink etc. While singing about being miserable in a relationship on the verge of a break up.

The camera shots and angles consist of more close ups than a variety of other shots to show Levine's expressions as he's being tortured by his girlfriend, there's continuous shot reverse shots, medium long shot. 

The various members of the band appear as bystanders or passersby who get variously hit by cars, etc., as they wind up becoming casualties of the female lead's violence towards Levine's character.

Oh yeah
Oh yeah

So scared of breaking it that you won't let it bend

(Scared of ruining the relationship if the problems are discussed or made into an open/flexible relationship)
And I wrote two hundred letters I will never send
Sometimes these cuts are so much deeper then they seem
You'd rather cover up, I'd rather let them bleed

(She wouldn't like to discuss the problems that have arised however he likes to bring them up when he pleases)

So let me be, and I'll set you free

(Don't keep hurting him and he'll let you down gently without you having to keep abusing him)

I am in misery
There ain't nobody who can comfort me, oh yeah
Why won't you answer me?
The silence is slowly killing me, oh yeah

(The lack of communication between the couple is upsetting him)

Girl you really got me bad
You really got me bad
Now I'm gonna get you back
I'm gonna get you back

(Constant abuse, 'I'm gonna' get you back')

Your salty skin and how it mixes in with mine
The way it feels to be completely intertwined
Not that I didn't care, it's that I didn't know
It's not what I didn't feel, it's what I didn't show

(He wishes he'd said certain things to her before they split up or their relationship started to go downhill)

So let me be, and I'll set you free

I am in misery
And there ain't nobody who can comfort me, oh yeah
Why won't you answer me?
The silence is slowly killing me, oh yeah

Girl you really got me bad
You really got me bad

And now I'm gonna get you back
Now I'm gonna get you back

You say your faith is shaken, and you may be mistaken
You keep me wide awake and waiting for the sun

(Keeps him up all night due to sexual activities or because something's on his mind?)
I'm desperate and confused, so far away from you

(He doesn't know what to think because of the lack of confusion)
I'm getting there, I don't care where I have to run

(I'm sorting this relationship no matter what I have to do/ I'm getting as far away as possible from this situation)

Why do you do what you do to me, yeah?
Why won't you answer me, answer me yeah?
Why do you do what you do to me, yeah?
Why won't you answer me, answer me yeah?

I am in misery
And there ain't nobody who can comfort me, oh yeah
Why won't you answer me?
The silence is slowly killing me, oh yeah

Girl you really got me bad
You really got me bad
And now I'm gonna get you back
I'm gonna get you back

Girl you really got me bad
You really got me bad
And now I'm gonna get you back
I'm gonna get you back

Girl you really got me bad
You really got me bad
And now I'm gonna get you back
I'm gonna get you back

Girl you really got me bad
You really got me bad
Now I'm gonna get you back
I'm gonna get you back

Linking Poster Child to a similar Director

In relation to poster child, I've realised their music sounds completely similar to maroon five...

Joseph Kahn is an American music video, advertising, and feature film director.
In 1999, Kahn started his own production company with Chris Lee, SuperMega Media, which is housed under HSI Productions. Kahn has worked with diverse artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mariah Carey, Jordin Sparks, Christina Aguilera, 50 Cent, Britney Spears, Destiny's Child, Kelly Clarkson, Ashlee Simpson, Muse, Ciara, Monica, Courtney Love, Rob Zombie, Backstreet Boys, U2, The Chemical Brothers, Blink 182, Chris Brown, Eminem, TLC, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Moby, Ke$ha, George Michael, KoRn, Janet Jackson, The Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, BoA, Gwen Stefani, Brandy, Pussycat Dolls, Sun Ho, Kylie Minogue, Maroon 5 and many more.


So therefore as a result, I'm going to focus on some of Kahn's techniques.  

Poster Child Lyrics

It’s not ok
Ok to claim
That this will last forever
If not today
Too late
Because it’s now or never

(Radio)
Haaah x4

Words
All those words
Counting verses who says
If you can sing 
then you can bring them whenever

Turn
All those lies
And thing it twice inside
So you can make it alright

You better not come up with something that’s gonna knock you down

It’s not ok
Ok to claim
That this will last forever
If not today
Too late
Because it’s now or never

Haaah x4

Me
You know me
I’m maxing
When it comes
Down, down, down
To talking.

