Music Video Analysis 2: The Kooks - Naive

For my second analysis I chose to use The Kooks who are also a popular indie rock style band, signed by Virgin Records. I chose to use their video as it is a similar style to the one which we would like to achieve, going with the mixture of the performance and the narrative. Also one of the main people which the narrative focuses on is someone  in a club and being drunk which also follows our lyrics therefore is similar to what music video we are going to create. The song peaked at number 5 in the UK charts in March 2006 as part of their debut album 'Inside In/Inside Out'






The opening shot for this video involves the lead singer, Luke Pritchard, walking slowly down the stairs with his hands in his pockets and his body language/ facial expressions suggesting is he unhappy or glum about something. The opening lines, 'I'm not saying it was your fault, although you could have done more. You're so naive yet so' which are the lines repeatedly used throughout. Instantly suggests to the audience that his sad expressions will have something to do with his relationship or a girl. He walks into a building and seems to be looking for someone, you then realise that he is in a club as he walks through the main dance floor. The video uses straight cuts which switches to a different narrative of people who are waking up, looking like they had been out the night before. This suggests to the audience that it is the following morning to him being in the club and the club shots are flashbacks, or that the waking up are flashbacks suggests that drinking/ being in clubs is something they do on a regular basis.

Whilst he is walking through the club he keeps stopping and looking at blonde women, who look similar to the woman in the flashback. Automatically suggesting that the woman who the song is based upon is that woman and thats who he is looking for. The video uses straight cuts to switch to the blonde woman with a glass of wine in her hand and stumbling showing that she is very drunk. Her being drunk could explain the flashbacks possibly suggesting she does this a lot, and could possibly lead to being an alcoholic which would correspond with the lyrics 'such an ugly name, for something so beautiful'

The Video shows the woman falling into a guy who looks similar to her partner/ the person who is looking for her, suggesting she is looking for him but is too drunk and mistakes him for someone else. This could also be what is putting strain onto the relationship as if the other man didn't push her off it could lead to her being unfaithful. Other lyrics which also suggests that she is cheating on him includes; 'and every time your on his side' suggesting there are other men involved; 'I know she knows that I'm not fond of asking' Suggesting that he knows she is unfaithful towards him and she knows that he has an idea of what she is doing but doesn't like asking her about it; 'your so naive yet so' The main line which is used throughout the song is suggesting that she is naive to think that he wouldn't find out. The video matches well with these lyrics as the video leads to her being in the toilets with another man.

Towards the end of the song this comes true and he sees her walking out the toilet followed by another man which was in there with her. An over the shoulder shot is used to show his reaction and him walking away from her. The lyrics which are being used at the time 'just don't let me down' are ironic as he's asking her not to let him down although he has already caught her cheating on him therefore already letting him down. After finding her he is pushing his way through the crowd, obviously angry about what he just saw when a guy pushes him leading him to retaliate and push him back. Showing the audience the effect that she has on him as she has obviously made him angry. The final shot involves him and another guy, possibly a friend sat at the bar watching her stumble by them with another glass of wine in her hand. This supports the theory that she drinks too much. It also suggests to the audience that he might have realised that he should stop helping her as earlier in the video, he holds her hair back for her when she is throwing up, however now at the end he is just watching her stumble away showing that he has made progress and he no long wants to be 'let down'