“Around the World” is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. Originally released in April 1997 as the second single from their debut album Homework, the track became a global phenomenon and a ‘landmark in electronic music history’. The song is known for its only lyrics “Around the World” and its steady bassline that mixes different genres of music together. The music video for “Around the World,” directed by Michel Gondry and choreographed by Blanca Li, is a vibrant visual masterpiece that perfectly complements the song’s rhythmic patterns. Gondry highlighted the genius of the track, which uses just five instruments and minimal patterns, by translating its structure into synchronized movements. The video features groups of dancers, each dressed in colorful costumes and representing a different instrument in the song, creating a mesmerizing blend of sound and visuals that elevates the experience of the track. 

Unlike many music videos where dance routines serve as mere decoration, the intricate planning in this video ensures that every element is meaningful. Groups of dancers, such as skeletons and synchronized swimmers, interact dynamically, weaving through one another to create a cohesive performance that mirrors the song’s structure. Near the end, all groups join the robots in a single-file circle, symbolizing how the different musical elements come together. This interplay of time and space in the choreography reflects a concept similar to Gilles Deleuze’s analysis of cinema. Here, time and space are not separate but intertwined, with each group’s movements visually representing a specific musical layer, creating a rhythm that transcends linear progression. The vibrant staging, including a giant wall of flashing lights that change colors, pays homage to the disco era, further merging visual aesthetics with auditory experience. Gondry’s video transforms the song into a multi-sensory spectacle, where the blending of time, space, sound, and vision elevates the music into an iconic cultural artifact.

Credit

• Gina Arnold, Daniel Cookney, Kirsty Fairclough, and Michael Goddard ‘Introduction: The Persistence of the Music Video Form from MTV to Twenty-First-Century Social Media’, Music/Video: Histories Aesthetics, Media, 1-14
• Dov, Yotam. “Daft Punk ‘around the World’: A Timeless Electronic Anthem.” We Rave You, 15 Nov. 2023, weraveyou.com/2023/11/daft-punk-around-the-world-2/. 
• SHAVIRO, STEVEN. “GLITCH AESTHETICS.” Digital Music Videos, Rutgers University Press, 2017, pp. 51–75. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1pwtdmg.5. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

By: Jimena Saavedra