Cheap
Talk is cheap
Makes it seem messed up
You’ll never want to leave

You better not come up with something that’s gonna knock you down

It’s not ok
Ok to claim
That this will last forever
If not today
Too late
Because it’s now or never

Haaah  Ah Ah Ah  x4

Always thinking, Thinking
Hands are shaking, shaking                        X 3
Clock is ticking, ticking
Time to give in, Give in


It’s not ok
Ok to claim
That this will last forever
If not today
Too late
Because it’s now or never

Haaah Ah, Ah, Ah  x4


I personally think this song is about a couple on the verge of breaking up. Lines such as ‘You better not come up with something that’s gonna’ knock you down’ suggests that either of them has been lying and the other has figured out. Also the chorus suggests that the relationship won’t progress any further (last forever).

I’ve emailed Poster Child again and received the real meaning of their lyrics


Hello again Emily,

We found your lyrical analysis quite realistic, although it’s more along the lines of a singer writing his own song. When we were trying to write our first song we realised how difficult it was which ended up with the both of us writing about a writers block. Let us know how it goes!

Thanks again,

Oliver 

Poster Child BIO

Poster Child is the creative guise of Jack Page (singer/composer) and Oliver Holmes (composer/multi-instrumentalist/producer). The two have been performing live together for 5 years which led to the collaborative writing and recording of their debut EP due for release under the label Sonicworld Productions in May of this year.

http://www.posterchildmusic.com/index.php

They have also recently got their own website promoting their music

Introduction to Unsigned Band

We've been asked to look for an unsigned band to begin with so we can find a desired song to use for our music video. After looking at several bands, I’ve decided to use a band which consists of pop because of it being the most popular music genre. Also avoiding a cliché college rock band.

I've found a band named Poster Child and was able to get hold of them

Hello, 

I'm Emily, I’m a sixth form student currently doing media studies and we've been asked to make a blog and produce our own music video by an unsigned band. I came across you both and took a great interest in your music! You sound like Maroon 5 which I've got to admit is one of my favourite bands. Would I please be able to use your song and make a video out of it. Of course I won't be taking all of the glory and posting it on any public sites such as YouTube, It'll remain on my own account. 

Thanks, 

Emily 

After a week, I got a positive reply from the band...

Hello Emily,

That's very interesting that you'll be making a music video for your media project, we were actually quite flattered that you'd liked our song! We have no problem with you using it and yes, as long as it won't be on any public websites. You'll have to keep us updated. Good luck 

Oliver 

Vaughan Arnell

 

Vaughan Arnell is a British music videos and television commercials director. Although having done films for high profile clients in the tv commercial field, including Nestlé and Levi's, he is mostly known for his music video work. He is a frequent collaborator of music artist Robbie Williams. He was a member of directorial team Vaughan & Anthea (with Anthea Benton).

Robbie Williams - Bodies (2009)
Robbie Williams - Sin Sin Sin (2006)
Robbie Williams - Radio (2004)
Robbie Williams - Feel (2002)
Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman - Somethin Stupid (2001)
Robbie Williams - The Road to Mandalay (2001)
Robbie Williams - Eternity (2001)
Robbie Williams - Supreme (2000)
Robbie Williams - Rock DJ (2000)
George Michael - Outside (1998)
Spice Girls - Say You'll Be There (1996)
Robbie Williams - Let Me Entertain You (1998)
Robbie Williams - Angels (1997)
Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) (1984) (co-directed with Anthea Benton)

Rock DJ- Robbie Williams- The music video was surrounded by controversy because of its explicit content. The video begins with Williams dancing on a roller disco with girls skating around him. He wants to get the attention of the female DJ, standing above the stage, so he begins stripping off his clothes. After this does not get her attention, he starts stripping his skin, muscles and organs, too (in heavy makeup), until the only thing that is left from him are his bones which is performed by special effects. In the end, he achieves the DJ's attention and dances with her as a skeleton. The video ends with titles, reading "No Robbies were Harmed during the Making of this Video". The skinless Robbie is also featured on the Rock DJ single's cover art

Spike Jonze

'' When he was in junior high and high school, Spiegel hung out at Bethesda community store, where the former owner Mike Henderson gave him his nickname "Spike Jonze". He fronted Club Homeboy, an international BMX club, with Mark "Lew" Lewman and Andy Jenkins, both co-editors ofFreestylin' Magazine in the mid- to late 1980s, where Jonze worked as a photographer. The three also created the youth culture magazines Homeboyand Dirt

In 2006, he was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for "Outstanding Achievement in Commercials in 2005." He was nominated for a body of work that included Hello Tomorrow for Adidas, Lamp for IKEA, and Pardon Our Dust for The Gap. He was a producer and co-creator of MTV television series Jackass and Jackass: The Movie, also directing some of the segments. Jonze has acted in some videos and films; his most prominent role was in Three Kings as the sweet, dimwitted, casually racist Conrad, in which he was directed by friend David O. Russell.

^{Jonze is good friends with Björk and frequently works with her. He has directed three videos for her and she contributed with the theme song for Jonze'sBeing John Malkovich film.}

^{Jonze is currently working on another project with the Beastie Boys for the release of their Santigold collaboration, "Don't Play No Game that I Can't Win." In a similar fashion to Jonze's recent work with Arcade Fire, he has directed both "short and epic-length videos" to partner with the single.}

^{-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Jonze}

"Da Funk" is an instrumental track by Daft Punk initially released as a single in 1995 and later included on their debut album Homework. "Da Funk" and its accompanying video directed by Spike Jonze are considered classics of 1990s house music.

The track's music video was directed by Spike Jonze and entitled Big City Nights. It focuses on the character 

Charles, an anthropomorphic dog in a leg cast with a crutch wearing urban clothing. Charles, who has lived in New York City for only one month, is shown walking around with a boombox blasting "Da Funk" at a high volume. His hobbled walk is made fun of by a pair of children. He is turned down when he attempts to participate in a public survey. His boombox annoys a bookseller on the sidewalk from whom Charles buys a paperback novel entitled Big City Nights. Charles meets a woman named Beatrice , who was once his childhood neighbor. They agree to have dinner together at her home, traveling by way of a city bus. Beatrice boards the bus, but Charles is startled by a sign stating "NO RADIOS". As he is unable to turn off his boombox (which is earlier indicated to have a broken/missing volume button) he reluctantly remains at the bus 

stop, as the bus drives off with Beatrice.

Although the video has drawn several interpretations, Thomas Bangalter has stated:

There's no story. It is just a man-dog walking with a ghetto-blaster in New York. The rest is not meant to say anything. People are trying to explain it: Is it about human tolerance? Integration? Urbanism? There's really no message. There will be a sequel someday

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Funk 

The Beastie Boys- Don't play no Games that I can't win.

Revisiting the collaboration that resulted in the video for “Sabotage” in 1994, the Beastie Boys recently teamed with Spike Jonze again for “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win,” a track featuring Santigold from their album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two; the song will be released as a single on August 15. Jonze, the  

^{director behind the quintessentially quirky film Being John Malkovich and the more kid-friendly Where the Wild Things Are, essentially creates a short film featuring} the Beastie Boys as action figures. The humorous subtitles make the video enjoyable to watch and the story line is interesting and slightly humorous attracting attention of the viewers. attracting an audience for at least over the ages of 15 due to moderate swearing. The video has links to a Norwegan zombie film named Dead snow which is based on zombies in World war two SS Uniforms attacking some students on a skiing trip. 

Music Video Directors

We've been asked to explore a range of music video directors as a key starting point for our music videos. We've analysed songs, looked into different genres etc. I personally take more of an interest in the pop genre so therefore I am going to vary from using pop video directors to funk/rock etc

Looking into music video directors, I've found a range of specific well known directors and have therefore found inspiration in doing so...

