Postmodernism

MUSIC VIDEOS:

Postmodernism in Music Videos – Lana Del Rey

Definition:

Postmodernism is an attempt to question the world that we see around us and especially not to take other people's views as the final truth. Postmodernism puts everything into question and questions philosophies, strategies and world views. There is no such thing as a definition of the postmodern. It is a mood rather than a strict discipline. Postmodernism, with all its complexity, is an attempt to find new and more truthful versions of the world.

Lana Del Rey:

This Lana Del Rey song “National Anthem” is seen as being Post Modernism as it includes large intertextual reference to Marilyn Monroe's Happy Birthday Mr President performance. She replicates her outfit, style and imitates her voice exactly. The time era is clearly established by the black and white, muffled footage. The video combines the 1960’s with our contemporary world and creates something completely new. The entire video continues to focus on the President’s personal life and it used hyper-reality to exaggerate his story. It could be said that the music video is a parody of J.F Kennedy and the 1960’s as it humours his lifestyle.

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant:

Her stage name is Lana Del Rey. She is an American singer-songwriter. Her name is a mixture of the golden-age Hollywood actress Lana Turner and the 1980’s USA car, the Ford Del Rey.

She mixes old school Hollywood with today’s youth and creates music videos with the influence of the old generation to try and create something brand new.

Simulation:

For Baudrillard, we live in an era of media saturation in which we are bombarded with information and signs. So much of our experience is in the form of media texts rather than first-hand direct experience that mediated signs become ‘more real than reality itself’. This is simulation: the part of our lives that is dominated by computer games, television, social networking on the internet, magazines and all other forms of media experience.

Goodwin’s Music Video Analysis:

Andrew Goodwin writing in ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ (Routledge 1992)
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
(e.g. stage performance in rock video, dance routine.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals
4. 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 (a visual style).
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).