The Kooks - Naive analysis

The Kooks – Naïve



The genre of this song is indie. The music video is predominantly narrative based with lip-synching during the narrative by the lead singer of the band. The music video tells a story of a girl that is cheating on her boyfriend but he is afraid to leave her because he believes that she can change therefore he is the one who is naïve. He does not want to ask if her cheating is true because he is afraid of the answer: ‘true or false it may be’. The music video conforms to Godwin’s theory in the way that it is iconographic of an indie genre in the way that is simple and the lead singer is usually present in the narrative.

This music video conforms to Godwin’s theory in the sense that there is a relationship between the visuals and the lyrics. This is done in many cases throughout the music video’s narrative. The video also illustrates the lyrics, which again means the music video conforms to Godwin’s theory. For example when the lyrics say ‘pretty face’, a pretty girl is presented to the audience. The blonde hair of the girl stereotypically represents her as an innocent when in reality she is doing ‘an ugly thing’ as stated in the lyrics. The girl steps over a person lying on the floor, which is a stereotype of ‘the night after the party’. There is bright lighting during these frames, suggesting it is the day after the party. Where as the lighting when the lead singer is looking for the girl at the party is darker, suggesting it is a flashback. The contrast of lighting also demonstrates to the audience the different periods of time. The frame of the couple sitting on the bed suggests that he knows about her cheating. We as an audience realise this because of the bright lighting. The fact that they are apart implies that they are distant and there is no connection between them. His body language towards her when she is sick suggests that he is accustomed to helping her and that she is always getting drunk, hence why he is disappointed in her. The lyrics illustrate this point in the way that when she is sick, it is at the point where the lyrics say ‘an ugly thing’.

There is a contrast between these lyrics as it says ‘In such an ugly way something so beautiful’, suggesting she is beautiful but does something that is regarded as negative. At first the lyrics say ‘I’m not saying it’s your fault’ but at the end when he learns of what she has done, he says it is her fault showing how the lyrics move on as the narrative does. The lyrics are illustrated in the way that she is supposed to be someone sweet and naïve yet does bad things: Oh you're so naive yet so. How could this be done’. When he learns of the girls cheating, she comes after him but he pushes her away. His body language shows that he is fed up and disinterested, again signifying that it has happened before. This is also demonstrated by the lyrics ‘she’s still out to get me’. The lyrics are again illustrated in the way that it says ‘let me down’ when she comes out of the room and he sees that she has cheated.

The camerawork starts with the camera tracking the lead singer as he walks to the party. This makes the audience feel like they are moving with him and make them feel part of it. The camera tracking is slow like the pace of the song. Godwin’s theory is applied in this music video in the sense that voyeurism is used to create ‘fandom’, allowing the audience to connect with the star. This is done through the use of close ups. There are a lot of close ups throughout the video, again, allowing the audience to connect with the lead singer. There is a sense of ambiguity in the video as when the girl is cheating on her boyfriend, there are close ups of him having fun and laughing with his friends, unaware of what she is doing, even though the lyrics suggest it is a common thing with her. The use of a point of view shot when he sees her coming out of the toilet after she cheated on him, allows the audience to feel part of it, as though they are there too, experiencing what he is experiencing. There is a use of green lighting when there is the frame of the girl cheating. The setting is also dirty and dingy when she is in the toilet. These two factors illustrate the negative tone of what she is doing.

The editing of the music video is slow paced, mirroring the slow pace of the song. The editing is slightly faster paced when the chorus is playing and when there is action happening. When the lead singer is looking for the girl, it is almost as if it is slow motion, suggesting he has been looking for her for ages and is getting tired of it. The editing is also done in the way that when there is high pitch in the song, there is a flash of light, reflecting the flashing lights at the club/party. There is a use of editing when he bangs on the toilet door, the drums begin to play and he bangs to the drumbeat.
The representation of the lead singer is that he and the band are down to earth. The clothes they are wearing particularly show this. The clothes are simple and are not glamorous. The band is represented as having more interest in their music than in their fame. They are also represented as unique in the way their image is unusual – curly, big hair and the clothes they wear.

Overall the music video conforms to Godwin’s theory in the sense of voyeurism, illustrating the lyrics and the music video style. The mood of the music video has inspired me to use a similar mood in my music video in the way the star I am using is fed up, annoyed and disappointed.