The Pop Genre

Pop music a term that originally derives from an abbreviation of "popular" is a genre of popular music which originated in its modern form in the 1950s, deriving from rock and roll. The terms popular music and pop music are often used interchangeably, even though the former is a description of music which is popular (and can include any style)


Throughout its development, pop music has absorbed influences from most other genres of popular music. Early pop music drew on the sentimental ballad for its form, gained its use of vocal harmonies from gospel and soul music, instrumentation from jazz, country, and rock music, orchestration from classical music, tempo from dance music, backing from electronic music, rhythmic elements from hip-hop music, and has recently appropriated spoken passages from rap.






Madonna is an American singer, songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records.






Jason Joel Desrouleaux, better known by his stage name Jason Derulo (stylized as Jason Derülo), is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper Diddy, Derülo signed to minor recording label Beluga Heights. After Beluga Heights became part of the Warner Music Group, Derülo released his debut single, "Whatcha Say" in May 2009, which sold over five million digital downloads

In 2005, Rihanna released her debut studio album, Music of the Sun, which peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart and features the Billboard Hot 100 top five hit single "Pon de Replay". In less than a year, she released her second studio album, A Girl Like Me (2006), which peaked within the top-five in the United States, and produced her first Hot 100 number one single, "SOS". Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad released in May 2007, spawned the international hit singles "Umbrella", "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia", with an additional four singles being released. The album was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella". Her fourth studio album Rated R (2009), produced the top-ten singles "Russian Roulette", "Hard" and "Rude Boy", with the latter achieving the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100.Loud (2010), Rihanna's fifth studio album, spawned the number-one hits "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?" and "S&M". "We Found Love" served as the lead single from Rihanna's sixth studio album, Talk That Talk (2011). The song was an international success, topping the charts in eighteen countries.

The Pop Genre

 


Looking into Cee Lo Green, I've realised how popular the song 'F***/Forget You' is, it's currently being played in bars, at parties etc. It's a well known and enjoyed pop song which attracts a wide range of audiences. Cee Lo's F***/Forget you' is an inspirational song, the video is extremely lively including the use of camera shots and angles. The costume and lyrics also interest me.


Pop Genre 
Pop music is a genre of music which originated in its modern form in the 1950s, deriving from popular rock and roll. The terms popular music and pop music are often used interchangeably, even though the former is a description of music which is popular (and can include any style), whilst the latter is a specific genre containing qualities of mass appeal.


So-called "pure pop" music, such as power pop, features all these elements, utilising electric guitars, drums and bass for instrumentation; in the case of such music, the main goal is usually that of being pleasurable to listen to, rather than having much artistic depth.


So therefore I've chosen this genre as it uses a variety of different songs and attracts a wide range of audiences. I also personally prefer pop music than any other genre.

Analysis of Forget you by Cee Lo Green

"F*** You!", also titled "Forget You" or "FU" for edited versions, is a single by American recording artist Cee Lo Green. It was released on August 19, 2010 as the first single from his third studio album, The Lady Killer.

"F*** You!" was released in various different versions. The version of the song edited to remove profanity, which is broadcast in the music video on UK television stations is called "Forget You", while the UK radio edit is entitled "FU". All three versions differ in lyrical content, with "F*** You!" being completely uncensored, "Forget You" only removing major profanties such as "f***", "s**t" and "ni**a", and "FU" censoring all profanities, including those at the start of the bridge.

