ARCTIC MONKEYS ‘WHY’D YOU ONLY CALL ME WHEN YOU’RE HIGH’

MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

CONCEPT OF THE VIDEO

IN THE VIDEO, THE DRUNK LEAD SINGER ALEX TURNER LEAVES THE REST OF THE BAND AT A BAR, IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING, TO GO AND VISIT A GIRL. AS HE WALKS TO THE HOUSE OF THE GIRL HE IS CONTINUOUSLY TEXTING, HE IS FRAUGHT BY SEXUAL AND WORRYING HALLUCINATIONS AND COMES ACROSS OTHER PEOPLE WHO AREN’T PARTICULARLY NICE.

0:53

FROM THE OUTSET OF THE MUSIC VIDEO, THE CHARACTERS STATE OF MIND IS CLEAR. IN THIS SHOT IT IS OBVIOUS THAT HE HAS BEEN DRINKING HEAVILY DUE TO THE REFLECTION IN THE MIRROR. IT IS AS IF HE HAS TWO REFLECTIONS. ACCORDING TO MICHAEL SHORE’S MUSIC VIDEO THEORY THIS MUSIC VIDEO USES ‘CLASSICAL STORYTELLING’S MOTIFS’. THIS MEANS THAT THERE ARE RECOGNIZABLE NARRATIVES USED TO ALLOW AUDIENCE TO RELATE TO THE CONTENT OF THE VIDEO/SONG. FURTHERMORE, ACCORDING TO SVEN CARLSON’S THEORY OF MODERN MYTHIC EMBODIMENTS IN MUSIC VIDEO, THE PERFORMER IN THIS MUSIC VIDEO FITS INTO THE CATEGORY OF THE TELEVISED BARD.

1:15

THIS SHOT OF THE WHOLE BAND IS VERY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GENRE OF MUSIC- ALTERNATIVE ROCK. THE AUDIENCE CAN ESTABLISH THE GENRE FROM THIS SCENE IN THE BAR DUE TO THE MIS-EN-SCENE. THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN THE BAR (INCLUDING THE BAND) ARE DRESSED IN BLACK CLOTHES AND LEATHER JACKETS WHICH ARE CLOTHES THAT ARE STEREOTYPICALLY LINKED TO THE ROCK IMAGE. FURTHERMORE, THE SETTING IS DARK AND NOT VERY WELL LIT GIVING THE SHOT A MORE GRAINY AND LESS SAFE ATMOSPHERE. THIS SUITS THE STYLE OF MUSIC.

1:18 & 1:24

• IN THIS SCENE THE CHARACTERS HALLUCINATIONS BEGIN AS HE HAS A NUMBER OF SHOTS OF VODKA AND APPEARS TO BREATH FIRE. IN THIS SCENE QUICK CUTS ARE USED WHEN THE CHARACTER IS HAVING MULTIPLE SHOTS. THIS IS TO MAKE THE SHOTS SEEM REPETITIVE AND OF A LARGE QUANTITY. TO THE AUDIENCE THIS IS VISUALLY INTERESTING AND SHOWS THAT THE CHARACTER IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE DRUNK WHICH ADDS TO THE STORY LINE.

• THIS MUSIC VIDEO IS NARRATIVE BASED AS IT TELLS A GRADUAL STORY FROM START TO FINISH. THIS IS EFFECTIVE BECAUSE IT DRAWS THE AUDIENCE IN AS THEY WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END (WHETHER OR NOT HE MAKES IT TO THE GIRL). A NARRATIVE STYLE OF VIDEO IS VERY UNCONVENTIONAL OF THE INDIE ROCK GENRE. USUALLY, MOST MUSIC VIDEOS OF THIS GENRE ARE PERFORMANCE BASED BECAUSE MOST INDIE/ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS WANT TO PORTRAY THE AUTHENTICITY OF THEIR MUSIC RATHER THAN USING THEIR MUSIC VIDEO AS A WAY OF SELLING THE BANDS “BRAND”. HOWEVER, THE ARCTIC MONKEYS BREAK THIS CONVENTION IN MOST OF THEIR MUSIC VIDEOS. THIS IS EFFECTIVE FOR THEIR BAND BECAUSE THEY ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR SO NEED TO LIVE UP TO AUDIENCE EXPECTATIONS BY PRODUCING MUSIC VIDEOS THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER BANDS OF THEIR GENRE.

2:15

THROUGHOUT THE VIDEO THE CHARACTER SENDS FREQUENT TEXT MESSAGES TO THE GIRL HE WANTS TO SEE. THIS IS TO CONTINUE THE STORY LINE BUT ALSO TO HELP MAKE THE SONG MORE PERSONAL AND RELATABLE TO THE AUDIENCE. REPRESENTING THE IDEA THAT EVERYONE HAS OCCASIONALLY SENT A DRUNK TEXT OR TWO. THE TEXT MESSAGES HAVE BEEN ADDED IN DURING THE EDITING OF THE VIDEO. BY HAVING THEM POP UP ON SCREEN, IT MAKES THE NARRATIVE UNDERSTANDABLE AS THE AUDIENCE IS ABLE TO SEE THAT THE CHARACTER IS DESPERATE TO SEE THE GIRL. WHEN THE MESSAGES APPEAR ON SCREEN THE CHARACTER IS USUALLY SHOT FROM A MID-SHOT ALLOWING THE AUDIENCE TO BETTER SEE HIS FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT HE IS FEELING WHEN SENDING THEM.

2:40 & 2:50

AS THE VIDEO PROGRESSES THE CHARACTERS HALLUCINATIONS GET WEIRDER AND WEIRDER. THIS HELPS TO MAINTAIN THE AUDIENCE’S ATTENTION BECAUSE THEY CANNOT PREDICT WHAT STRANGE THING THEY ARE GOING TO SEE NEXT. THE USE OF HALLUCINATIONS COULD CARRY A NUMBER OF MEANINGS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE IDEA THAT OUR IMAGINATIONS ARE VERY POWERFUL, OR IT COULD BE A REFERENCE TO MIND ALTERING SUBSTANCES SUCH AS DRUGS AND ALCOHOL. DRUGS AND ALCOHOL ARE VERY COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ALTERNATIVE ROCK GENRE.

4:48

TOWARDS THE END OF THE VIDEO THE NARRATIVE CONCLUDES WITH THE GIRL IGNORING HIS MESSAGES.WE DO NOT SEE HER THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE VIDEO AND ARE ONLY SHOWN HER AT THE VERY END OF THIS VIDEO. THIS HAS BEEN DONE PURPOSELY TO ENHANCE THE NARRATIVE AND MAKE SURE THAT THE AUDIENCE WATCH THE VIDEO UNTIL THE END TO SEE WHEN HAPPENS. IT ADDS A SENSE OF MYSTERY.THE SETTINGS USED IN THIS MUSIC VIDEO CONSIST OF A BAR, THE STREETS OF A TOWN/CITY AND THE GIRLS HOME. ALL THREE OF THESE LOCATIONS ARE WHERE YOU WOULD USUALLY FIND PEOPLE OF A YOUNGER AGE (POSSIBLY STUDENTS IN THEIR EARLY TO LATE 20’S). THESE SETTINGS HAVE BEEN USED BECAUSE AN AUDIENCE OF A SIMILAR AGE GROUP CAN RELATE TO THE LOCATIONS AND THEREFORE THE OVERALL SUBSTANCE OF THE VIDEO.