Textual Analysis of ‘ILYSB’ by LANY

A2 Media

1. Textual Analysis of ‘ILYSB’ by LANY By Jessica Howie

2. ‘ILYSB’ also known as ‘I Love You So Bad’ by LANY is a hit single from their new self-titled album. The album features the single ‘Good Girls’ which also has a music video. ‘ILYSB’ is a performance and narrative music video, released on January 19 th 2017. The music video shows the lead singer Paul Klein, obsessing over a girl he loves who is in a relationship with another man. Within the music video the band make masks and break into the woman’s house. Klein beats her boyfriend with a baseball bat, while his friends force her to watch. The performance of the video takes place within a car and a bedroom. The video fits with the lyrics of the song, which is about loving someone so much that they’re all you care about and all that you will ever want.

3. Sound: There is no narrative or sound effects within the music video. The only sound is the music of the song ‘ILYSB’ which has been placed over the top of the music video. During some of the video, the singer and main character within the video, Klein, lip syncs to the song making the music seem diegetic. There is also a pause of silence within the music as Paul reveals his identity to his love interest during the video. Even though there is no narrative, the love interest and her partner mime conversation during the video. They are shown laughing and enjoying their conversations, this is to make them seem very close and clearly love each other which provokes Klein’s jealousy and anger.

4. Mise - En -Scene: Location: The music video takes place in several locations. Firstly, in a bedroom and a car where Paul lip syncs and plans his revenge with his friends. Secondly at the love interest’s boyfriend’s house, where Klein and his friends attack them. There is a noticeable contrast between Klein’s home and the Boyfriend’s house also. Klein’s room is dark and small with little decoration or furniture, where as his love interest’s boyfriend’s house is very upper class, clean and well furnished. This conveys the difference between the angry, jealous Klein and the happy, well-organised boyfriend. Iconography: Photographs of the love interest character are used on Klein’s wall to show his obsession with her and his desperation to be with her. Baseball bats and creepy masks are used to show Klein and his friend’s are going to beat up the love interest’s boyfriend, the masks also show that they don’t want to reveal their identity when performing their attack. Klein also has a lollipop which he uses as a microphone and eats during his singing scenes within the bedroom. This could also connote that Klein’s character is immature and childish by being so jealous and seeking revenge of his love interest and her boyfriend.

5. Costume: In the music video the love interest and her partner both wear smart clothing which suggests they’re of a higher class and possibly trying to impress each other. The three main band members wore more casual clothes. When Klein is in his room he also wears a cheetah print shirt and his underwear which suggests a very comfy, lazy atmosphere. He also is still wearing the cheetah print shirt when he attacks his love interest’s partner, this conveys a contrast between Klein fantasizing about the fight in his room and then actually beating up the man in his home. Lighting: There is a lot of natural bright lighting within the music video. When in the car the lighting is natural as the car is open top so the light of the sky lights the scene. Within the couple’s home the lighting is bright as there is a lot of windows and light colours in the luxury home which creates bright, natural lighting. However, Klein’s room is the only location that is dimly lit with only a little bit of natural light coming through some high up, small windows. This connotes that in the room we see a look into Klein’s dark thoughts and fantasies and his jealousy towards his crush’s boyfriend and his desperation to punish him. Mise - En -Scene:

6. Acting-Code: In the music video there is a lot of acting within the narrative. The couple act in love and clearly show a close relationship. However, when they’re threatened by Klein and his friends the man acts defensive until he is beaten, the woman also acts very protective of her boyfriend and in distress when she cannot help him when he is being attacked. Klein acts desperately in love with the woman to the point of an unhealthy obsession and shows a lot of aggression towards her boyfriend. He is very eager to break into the couple’s home and attack them, however, there seems to be sadness in his face when he reveals himself to his love interest after the attack. His friends and fellow band members clearly show support to Klein and want to help him get his revenge. Positioning: When in the car Klein sits separate to his friends who are at the front of the car, this connotes that Klein is the main character and his friends are just there to help his plan go underway. Also, when Klein beats up his crush’s boyfriend he towers over him as he hits him, showing he has power over him as he hurts him and prevents him from defending himself. Klein’s friend, Les, also has power over the woman as he stands over her, holding his bat across her so she can’t move to defend her boyfriend while he is beaten. Mise - En -Scene:

7. Camerawork: Extreme Close Up: There isn’t many main close ups within the music video. However, there is one very noticeable extreme close up shot, which is at the start, it shows the main female love interest’s eyes and then shows her face smiling at the camera. This could possibly imply that she is smiling at the main character Klein and therefore suggests Klein’s anger and jealousy is due to a possible past relationship the two had. Close Up: Close ups are used within the music video to show facial expressions and actions. There is a lot of close ups on the characters’ faces during the music video as the strong, violent narrative causes a lot of emotion. There is also close ups on the band members’ actions when they are sneaking into the couple’s home, such as showing them open the door and walking on the stairs. Lastly, there is also a close up on a glass smashing on the table, which conveys the destruction Klein and his friends are causing at the home. Mid Shot: Mid shots are mainly used the music video to show characters having conversations or to show Klein lip syncing to the song. This is so the mouth movement of the characters can be seen but we can also see their body language, which helps the audience to interpret the emotions the characters are expressing through their silent speech.

8. Long Shot: Long shots are used within the music video to show actions and bodily movement. A long shot is used to show Klein and his friends approaching his victims’ house, this tells us where they are going. There is also a long shot on Klein doing exercises within his room which connotes that he is preparing for his attack. Lastly, long shots are used during the car scenes in order to show the movement and surroundings of the car. Extreme Long Shot: An extreme long shot is only used once within the music video. Towards the end of the video we see Klein stand up on the backseat of the car. This shot is a long shot as we can see Klein stood in the car, but we can also see all of the cars surroundings. This shot is used to add a dramatic effect to the ending of the music video and perhaps connote that Klein’s revenge has made him feel free. Camerawork:

9. Cut Transitions: Cut transitions were used within this music video to cut each clip straight into the next in order to create a steady, continuous flow between the different shots. These transitions also sped up with the beat of the music, especially during the fight scene which connotes tension and aggression. Cut Away: A cut away was also used during the fight scene of the music video to show a glass be shattered on the table. This shot was shown as a cut away, separate to the scene of the fight in order to show the impact and damage of Klein’s actions. Editing:

10. This music video follows several of Andrew Goodwin’s 6 features of music videos. Firstly the music video keeps to the conventions of the song’s genre, which is Indie Pop/Alternative Rock. This is connoted through the theme of love and depression, the dark and natural lighting and the emotional narrative. The lyrics and visuals are also linked well as the song speaks about being obsessively in love with someone and we see Klein obsessing over the girl. There are lots of shots of the band, especially the lead singer Paul Klein, within the music video which draws attention the them as the main image of the band’s music. There are references to notions of looking such as Klein looking in the mirror, staring at pictures of his love interest and revealing his face to her later in the music video. Theory: