The music video channel that came into existence in the nineteen eighties, MTV, revolutionised the way music is consumed and promoted, with its impact still being evident today. Before MTV, artists were more focused on promoting their actual songs, however, a couple music videos which were very experimental were sprinkled throughout the industry.

Sound adds value to the images in film, the way we experience time, space, and emotion are enhanced by it. This is why the birth of music videos began. Few directors had gone into making music videos before MTV, but the ones that did came from film and television backgrounds. In their book, “The Sociology of Rock”, Frith (1979), discusses how such combination of two senses, sound and sight, should be pushed to promote music. Consequently, through the advancement of such, what once was not defined as a music video industry, became one.  

A clear example of this experimental era was Queens video of “Bohemian Rhapsody”. The way the rock band performs as the visuals change in accordance with the music, the editing of faded transitions from one shot to another and the number of faces that match the voices singing together, take over the viewer, encouraging this DIY aesthetic.  

According to Peacock (2021), even the lead singer Freddie Mercury believed that was “the first video that actually took any kind of effect into actually making sales. A lot of videos were probably made before, but they didn’t sell records. I think that’s the first that actually worked”. Perhaps, this is because they had the power and voice to bring innovative aesthetics and emerging effects to the table for people to indulge in. 

Furthermore, there seemed to be an aspect of fun and enjoyment in the creation of these videos. Arnold et al., (2020) goes on to explain that “music video … was always both itself something and selling something else (the music track or the artist)”. As much as that is true for Queens success with “Bohemian Rhapsody”, from solely watching the music video, you can tell there was pleasure amidst the creation of it.  

“Telephone”, the cultural phenomenon sung by Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, on the other hand, has a strong emphasis on financial gain, as it heavily features the advertisement of products in its almost ten-minute long music video. Virgin Mobile, Polaroid, and Diet Coke are the brands included and cause to pose the question of whether the video was solely for financial benefit, rather than also being for enjoyment or artistic endeavour.  

As much as artists and record companies are aware of this and at times make it obvious how they use it to their advantage, the main takeaway, which is fundamental to a music video is that fusing sound with visuals is an enriching experience which when done right can be enjoyed. It is a way of expressing visually what you are singing, a world of experimentation and fun that unlocked when music video arose. This can visibly be seen in early music videos rather than recent ones.  

Bibliography:

Arnold, G. et al. (2020a) Music. London, England: Bloomsbury Academic. 

Frith, S. (1979) The Sociology of Rock. London: Constable. 

Peacock, T. (2021) Watch ‘Bohemian Rhapsody – Making History’, Episode Six Of Queen’s ‘The Greatest’ Series, uDiscover Music. Available at: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/queen-bohemian-rhapsody-making-history-video/  

Ella Cabanillas

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