Speed - Why I'm Not MV

Rant About Music Videos

I'm really picky about music videos; I usually don't watch them more than once because unless the video has a really addictive dance, they're pretty boring and conventional, and usually without any meaning deeper than whatever "concept" or "look" the group is going for. If a music video makes me understand the song more, or discover a new or different meaning to the song, or if it enhances my listening experience, then I'll like it. But honestly, nowadays it seems like most groups do the same thing in their videos and it usually doesn't change my opinion of the song unless it's a group that I really like, in which case the music video could be terrible or pointless and I would still love it and defend it to the end of the earth. But if they're trying to attract new fans then I just don't understand why companies choose to give their groups these conventional, overdone concepts that everyone has seen before. Okay, that being said, I'm going to talk a little about one recent release that hasn't been disappointing.

Speed - Why I'm Not MV Thoughts

For some reason, this music video is incredibly intriguing to me. I have watched several times and will probably watch again, which might seem strange considering its pretty simple concept, but I find it addictive and interesting. I'm not a huge fan of Speed, I think I like some of their other songs but I don't listen to them often and don't know the members or much about them but I absolutely love this song, which made me download the album, which I also love. The song is pretty much someone wondering what it is he has done wrong to make every girl that he likes turn away to another man. It's kind of an angry song, with lines such as "I'm the dog on the leash / I don't want to be dragged around anymore" and "Why am I the only one in pain?" but the music video kind of, in my opinion, shows it from a different perspective. The video focuses on the girl, with each of the boys coming and going, while she is annoyed and frustrated and trying to push them away.

So the way that I see it is that the music video is showing that often, people think they are the only one hurting, and that the world is doing them wrong when they can't find what they're looking for or are hurt by people, when there are always two sides to a story. There is a scene where the girl pulls out a cigarette but is surrounded by these men distracting her so that she can't even light it. She can't even find peace in the stress-relieving aspects of her life because of the suffocating relationships she has had and the anger from those from her past. Then, on the other side of the story, there is the guy, who, in a scene at the end, seems to be holding desperately to this girl, with everything he has, only to be easily let go by her. But neither of them seem to be considering the other person's perspective; the woman is only focused on getting through life without stopping for any of these men, and the men are only focused on the fact that they can't seem to catch a break.

Honestly, these kind of situations happen often for me which might be why this resonates so much for me but I just feel like this video was really well done. I love the camera work; I feel like it zooms in and out when it should and the whole continuous aspect / no cuts thing that they have going on kind of mirrors the way that life goes on, and you have to "keep walking without strength once again."

Anyway, in the midst of all of these high-tech, digitally enhanced and visually appealing videos that are coming out like Come Back Home and I suppose Mr. Mr, it's refreshing to see a music video like this that has a lot of meaning in a very simple concept.