The video was directed by Matt Stawski and was filmed at a movie prop diner located in the Sun Valley area of Los Angeles. Taking place in a diner, the video chronicles Cee Lo's misadventures with a girl he has a crush on, known as "The Heartbreaker" throughout the video. In the beginning, a young Cee Lo goes into the diner with his parents and goes up to the Heartbreaker, who is sitting with another boy. He offers to let the Heartbreaker play with his toy garbage truck, but she ignores him and walks away with the other boy, who has a toy Ferrari F40. In his high school years, Cee Lo works at the diner as a chef. He attempts to woo the Heartbreaker with a bouquet of flowers but slips on fries deliberately dropped by another boy. The flowers fly out of his hand and land on a much younger girl's lap. During his college years, Cee Lo studies in the diner with another woman, implied to be his music tutor. He then attempts to woo the Heartbreaker by having the waitress draw a heart-shaped ketchup mark on her hot dog plate, but the Heartbreaker approaches him with a basket of fries and spills them on his shirt, leaving a large ketchup stain on it. Cee Lo then goes through an epiphany in his life and the video fast-forwards to present day, when Cee Lo is now known as "The Lady Killer" and has a fancy Cadillac Eldorado with his backup singers in the back seat. He drives past the diner to find the Heartbreaker working there, sweeping the front entrance while others are dancing behind her. Cee Lo waves at the Heartbreaker before driving away. The final shot is of him waving at the camera and the words "The Lady Killer" appearing on screen, before the shot freezes, thus ending the video.

[Chorus:]I see you driving 'round town
With the girl I love and I'm like,
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough I'm like,
Forget you!
And forget her too!
You said, if I was richer, I'd still be with ya
Ha, now ain't that some shh? (ain't that some shh?)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a...
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo

Yeah I'm sorry, I can't afford a Ferrari,
But that don't mean I can't get you there.
I guess she's an xbox and I'm more atari,
But the way you play your game ain't fair.

I pity the fool that falls in love with you
(Oh shh she's a gold digger)
Well
(Just thought you should know n***a)
Ooooooh
I've got some news for you
Yeah go run and tell your little boyfriend

[Chorus]

Now I know, that I had to borrow,
Beg and steal and lie and cheat.
Trying to keep ya, trying to please ya.
'Cause being in love with you ass ain't cheap.

I pity the fool that falls in love with you
(Oh shh she's a gold digger)
Well
(Just thought you should know ni**a)
Ooooooh
I've got some news for you
Ooh, I really hate your ass right now

[Chorus]

Now baby, baby, baby
Why d'you wanna wanna hurt me so bad?
(So bad, so bad, so bad)
I tried to tell my momma but she told me
"This is one for your dad"
(Your dad, your dad, your dad)
Uh! Whhhy? Uh! Whhhy? Uh!
Whhhy baby? Oh! I love you oh!
I still love you. Oooh!

[Chorus]

Analysis of Same Girl by Usher and R Kelly

There are several key signifiers in the video of the R&B genre. Firstly, the iconography of R&B such as the cigars, the 'bling', the fast cars, the fancy houses, the money (seen being thrown around in the party shots) and the baggy trousers, sunglasses, caps and hoodies. The language in the lyrics of the song is stereotypically African american street slang: 'Word', 'Homie', 'Yo', 'Dawg' and are typical of this genre. The performances of the artists' body language is also associated with Aftrican American music and R&B culture (lots of hand gestures and pointing to camera).

There are lots of different types of shots used to emphasise the idea that this song(and video) is a conversation through song. Firstly is the split-screen shot, with Usher in close-up, and R kelly in a medium close-up, leaning back slightly away from the camera. Both are dressed in similar colours, to signify their similarity and the 'bond' between them. Interestingly they are both in white - they are indeed, in this case, innocent and the colour of their costume reflects this.  The split screen offers the singers almost a mirror image; both are holding the phone in the opposite hand, again emphasising their similarities. Slightly further into the video, the frame divides into three and the two close-up shots are separated by a close-up of a woman's mouth (suggesting that perhaps she might literally divide these two friends apart). Later on we see a sequence of the over-the-shoulder shots, which are usually reserved for dialogue shots in film and TV fiction. Again these shots give a very strong sense of the music being a conversation.

The target audience for this video is likely to be primarily male, who might identify the 'issue' of being two-timed by a woman (in fact the subject of many fan forums after the release of the song talked about fans being in a similar situation themselves), and who might aspire to the kind of lifestyle that R Kelly and Usher apparently have. Fans of the artists would be excited about seeing these two famous R&B singers in a duet, and having access to their 'personae' through seeing them 'at home' (though obviously a set), and having friendship where they are familiar with one another to have nicknames such as 'Ush', 'Dog' and 'Kells', and to see them hanging out together. There is an opportunity to develop personal relationships with the artists in this way, as well as an element of escapism through images of an aspirational lifestyle. Girls and women might also be attracted to the romantic declarations of the artists, and identify with the woman in the video and the idea of being a 'Potential Wife'.

