The second part of Goodwin’s theory was that there is a relationship between the actual music and the visuals. This makes the audience think that she really did love him and had a good life with him. As the monologue at the end repeats the line “I loved him”, there is a montage of footage shown previously in the video of all the happy times shared with the family. This illustrates the song as this relates to the song as it’s about the characters that went through this in real life. During the end section of the video, Lana and the male character re-enact the assassination of the former president. In the video, Lana plays his wife Jacqueline, whilst the male character is presumably JFK. Kennedy, the American president who was famously assassinated in 1963, and how his wife Jacqueline and how she stays with him as ‘money is the reason we exist’. The song has been said to be about promiscuous John F. Towards the end of the video the song fades out and just the actual music can be heard, where there is a voiceover of Lana reading a speech about her love for this male character. The use of filters also adds to Lana’s 60’s style that she is known for, adding to her star persona.įinally, a clear link can be seen between the song and the visuals at the end of the video.
There are also many other effects, which have been applied, which make it seem as if the truth and how they really live is being hidden, and all of this wealth and happiness is just a presence/façade. The line “blurring the lines between real and the fake” is illustrated in the video by the use of editing, specifically a blurred and sort of out of focus effect which has been applied to a majority of the shots in the video. This reflects what is being said in the song, and highlights to the audience exactly what the song is about, and what Lana is singing. These lyrics are displayed by a collection of shots of the lead male character gambling, smoking cigars, luxurious clothing on all the characters in the music video, large and grand houses, and fancy boats/cars. The video illustrates the song further by showing a montage of clips that display the lyric “money is the reason we exist” and “ excessive buyin’”. This makes the audience believe there is a very strong connection between the characters in the video, and showing close up shots of them together and being intimate with one another solidifies those beliefs. This matches with the lyrics of “I’m your national anthem” because it shows that they’re both important to one another, and the idea of Lana being his ‘National Anthem’ suggests that she is his life and something that defines him, as where a person comes from and their nationality defines who they are. For example, throughout the whole of the music video there are many close ups of Lana and the lead male character in some sort of intimate interaction. This literal display of the lyrics draws attention to the specific colours of the American flag, highlighting what the song is about, and also showcasing the main part of Lana’s persona that all American girl.Īnother aspect of the video that shows that the visuals are illustrating the song is by the use of cinematography. Then later on in the video, there is a low angle static shot of Lana on the balcony in a white swimsuit. Whilst on the beach, she’s pictured wearing a red dress. When she’s lip-syncing, she’s seen wearing a blue dress. The visuals reflect this line as throughout the whole video, Lana is only seen in blue, white or red. A repeated line of the song that is in the chorus is “red, white, blue is in the sky” which are the colours of the American flag, and the song is all about America. The first sign of this being shown is by looking at the mise-en-scene of the video. Upon viewing the video, it is apparent that the visuals illustrate the song and the lyrics within the song. This can be applied to Lana Del Rey’s video accompanying the song “National Anthem”. One aspect of his theory is the idea that there is always a relationship between lyrics and visuals, and this can be illustrated, amplified or contradicted by the visuals in the video. Analysis of Lana Del Rey’s “National Anthem” using the Goodwin TheoryĪndrew Goodwin came up with a theory about music videos and why they’re the way they are.
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