I've been analysing the music videos for the singles off the album Save Rock and Roll by Fall Out boy for a while now.
I analyse music videos from other artists too but I probably enjoy analysing theses a little more, I like the way the videos tell a story.
There is so much more to work out and decipher than that of an average music video, I like seeing things from earlier videos turn up in later videos with more explanation.
The only problem with stories that explain them selves better later on, is that I end up with a long list of things I either didn't see or understand from earlier videos popping up in newer videos.
I then end up trying to explain things that happened earlier, in post for more recent videos and end up really confusing myself.
It's awful.
I've Now decided to make a recap.
I like discussing things with people in the comments and it's always a good idea to check because other people have some interesting theories.
So even if you aren't thinking about commenting I recommend having a look, interesting to see what others have written.
Any way my point is someone wrote a comment on the Where Did the Party Go post, I thought they made some really cool points, I've thought about those points a little since and expanded on them.
He made a point that the kidnappers could represent the music industry, if that is the case that would mean the band is being manipulated an abused by all the people in the industry so that would mean: Record labels, the news, fans/haters and Other artists are all conspiring against them .
The Phoenix
I would say that in the phoenix video the band has made music (which is what's inside the case).
The music is very valuable and they want to keep it safe which is why everyone is so interested in it.
The boy in that video is like a fan, Patrick is trusting toward this boy and he likes the attention from the boy which is the start of all the pain.
The band were effectively picked up by a record label and were taken from their normal, boring lives.
The act of being kidnapped by the industry is a metaphor of becoming famous, because clearly your life would drastically change the second you became famous.
They went from people taking part in every day life minding their own business to people who were being chased and hunted by people, similar to the relationship of celebrity and paparazzi.
I didn't understand why Patrick had his hand cut off in The Phoenix video, I think my explanation was that they wanted the case and they wanted to get it from him in the most horrible way possible, which I guess is also true but I now have a new theory.
I think he lost his arm to show what artist sacrifice to become famous, Being a musician hands are very important.
I think that being signed by a record label is probably quite restricting, it's obviously great because now the signed artist now has the funding to create music, but at the same time you're at the mercy of a bigger organisation and if they decide not to promote an artists album or give them as many tour dates there isn't a lot the artist can do about it.
By having his hand cut off it's like saying that "if we can't have you nobody will" and now Patrick can't perform for anyone else.
Young Volcanoes
In the Young Volcanoes Video the band are in a way enjoying themselves, they have been signed and they now have money and attention and begin to indulge themselves.
It looks like the "industry" are making them indulge but I don't think it's as simple as that.
Clearly a record label/newspaper/fans aren't going to give an artist drugs and alcohol and then make them consume it.
What I do think is that many artist/celebrities do suffer with substance abuse when they become famous, I think that the celebrity lifestyle often leads to addiction.
So in a way the "industry" may have indirectly caused artists and celebrities to experience the events as seen in Young Volcanoes.
Alone Together
This video was interesting, I think this is the first time we saw how fame effected the band, we saw Andy's privacy being invaded, Joe being heckled by "fans/haters", Pete having his romantic life on display to the paparazzi (and then the end of his relationship) and poor Patrick being "changed".
If in this case the kidnappers in Patrick's room are a record label then that would mean that they want him to behave in a certain way and gain control of him.
This makes sense seeing as he only changes when that tape is played, it could be a metaphor of how most artists are expected to behave in a certain way in videos and promotional material.
Many female artists for example are very sexulised in their videos, now I very much doubt that these women dress and act sexually in every day situations, like going out to pick their children up from school or grocery shopping.
When the tape plays Patrick's eyes change, that change is physical like how some artists might be expected to dress more sexually, The change in his personality is similar to how artist might have to act more sexually.
Of course male artists can be sexulised too and artists can be changed for reasons other than sexulisation.
I think that Patrick being changed is interesting because it could explain all of the artists involvement.
The motives of the other artists
I came to the conclusion (in the Death Valley analysis) that the kidnappers are against music and that they are kidnapping artists and are torturing and using them yet so many artists are involved in this.
2 Chaniz
First up is 2 Chainz, the first artist we see in My Songs Know What you Did In The dark, he is a rapper and he was shown to set alight the van with Fall Out Boy inside of it.
I personally believe that he was being manipulated in a similar way to Patrick, he was wearing sunglasses so my theory is neither proven true or false.
When a rapper is asked to feature on another artists track they will usually write their own verses.
Fall Out Boy
The next artist/Artists would be Fall Out Boy themselves, Patrick is clearly being manipulated but the rest of the band are also being manipulated.
There seems to be a game of cat and mouse going on, they think they are safe and everything is finally going to be okay but then they get recaptured again.
In a way I guess this is like a metaphor for life in general, sometimes good things will happen and sometimes bad things will happen but no matter what something bad and something good are going to be coming your way eventually.