Collabrations between famous artists are always popular with record labels. Record sales are boosted because fans of both artists will buy the track. Both artists are signed with Jive records, owned by Sony and have a huge following both in the States and in the UK. At the start of the video is a clever bit of promotion of R Kelly's 'Double up' tour, which meant ions as he talks on the phone, while Usher talks about his fragrance launch and his forthcoming album release in November. Shameless self-promotion



Usher Ft R Kelly Same Girl Lyrics


[Verse 1]
Yo Ush 
What up Kels 
Wanna introduce you to this girl, think I really love this girl 
Yeah?
Man she so fine 
Straight up dawg? 
She stand about 5’4” coke cola red bone 
Damn 
She drives a black Durango license plate say “Angel” tattoo on her ankle 
Plus she’s making pay so she got a crib on Peachtree right on 17th street 
And I call her “TT” 
Wait a minute hold on dawg do she got a kid? 
Yep 
....  she love some waffle house? 
Yep 
Do she got a beauty mark on her left side of her mouth? 
Man? 
Went to Georgia Tech? 
Yep 
Works for TBS? 
Yep 
Man, I can’t believe this chick… damn… mm 
Tell me whats wrong dawg, what the hell you damning about 
I'm your homie so just say what's on your mind 
Man I didn't know that you were talking about her 
So man you're telling me you know her?
Do I know her? like a pastor knows his word
[Chorus]
We messing with the same girl same girl same girl 
How could the love of my life, and my potential wife be the 
Same girl, same girl, same girl 
Man I can’t believe that we’ve been messing with the 
Same girl, same girl, same girl 
Thought she someone that I can trust 
but she’s been doubling up with us 
U K, man we’ve been messing with the same girl 
[Verse 2]
See I met her at this party in Atlanta 
Well I met her in this party in Chicago 
She came right up to me given me a conversation 
I said do you got a man she sad no, with no hesitation 
Well it must be a music thing 'cause she said the same to me 
at a party all in my face, when I’m laughin and buyin her drinks 
And she whispered in my ear, said can you take me home? 
Me too 
Man she was in the chi. singin that same tune 
Is that true? 
And I thought it was true confession when she said 
I love you 
Man I thought her body was calling when she said 
I want you 
Look I even got some pictures on my phone 
Look at there how she's wit' some boys shorts on 
[Chorus]
We messing with the same girl same girl same girl 
She’s the apple of my eye, and my potential wife be the 
Same girl, same girl, same girl 
Man I can’t believe that we’ve been messing around with the same damn girl 
Same girl, same girl, same girl 
Thought she someone that I can trust 
but she’s been doubling up with both of us 
U K, man we’ve been messing with the same girl 
[Bridge] 
She said she got me on ringtone 
Are you talking about the pink phone 
Mm-mm the blue one 
Man she told me that one was turned off 
Its obvious that she been playing us playing us 
and constantly she’s been lyin to us lyin to us 
Don’t like the way that she’s been goin 'bout it goin 'bout it 
Kels what do you think we should do about it do about it 
Well call her up at her home, she won’t know that I'm on the phone 
Yeah man that’s the plan 
Homie we about to bust this chick 
Man just ask her to met up with you and I'm gonna show up too 
And then she wouldn’t know what to do 
Well be standing there singing 
[Chorus] 
same girl same girl same girl 
She’s was the apple of my eye, and your potential wife the 
Same girl, same girl, same girl 
I can’t believe that we’ve been messing with the same girl 
Same girl, same girl, same girl 
She gonna be lookin' so stupid when see us together 
U K, man we’ve been messing with the same girl 
See she was taken flights going back and forth 
I would pick her up at Antoines 
Man I really can’t believe the 
Same girl, same girl, same girl 
Hey…. The same girl same girl same girl