Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
The video starts off with a memeber of Snow Patrol sitting alone in a cafe, which then changes to him laying on the floor alone. The words 'If I lay here, If I just lay here, Would you lie with me and just forget the world?' follows as he is on the floor, and therefore the video and can be said to be a explicit meaning, by simply 'laying there with him'. However this is also considered to carry both an implicit and subtextual meaning as it does not necissarily mean to lay there, but to be comitted in the relationship as the lyrics are about love and is expressed with a negotiated reading within the video.
In the next scene he is seen walking through the streets at night, again alone with the words 'I don't quite know, How to say, How I feel' which means its hard to express love, and needs patience and time for two people to fall in love. He has fallen for someone and the lyrics expresses the fact that you don't need anyone or anything except the person that you share the purity with.
When the song gets back to the chorus, he is seen laying down yet again but this time in the streets, of late night traffic. 'Forget what we're told' suggests going back and forgetting everything around them other than each other and ignore what others may think, if they disapprove. However, we don't know how she feels about him, so the lyrics create an atmosphere where we think she feels the same too.
The video can be considered to be implicit because for some it may be harder to understand. for example, the meaning of the lyrics could have been expressed simply by a man and woman who are deeply in love, instead Snow Patrol decide to express this via a subtextual interpretation where there needs to be a wider discussion of the text.
Rihanna - Unfaithful
"Its about a young woman who cheats on her husband constantly, and she knows he knows. He is just too sweet to either confront her or divorce, so he lets her destroy his spirit. Her regret and willingness to change is poured out in the song. She wants to be faithful to him once more. Does she? We never actually know. The music video isn't encouraging. It shows that she keeps "lying" (remember that both of them know that he knows she's cheating!) to him"
Rihanna is seen looking in the mirror in black, dressing herself, and we automatically assume she has been unfaithful, hence the song title. The low key lighting creates a dark room and atmosphere and makes us focus and diverts all attention on her. The writing/grpahitii on the wall suggests she is in an unknown and perhaps a hidden location which creates an enigmatic effect.
Dominant Reading - suggests she doesnt want to be unfaithful anymore, at the end of video she decides to commit herself to one man due to the guilt inside of her, however this is debateable as we are only making assumptions. "And I know that he knows I'm unfaithful, And it kills him inside, To know that I am happy with some other guy" suggests that the guy she is cheating with has to accept that she has another man in her life that makes her happy and upsets him.
Later on she says "I say I won't be long just hanging with the girls, A lie I didn't have to tell" which shows that she is struggling to keep up with the lies and feels guilty about it.
Explicit meaning - music video follows throught what the lyrics say
subtextual meaning - black dress may represent infidelity, deciet and betrayal
implicit - we do not know why she was unfaithful, creates multiple meanings.
"kills him inside", "i don't wanna be a murderer" - rihanna makes references to death which shows the extent being unfaithful has and how much is hurts. the pain is too much to handle for both of them, so it is down to her to do something about it, to prevent either of them hurting.
