One Republic's popular song, 'Couting Stars' has acoustic tones but builds up t amuch denser, powerful riff. It peaked at number 1 in the UK charts and follows conventions of pop and indie genres with some hints of rock:
- It has an unudual balance of concept, narrative and performance, with a separate narrative and a performance coming together at the end via the concept
- Gripping bassline
- Upbeat and catchy
- Wide range of shots, but several close ups of facial expressions
The music video holds an encapturing storyline, and shows 2 completely different situations eventually coming together at the end. One half is One Republic performing the song in a basement/warehouse in a casual style, like they're rehearsing, as they have no audience. The second half is of a group of people belonging to what appears to be a modern church, who are attending a session of worship.
WIthin the video, there are many occasions within the visuals which subtly link to the lyrics. One that particularly stands out is, "But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard", for one half of the narrative is centered around the concept of prayer and worship. However it is not the singer of One Republic praying, therefore not a totally 100% link, but the idea is certainly embedded. Another lyric which possibly links to this idea is, "I don't think the world is sold, I'm just doing what we're told" because we are taught in life to follow certain rules, guidelines and/or expectations. One of these guidelines could be to follow a faith, practising prayer to hopefully lead to some form of enlightenment or paradise. However there are many conspiracy theories surrounding the success of the said guidelines, and the lyrics suggest that we are lead into a certain frame of mind by society, "I don't think the world is sold", but there is no use battling it and it is automatic to follow convention, "I'm just doing what we're told".
In terms of relation to the music, the visuals are reasonably in sync. For a start, there is a large performance element with the band performing in an abandoned warehouse, so the instruments are in time with their parts of the song. Alongside this, the pace of the visuals matches that of the steadily increasing pace of the song, which builds up substance and energy as the song progresses. So at the beginning of the video, the editing is quite mellow, with slow motion and panning shots employed, however towards the end of the song, sharp, choppy cuts are in place to build up to the 'finale' of the video.
WIthin the video, there are many occasions within the visuals which subtly link to the lyrics. One that particularly stands out is, "But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard", for one half of the narrative is centered around the concept of prayer and worship. However it is not the singer of One Republic praying, therefore not a totally 100% link, but the idea is certainly embedded. Another lyric which possibly links to this idea is, "I don't think the world is sold, I'm just doing what we're told" because we are taught in life to follow certain rules, guidelines and/or expectations. One of these guidelines could be to follow a faith, practising prayer to hopefully lead to some form of enlightenment or paradise. However there are many conspiracy theories surrounding the success of the said guidelines, and the lyrics suggest that we are lead into a certain frame of mind by society, "I don't think the world is sold", but there is no use battling it and it is automatic to follow convention, "I'm just doing what we're told".
In terms of relation to the music, the visuals are reasonably in sync. For a start, there is a large performance element with the band performing in an abandoned warehouse, so the instruments are in time with their parts of the song. Alongside this, the pace of the visuals matches that of the steadily increasing pace of the song, which builds up substance and energy as the song progresses. So at the beginning of the video, the editing is quite mellow, with slow motion and panning shots employed, however towards the end of the song, sharp, choppy cuts are in place to build up to the 'finale' of the video.
Again, as the video is partly performance based, there are lots of shots including the band in quite a raw, almost rehearsal-like situation. In comparison to their previous music videos it is actually shares similar aspects, as they often have some sort of unusual performance aspect embedded within a narrative, such as in, 'Good Life'. In some ways, the band name links to the concept of the song, which in my eyes in about breaking conventions, "So no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars" - it is an ambition to steer away from the material world which centers around money and possesions, and instead to go back to natural roots and apprieciate teh things in life which really matter. There is absolutely no reference to the notion of looking within this particuklar music video, as it would not fit the genre or the lyrics.
The music video is primarily split into two storylines, one being narrative/performance based and the other being narrative/concept based. However these intertwine at the end when the floor collapses; a very unexpected and clever twist. I thought it could also hold metaphoric meaning for the idea of prayer - from one outlook that the attempts and hard work will literally 'fall through' or alternatively, if you put enough work in, you can break the mould and be introduced to a whole different world/perspective.
Overall, I really like this music video and the song. It has an essence of revolution within it, portraying the idea of unexpectancy and that things are not as they seem. It is cleverly devised and of high quality, which thus contributed to the success of the song.
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