Moodboard for If It Makes You Happy

Change of plan...

After many attempts at doing my storyboard for Somewhere Else by Razorlight I came to a standstill and decided to change my ideas. I have chosen to do If It Makes You Happy by Sheryl Crow which I have thought of many ideas for my video unlike the Razorlight song. There are several different versions of the song (different lengths) but I have not been able to get hold of a shorter version so will be editing my version (5:25) down on Garage Band to make a shorter song.

Below are my lyrics including the ones which I am going to highlight/ illustrate/ amplify in green:

I've been long, a long way from here
Put on a poncho, played for mosquitos,
And drank til I was thirsty again
We went searching through thrift store jungles
Found Geronimo's rifle, Marilyn's shampoo
And Benny Goodman's corset and pen

Well, o.k. I made this up
I promised you I'd never give up

[Chorus]
If it makes you happy
It can't be that bad
If it makes you happy
Then why the hell are you so sad

You get down, real low down
You listen to Coltrane, derail your own train
Well who hasn't been there before?
I come round, around the hard way
Bring you comics in bed, scrape the mold off the bread
And serve you french toast again

Well, o.k. I still get stoned
I'm not the kind of girl you'd take home

Chorus

We've been far, far away from here
Put on a poncho, played for mosquitos
And everywhere in between
Well, o.k. we get along
So what if right now everything's wrong?

Chorus


I have chosen these lyrics as I want to show someone who is her own worst enemy and a man who loves her but thinks she goes too far with things (particularly alcohol) and knows that she might not be the ideal girl ('I'm not the kind of girl you'd take home') but cannot help but love her as she makes him happy.

Lyrics for music video- somewhere else by razorlight

You're an emotional wreck
You don't know who you are
You never say what you mean
And you keep your mouth shut
And your night stays still
And then you come and call on me
You say I just can't help myself
I really, really wish I could be
Somewhere else than here
And I met a girl
She asked me my name
I told her what it was
She looked at me
I tried to explain
Exactly what I'd lost

But now I just can't help myself
I really, really wish I could be
Somewhere else than here
You give me everything I need
But I really, really wish I could be
Somewhere else than here
Just anywhere else
Just anywere else than here

And I won't forget
No, I won't forget
No, I won't forget

When I saw you there
It was the first time
And you just walked on by
I was catching the sparks
That flew from your heels
Trying to catch your eye

But that was somewhere else
Yeah somewhere else, somewhere else
I really, really wish I could be
Somewhere else, somewhere else, somewhere else
I really, really wish I could be
Cause I just can't help myself,
I really, really wish I could be
Somewhere else than here

And no, I just can't help myself
I really, really wish I could
I've got everything I need
I really, really wish I could be
Somewhere else, somewhere else, somewhere else
I really, really wish I could be

Essay on Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer

The song was recorded and released in 1997 by band ‘Sixpence None The Richer’ on their third album and also as a single. The song did well in both the UK and USA and was the highest charted song the band had ever made. Since then the song has been used in many television programmes and films. Interestingly the song was written by a man called Matt Slocum for his wife but is actually sung by the female of the band.

The opening sequence begins with a group of five people together sitting on a bench. Their backs are towards the camera and the sky is dark with stars which suggests this is a romantic song. Throughout the sequence there are several special effects such as the star moving around the females face as if putting her in a trance with shows the romance.

At the beginning there is a medium long shot which shows the mood lit sky and the backs of the people. The next shot was a surprise as I believed it to be a shot from the front to show the peoples faces but instead it was close ups of the backs of their heads therefore creating mystery and making the viewers wonder who they are and why they are there. There are lots of close ups of the band which agrees with Goodwin’s theory that there is a demand for lots of close ups. Especially there are close ups of the blonde haired female singer who is the only female in the band. There are close up on her lips which shows a connection between the lyrics and also on her eyes which again suggests that this is a romantic song. The shots of the band often use the rule of thirds which draws the viewers in to focus on their faces and features.
Goodwin also states that there may be intertextual references which are true of this song when scenes from popular television show Dawson’s Creek are shown on a screen. The lyrics match the visual therefore illustrating the lyrics. When the Dawson’s is shown it is also on a television set which shows voyeurism and dates the music video because it is an older television.
Often the shot begins out of focus and then becomes in focus. This is used in combination with the lyrics as the singer appears as if she wants to be kissed and is in a daze because of who she is sitting next to. Throughout the sequence the camera work shows different parts of the bodies likes legs and backs of heads in order to give the viewer a fuller picture of the group.

To conclude, this music video agrees with Goodwin’s theory as there is definitely a strong link between the song and the video especially certain clips of the video which illustrate the lyrics but additionally the video contradicts the lyrics because the female singer who is surrounded by men does not attract any of their attention therefore she is not getting kissed.

Kiss Me video by Sixpence None The Richer