Music Video Analysis:

David Bowie- Lets Dance

Claire Angus
Goodwin identified that the visuals within a music video may be edited in time to the
lyrics/ change the pace of the song. He also stated that these visuals are commonly
repeated within a chorus to emphasise the repetition in lyrics and beats/or create a
motif.
Goodwin found that most artists have a trend of repeating certain actions within their
music videos in order to establish this as their 'trademark' action and therefore making
their songs recognizable due to it reoccurring often. This represents the style of the
music the artist is releasing and is a marketing strategy in order to be remembered by
many different audiences. Genre is also shown by location. For example, songs within
the rock genre are often filmed near a stage to convey a gig, and songs within the rap
genre are often filmed in an abandoned warehouse or street.
Goodwin identified that it is a common feature for record labels to use close ups of the
artist/vocalist in order to promote the sales in the single. This convention is used in
order to show the artist throughout the video, but is most common with female artists,
as provocative angles are often used to sexualize the artist, following Laura Mulvey's
Male Gaze Theory. This could create an intimate medium.
Goodwin acknowledged that it was not uncommon to recognize either the visuals or
lyrics of a song to be a direct reference to another media text. This is used to engage
audiences and provide them gratification, if they recognize the link.
 Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics

In this music video, images are used, in order to assist the narrative and
place artificial imagery in place of genuine visual imagry, such as, the
explosion in the distant hills. We also see Bowie's face appear in the
middle of the screen. This would have been very advanced at the time,
and probably unusual, which reflects the conventions of the typical
classic pop rock genre

Bowie, both performs and appears within the narrative itself, which
is typical of a pop rock genre. This convention is also seen in the
The Man Who Cant Be Moved by The Script, an example of
modern pop rock.

Despite programmes only being broadcasted in colour in 1969,

bright colours became conventional of the pop rock genre, with
vivid, idiosyncratic patterns and layers attracting audiences in the
70s and 80s. David Bowie was a pioneer for the pop rock genre,
releasing many music videos with extravagant visuals. China Girl
is a good example of this.

Costume/style, was a vital convention of the pop rock genre, with

some bands/groups expressing unique and quirky outfits. This is
shown, when Bowie is pictured in a long-shot at the end of the video
and having had regular costume changes throughout.
 There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (either illustrative,
amplifying or contradicting)

The main narrative is told through the lyrics of the song , with a clear visual
representation of the song's message, being, "let's dance". Throughout the video, we see
people dancing along to Bowie and the band of instruments, further amplifying this.

Bowie sings, While color lights up your face, clearly linking to the
exuberant colour and dance in the video.

In the song the lyrics "Put on your red shoes and dance the blues" is
mirrored in the visual of the red heels, portraying Goodwin's theory of
the relationship between lyrics and visuals.

When Bowie repeats the lyrics "let's dance", some visuals contradict
this message. For example, as soon as he says this, scenes are
shown of the teenage boy experiencing the hardships of manual
labour, having to pull a piece of heavy machinery up a long road,
and the teenage girl cleaning the road surface. Where dancing is
supposed to connote fun and happiness, this visual imagery is
saddening and could make the audience feel sympathy for the
characters; thus contradicting the message of the song.

Also, when Bowie sings "Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight", visual
imagry is shown of the two teens basking in the scorching hot sun, further
contradicting the lyrics in the song.
 There is a relationship between the music and the visuals (either
illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)

The music has a punchy, hypnotic feel, conventional of the

classic pop rock genre. "Let's dance" is also repeated in the
chorus, to further emphasise the repetition of visuals and the
extent to which Goodwin's theory applies.

Bowie uses a strong performance style to entice his

demographic, being teens and young adults. He also
includes an underlying theme of romance in his music video,
using to teenage actors, as the main focus of the narrative.

The music is melodic and flows throughout the video, linking to the continuity editing, which is effective
in assisting the narrative.

From the beginning of the video, the visuals are in sync with the music. When Bowie is singing, his face
is shown on screen, when the non-diegetic Mediterranean instruments are played in the first scene,
bowie is playing this music to the actors, making it seem diegetic, as the actors are dancing along to the
beat of the music. When the music builds up towards the chorus, we see the actors dancing again,
reinforcing the syncopation between the music and the visuals.
 The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the
artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work

Ultimately, this video includes a strong amount of close ups and direct
address from Bowie, to further connect with his audience, as if it is
Bowie who is asking his audience to dance.

At the end of the video, there is a long-shot of Bowie playing the guitar to the
camera, showing his style head to toe. This contributed to shaping Bowie as a
fashion icon and a pioneer for the expressive music scene, inspiring many
artists around the world to develop their own image and style.

By the time this video was released in 1983, Bowie had reached the top of
the fame ladder, previously collaborating with queen in 1981. The album
helped Bowie to reach his commercial peak, being his title track on his
studio album Lets Dance, topping both UK and US charts. Bowies record
label may not have been concerned with pushing his appearance, due to
this fame, however, Bowie was definitely the centre of his videos, and had
a large reputation of connecting with fans all over the world.
 There are frequent references to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic
treatment of the female body

Whilst there isnt frequent references to the notion of looking, there is

a long-shot of the actors looking at the face of Bowie, edited as a
separate layer into the visual. This could accentuate Bowies popularity
around the world.

Possible references to the notion of looking are shown at

the start of the video, where the actors are dancing in the
bar. There are close-ups and medium-long shots of people
looking at those who are dancing, one of the dancers
being a woman. I doubt that this is the case, however,
some may associate the cross cuts of the dancers to the
men, as voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

Near the end of the video, we see a medium-long

shot of the young girl washing the street, cutting to a
mid-shot of a couple looking through a car window.
This again, is an example of the voyeuristic treatment
of the female body.
 There is often intertextual references

Bowie sings the lyric, Put on your red shoes

and dance the blues. This could possibly be
referring to the lyric But don't you step on my
blue suede shoes in Elvis song Blue Suede
Shoes.

An intertextual reference, that may not be obvious at first, is the reference to Michael
Jacksons Earth song. The narrative in Lets Dance is inspired by the narrative in Earth
Song, whereby bad things happen, but become reversed to put them back the way
they were. This could send the message, when anything goes wrong, and there are
hardships in life, lets dance, possibly bringing light to the situation.
 Whether the video is primarily performance-based or concept-based and how
each element is used in it

This video has a strong mixture of performance and narrative, where Bowie performs the
song whilst the actors are dancing in the same scene, creating a link between the two.
The narrative is clear at the beginning, however it turns negative, as we see images of the
teenagers experiencing straining manual labour. This then develops into a softer narrative,
with shots of the two teens together eating, walking about the town and overlooking the
skyline.
This isnt a typical narrative structure, challenging the conventional pop rock genre.