Beach Boys- Wouldn't It Be Nice(1966)
Wouldn't It Be Nice was the opening track on the 1966 album "Pet Sounds" and was one of this american rock band's greatest hits. In this music video, we can clearly see the transformation from the 1950's to the 1960's, as this video isn't simply a performance. For the first half of the video we are shown the group swimming in a pool and having fun, with some comedy parts as well. The use of these band members swimming and enjoying themselves relates to the song lyrics, where the song is supposed to reflect wishing that you could go back and experience childhood once more, something they are doing in the video. This is something fresh for music video's of the time as having something else other than the performance was different and new. The mise-on-scene is also important in this video, with the members of the band wearing white possibly connoting their purity and making them seem above normal people. Also the band is set up in the standard way, with the drums behind the lead vocalist and the two guitarists to the side, adhering to typical music video stereotypes. Overall this was a great music video of the time and was the one of the first to start using something other than a performance.
Brown Eyed Girl was a song written and released in 1967- it features on the "Top 500 songs of all time"- placing 110th. The video for this song is another live performance, so it shows that music video's are still developing as this is the pre-MTV era. There is no band shown in this performance which is unusual, but it helps show Van Morrison as the lead and solo artist on the song. The mise-on-scene he is wearing is also typical of the 60's, and would have appealed to the mass market greatly, as these types of clothing were popular. The performance does include some different camera angles, whilst the main shot mainly being a close up of some very poor lip synching, there are also some use of side-on camera angles and medium range shots to add some shot variation to the video. Overall, this video is more reminiscent of the 1950's music video's and doesn't really use much more than a performance.
Help is a song by the Beatles released in 1965. The song ranked number 29 on the greatest songs of all time list. This music video reflects and signals the start of traditional boyband stereotypes. In the video all 4 of the band members are shown as being different and individual, with Ringo at the back with a comedic umbrella, a good use of mise-on-scene, and the rest of the Beatles singing. Also, the layout of the band is important, as they are all behind each other, often with one Beatles member's head popping out from behind another, whilst Ringo is at the back as a drummer usually is. Also, the use of the rain at the end of the video is good as it reflects the songs message and represents the lyrics, something that hasn't been seen too often in music videos of this era. Lastly, there is a lot of shot variation in the video, with the standard front shot being used a lot along with rolling shots of each band member as they song, combined with a few longer range shots. This is again something rarely used in music videos of the 60's as music video's were only just progressing from simple performances. Overall this is a crucial music video that helped to set up typical boy band conventions for years to come.
Van Morrison- Brown Eyed Girl(1967)
Help!- The Beatles (1965)
Help is a song by the Beatles released in 1965. The song ranked number 29 on the greatest songs of all time list. This music video reflects and signals the start of traditional boyband stereotypes. In the video all 4 of the band members are shown as being different and individual, with Ringo at the back with a comedic umbrella, a good use of mise-on-scene, and the rest of the Beatles singing. Also, the layout of the band is important, as they are all behind each other, often with one Beatles member's head popping out from behind another, whilst Ringo is at the back as a drummer usually is. Also, the use of the rain at the end of the video is good as it reflects the songs message and represents the lyrics, something that hasn't been seen too often in music videos of this era. Lastly, there is a lot of shot variation in the video, with the standard front shot being used a lot along with rolling shots of each band member as they song, combined with a few longer range shots. This is again something rarely used in music videos of the 60's as music video's were only just progressing from simple performances. Overall this is a crucial music video that helped to set up typical boy band conventions for years to come.
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