Under the Bridge
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The music video for 'Under the Bridge' by RHCP fits many conventions outlined by Andrew Goodwin in his framework. It is primarily a performance video - however, there are elements which point towards it being a mix between performance and conceptual; for example, many of the images could be seen as metaphors for drugs and addiction.
There is an illustrative link between the lyrics and visuals in the video; for example, at 0:42 the line in the lyrics 'the city I live in' is accompanied by a superimposition of a city filled with tall buildings. Furthermore, the lyrics 'I drive through her streets' has a similar superimposition of a camera moving through the streets of a city, as if from the view of a car.
Throughout the video, there is also an amplifying relationship between the music and visuals; as the chorus is played for the first time at 1:26, there is an extreme closeup of half of the singer's face which is accompanied by another image of the singer from the chest-up. This is an example of an amplifying relationship because as the music becomes more intense with a more powerful guitar riff and louder drums, so do the vibrant colours and images. In this first chorus there is also images of the guitarist, bassist and drummer superimposed over each other at 1:37; therefore adding to the chaos and intensity of the chorus. At 1:45, the drummer is reflected onto himself, creating a symmetrical image which further adds to the wild, out of control nature of the video. The second chorus at 2:30, while having no shots of the drummer, guitarist and bassist, shows the singer performing with the images of a cheap looking house and the fret board of a guitar superimposed over him. There is also a vibrant background consisting of bright lights set against a dark sky. All of these images contribute to the sudden shift in tone of the music; from slow and melancholy to intense and polyphonic.
As a rock band, Goodwin's conventions regarding visual style and genre characteristics are relevant to Red Hot Chili Peppers. The music is powerful and slightly psychedelic, hence the video is filled with chaotic images and vibrant colours. RHCP utilise similar visual style in many of their other music videos; for example, 'The Zephyr Song' uses very psychedelic imagery and dark, purplish colour filters like in 'Under the Bridge'.
There is an illustrative link between the lyrics and visuals in the video; for example, at 0:42 the line in the lyrics 'the city I live in' is accompanied by a superimposition of a city filled with tall buildings. Furthermore, the lyrics 'I drive through her streets' has a similar superimposition of a camera moving through the streets of a city, as if from the view of a car.
Throughout the video, there is also an amplifying relationship between the music and visuals; as the chorus is played for the first time at 1:26, there is an extreme closeup of half of the singer's face which is accompanied by another image of the singer from the chest-up. This is an example of an amplifying relationship because as the music becomes more intense with a more powerful guitar riff and louder drums, so do the vibrant colours and images. In this first chorus there is also images of the guitarist, bassist and drummer superimposed over each other at 1:37; therefore adding to the chaos and intensity of the chorus. At 1:45, the drummer is reflected onto himself, creating a symmetrical image which further adds to the wild, out of control nature of the video. The second chorus at 2:30, while having no shots of the drummer, guitarist and bassist, shows the singer performing with the images of a cheap looking house and the fret board of a guitar superimposed over him. There is also a vibrant background consisting of bright lights set against a dark sky. All of these images contribute to the sudden shift in tone of the music; from slow and melancholy to intense and polyphonic.
As a rock band, Goodwin's conventions regarding visual style and genre characteristics are relevant to Red Hot Chili Peppers. The music is powerful and slightly psychedelic, hence the video is filled with chaotic images and vibrant colours. RHCP utilise similar visual style in many of their other music videos; for example, 'The Zephyr Song' uses very psychedelic imagery and dark, purplish colour filters like in 'Under the Bridge'.
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