In the Death Valley video Joe signs up with the devil and Andy and Pete join the resistance.
The devil could represent corporate music labels and the rebels an Indy label.
Big Sean
Then there is Big Sean.
He is also a rapper only he doesn't seem to cooperate with the kidnappers as well as 2 Chainz seems to.
He is interesting because he is pretty much the first person to be seen in the same situation as Fall Out Boy, if the change in eyes means that someone is being controlled then that would mean that Sean isn't being controlled, other wise then the kidnappers would've simply "changed his eyes" to gain control of him and not kill him.
I think that perhaps he isn't being controlled because he is a rapper and the record label has less control over his opinions so he is able stand up to them to some degree.
In the end it proved futile because he was killed, that could be a representation of someone standing up to their record label because they don't like what they are doing, but then getting dropped and or sued by their record label.
Foxes
The next artist is foxes, she is a singer song writer who featured on the Just One Yesterday Single.
In the video she is seen driving a red van, she picks up the band and takes them to Linda Vista.
Although she set the band up and used the tape to "change" Patrick I don't think she is evil.
At the end of the video her eyes changed to black at the end of the video similar to how Patrick's eyes change.
Another thing that makes me think he wasn't really evil was how she leaned out of the window of the van and let go of the steering wheel.
That makes me think she didn't want to take the band to the hospital.
I think because foxes is the kind of artist who features on lots of other artists tracks she represents the new female artist , she is does what she is expected of, even if she doesn't really want to do it or her label will drop her or she won't become successful.
It is similar to how a singer song writer might feature on a song they don't like or write a song that aren't proud of for money.
Tommy Lee
He plays the devil, the drummer of Motley Crue is known for drug taking and he has been in trouble with the police many times so he would make the perfect Satan.
My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark
This is the first video to be released and it is the video where the band's equipment, the bands merchandise and the band members them selves are being burnt.
I would say this is meant to represent the break up of the band.
I would like to say this is a metaphor of being dropped by a record label, like the record label has finished with them and is now trying to destroy them, the only problem with that theory is that in the next video they aren't dead, they are let go and hunted back down by someone.
Maybe this isn't about a record label maybe it's another area in "the industry", maybe in this case it's about the critics giving them bad reviews or
The Mighty Fall
This episode is where we get to see how the tape effects Patrick for the first time.
Even though they are no longer with their record label (they seemingly escaped) Patrick is still being controlled, possibly due to a contract.
The children are possibly meant to be "fans" I use the word fan loosely because clearly fans don't bludgeon their idols.
I think these "fans" are angry either because of the split, the last album or the band member's solo careers, the verbal abuse the band got when they split has been represented in this video with physical abuse.
The band part ways.
Just One Yesterday
In the video for Just One Yesterday everyone is experiencing horrible things as they recover from the events of The Might Fall.
Foxes picks everyone up and drops them off at Linda Vista.
I think this is the video where they regret splitting, clearly they split for a reason. (the reason is the events from Alone Together I.E the heckling from "fans", The invasion of privacy and that sort of thing.)
But the only other people who knows what each band member is going through is the other members in the band which isn't really good enough on it's own.
Being back together doesn't heal their wounds or protect them and Patrick is still being controlled so in the end their reunion solves nothing.
This could potentially be the point where the band got back together slowly but at this point they haven't worked out their differences.
The tape is played and Patrick changes, possibly because he still has a contract.
Where Did The Party Go
When at Linda Vista Patrick attacks the other band members, he kills Joe and Pete phones the police.
The location is a famous setting for music videos, it is also supposedly haunted.
The music video is essentially filmed in a haunted hospital where music videos are filmed and it features ghosts.
The location lives up to it's legacy.
I had a hard time trying to work out the meaning of this video and i'm still not 100% sure what it means.
The band seems to be trying to open doors and escape so it could be a metaphor of having limited opportunities or something, seeing as they found it so hard trying find doors that actually opened.
It could reference the phrase "having a door slammed in your face".
Death valley
This episode is the aftermath of the events from Where Did The Party Go, Patrick is arrested for killing Joe, Joe goes to hell and makes a pact with the devil, Andy and Pete get some weapons and the ring leader is revealed.
Joe most likely went to hell because of the sins he committed in Young Volcanoes. (gluttony from over eating, and lust for dancing with nude women)
It looks like Andy and Pete have joined the resistance against the kidnappers which in a way is similar to joining an independent record label.
Both Patrick and Joe are taken away by women.
And that is the story so far, however there are some things I don't understand still.
Things that are still unexplained
- Why was there an image of a blue spotted stingray in The Phoenix video?
- Why did Pete Wentz release a bird of prey?
- What is in the case?
- What are the kidnappers trying to achieve?
- Why was 2 Chainz working with the kidnappers?
- What happened to Foxes?
lindo
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