SETTLE DOWN ~KIMBRA. Music Video Analysis. Thursday, November 14, 13

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1 SETTLE DOWN ~KIMBRA Music Video Analysis

2 Kimbra Kimbra is a New Zealand born artist recording in Australia. Settle Down is a the hit single off her album Vows. Vows, which came out in 2011, was Kimbra s first album and was 3 1/2 years in the making. Kimbra describes Settle Down as a rhythmic collage of handclaps, cheeky horn parping, and a ballooning bassline married to escapist lyrics about domesticity.

3 François Tétaz François Tétaz is Australian Producer and Film Music Writer best known for his work with Gotye and award winning film scores for the movie Wolf Creek. The realization of Kimbra s album was highly influenced by her director. He co-wrote Settle Down with Kimbra and produced the video. This explains the intense cohesiveness between lyrics, music and image. Tétaz s focus on Imagery taught Kimbra to treat her album like a film. The aspects of film and storytelling are evident throughout the video.

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5 Themes/ Shifts 1. Innocence, hope and emotional yearning 2. Disappointment caused by the imperfection of the real world 3. Loss of innocence, descent into darkness

6 Lets Play Pretend- The dollhouse We'll call her Nebraska Nebraska Jones She'll have your nose Just so you know There appears to be a strong dichotomy in the video: the theme of the lyrics is fairly serious and mature (discussing domesticity and goals in marriage) yet there is a certain innocence and childishness in the way she describes the relationship. The images show children playing adults. The use of the mannequin husband and the whimsical 50s setting creates a dollhouse stage for the video. This childlike mentality is mirrored by the porcelain dolls behind Kimbra in the singing and dancing scenes, connecting the story and Kimbra in a tangible way. However, on closer inspection, the lines between child s make believe and adult reality blur. The music carefully balances these two elements: it is complex and varied with a pop-y hook and some more moody and introspective vocal sections.

7 The DOLLHOUSE Analysis In a lot of ways, the dollhouse elements of the story give a comical and whimsical edge to the video. However, on closer inspection, the cynical and serious nature of the subject is revealed. We live in a culture that still promotes traditional family values to young girls, yet these values in modern culture don t really seem tangible. Girls still grow up playing with dolls and dreaming of marriage. They have unrealistic expectations of what awaits them in life, yet these values are still deeply engrained in them from a young age. In our contemporary society, these traditional values seem to reflect the pure, innocent nature of children. There is certainly irony in this fact.

8 Preparing The House 1:42-2:02 Star so light, star so bright, first star I see tonight Star so Light, star so bright, keep him by my side During the section from 1:42 to 2:02, the music builds in intensity to the climax. This mirrors the intensity we see as the little girl prepares the house in a frenzied effort to save her marriage. The lyrics in this part of the song mirrors the scene. The words are childish yet hopeful: Kimbra wishes upon a star to keep her man by her side.

9 DISAPPOINTMENT 2:03-2:43 After the climax, the mood becomes darker and more introspective. At 2:03, the tempo slows down, the words become longer and more exaggerated. At this point, the building instrumentals stop and there are only vocals left (Kimbra s voice and the backup vocals).visually, this dark mood is also reflected through expressions of little girl and Kimbra. The atmosphere at the dinner table is dark: the only light comes from the chandeliers in the background. This scene contrasts the brighter lighting in the first scene where we initially saw the little girl at the dinner table with her husband.

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11 LOSS OF INNOCENCE When the girls join her on stage to dance at 2:24, Kimbra returns to the more pop-y lyrics and hook from the earlier section; however, here the music seems ironic. This scene shows the contrasts between innocence and corruption. The girls are both wearing white nightgowns. In contrast, Kimbra wears a short, black dress. The girls dance extremely traditionally and simply while Kimbra s dancing is more sensual. This contrast in color and style is important. The girls represent naivety and purity, while Kimbra represents corruption.

12 Loss of Innocence 3:40-4:02 At 3:04, the porcelain dolls on the shelves burst into flame. There are several shots of the dolls melting and distorting in the flames from 3:40 to 3:42. This is the burning of innocence, of childhood, and of young dreams. For a brief second at 4:02, we see the two little girls put their heads down as they finish their dance. This is a classic finish, yet it can also be interpreted to represent the end of innocence. This is the last moment we see the little girls. For the rest of the video, we see only Kimbra in black. Innocence is now gone.

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14 Kimbra s Settle Down is very unique in contemporary music. While lyrically most contemporary songs deal with breakups, sex, and unrequited love, this song takes a unique angle: marriage. This is usually not a topic we see in this type of music because in a lot of ways, it feels outdated and strange. A girl pining to bring a man down on just one knee and having children is not what most young people are thinking about. In a lot of ways, this song is not very relatable. However, on closer inspection, the unique combination of music, words, and images displays a strong message about contemporary society and shifting social values. Settle Down addresses the issues of cheating and marriage while pointing out the longevity of these issues. It also criticizes the perpetuation of traditional values for young girls, who will ultimately be disillusioned and corrupted by the changing values of contemporary society. This music video follows the loss of innocence in an imperfect world.

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