Music Video Analysis

Music Video Analysis

Kings of Leon- Back Down South

Track: Back Down South

Artist: Kings Of Leon

The video for ‘Back Down South’ is a mix of concept and performance.

 It begins with an establishing shot of a rundown house in the middle of a field, immediately setting the scene for the video and suggesting that the video may be based around similar locations and that it may mean something to the band. The shot also looks very arty and eye catching, as it is bright and has been shot with through leaves which are out of focus.

The shot then changes to a close up of a band member playing the introduction on a guitar. 

The shots in the introduction to this video are quick, and appear to change with every full bar of music. Most of the shots in this introduction, which include a shot of inside a van driving around and young people driving round in an open topped car, have been used to set the scene of the video and to suggest that these surrounding relate to Kings of Leon in some way. We also see a few different shots of the band in the introduction, mostly up close shots of the instruments. As the vocals kick in in the song, we see a group shot of the band performing, over the heads of extras wearing stereotypical ‘southern’ costumes.

The atmosphere and setting of the video remains constant throughout, and we are shown a lot of different areas of the southern area the video is set. This has been done to suggest that these areas again relate to Kings of Leon. Those who are fans of Kings of Leon will know they are originally from Tennessee, a well-known Southern state in the United States. This explains the choice of setting in the video, which is very different from videos that the band have released in the past. It shows the band performing where they grew up as children, hence relating to the title of the song ‘Back Down South’. The video seems to follow a group of young people, who are preparing for a party or some sort of event, which is then shown to be a live performance by Kings of Leon later on in the video.

The feeling of the video is very relaxed and slow, matching the slow tempo of the song. Most of the shots throughout the video are similar; the most popular shot appears to be a moving shot, filmed from a driven car or van.

The idea behind this video appears to be to present the South as a beautiful, lively and fun place, which is shown through the sunlit, bright scenery that is used.

This video is highly based around the scenery that has been used, and the way it has been filmed. By not using a cliché narrative, the video remains ambiguous and visually appealing to the target audience. This is something I would like to use in my video, as it makes for a much more interesting video.