Similar text analysis - Usher - Burn

Usher – Burn

Unlike most songs this is a combination of R'n'B and Ballad, this is indicated through the musical instruments and beat that is used. The lyrics of Burn are about a break-up, how Usher is in love but isn't happy in the relationship he’s in. Usher proceeds to end it with the female character but almost immediately realises he wants her back. Reading the lyrics it is not clear if the song will fast or slow. In each verse there is and each chorus, there is the word 'Burn'. There is a clear comparison between the song name and the lyrics throughout the song. It is a clever way to make the listener remember the song name even when the song has finished. The song could well be the inner thoughts of Usher.

This music video commences by showing a close up shot of the Usher’s eyes then panning and cutting to the woman’s eyes who he is talking to. For the duration of this component of the song, he is speaking the intro rather than singing it. This shows Usher is talking to the girl from his point of view.This is done to create a link with the lady blinking so it’s clear for the audience to know Usher is talking to her. Medium shots are used of Usher at the start of the music video. When a significant sentence in the song comes up there is a shot that is relevant to the words being spoken. Usher is beginning to carry out a narrative within this music video.

The word Burn, is the main focus of this video and it is seen when there is a close-up shot of his eyes where there is an apparent flame in them. This is further illustrated in many other shots such the long shot where he is standing next to the car and the trees are on fire. This shows how Usher looks back on what his ex girl-friend and him use to do. When he is doing the narrative it always cuts to Usher singing after. A lot of see extreme close-up shots of his mouth are shown throughout the video to highlight the emotions he is feeling. The editing technique of ‘fades’ are used all the way through the music video and these work because the viewers know when their watching the narrative and when they are watching the performance. The video then ends on a panning shot of Usher looking towards the floor in a medium as if the penultimate part of the song highlighting his anguishes suggesting what will he do with his problem.

The use of clothes and props in this video is carried out well as if to highlight emotions and messages within the video. Usher begins the video in a casual black and red jumper in the narrative part of the video where he talks rather than sings. This is to show the relaxed environment he is situated in. He then wears jeans with a white jacket and a white top and this is to show this is no longer the narrative anymore. The love interest in the video appears to be in a bikini which shows deep connotations of sexuality and instantly the audience can assume Usher was intimate with her. Usher is featured in a black jacket and jeans, black being a colour of sorrow so therefore these clothes could indicate he misses her deeply. Usher stays in this outfit throughout the video at this point but adds a cap towards the end. This is done to show he wants to hide his feelings away by putting a cap on to cover it all up.

Usher shows that there is deeper music within R & b and hip hop then the generic media would let you believe. He shows you can bring a story to the forefront rather than a dancer’s behind to grab the viewer’s attention and entice them into a music video.