Goodwins Theory

Goodwin's Theory:

• Applied to grime/R+B music.
• Links between lyrics and visuals.
• Links between music and the visuals ( either complimentary, contradicting or amplification.)
• Genre characteristics.
• Intertextual references.
• Notions of looking (objectification of women.)
• Voyeurism direct gaze, other people looking at artist, insight into artists life (screens or mirrors).
• Demands of record label (representation of artist).
• Performance based, narrative based, concept based music videos.

Now I am going to apply this theory to some music videos I am familiar with.
Ok. So links between lyrics and visuals through an R+B genre music video or Grime.
A music video which presents weird representations and creatively represents the theme of the song is 'Power-Kayne West'.
The lyrics that show direct connection to the visuals are:
' No one man should have all that power.'
In the video we see the artist stood surrounded women which seems to represent Greek mythical creatures such as the sphinx and behind him in the background there's podiums which look like a popular image representation of Olympus which is the place of the gods (so the Greeks believed). We also see two men attempt to attack him and he shows strength by not even flinching. This music video also shows another point of the Goodwin's theory being 'demands of record label' as representation of the artist is shown.

A typical Grime music video would show Jewellery, narrative, lyrics being written, urban clothing, and scenes showing off the body.
A music video which springs to my mind showing lyrics being written in the music video is 'No love- Eminem'. I think this helps show the originality of artist and allows the video to show the deep connection the artist has with their music and their lyrics.
The music Video for 'Lil' Wayne- Mirror' shows him confidently and obviously showing off his body within the fist few seconds to either intimidate or attract viewers into watching the video.

Fragmented visuals showing the audience stages and pieces of the narrative help to build up a story within the music video easier with the limited time. A music video which seems to do this is 'Love the way you lie-Eminem' . We see the video change from a narrative and characters to the artist singing his own song. This also fits in with 'Demand of record label' so the artist is shown to draw a fan base in.