Textual Analysis #2 - The Kooks - She Moves in Her Own Way

"She Moves in Her Own Way" is a song by English band The Kooks and is featured on their debut album, 'Inside In/Inside Out'. It was released 26 June 2006 as the fifth single from the album, charting at number seven in the UK Singles Chart.

In this video, the band are presented to audiences in terms of their authenticity through shots of them eating pizza, getting drunk, and creating a mess on their tour bus. In this way, they appeal to audiences through appearing as 'normal’ and genuine artists who are solely orientated by their music as opposed to celebrity lifestyle in comparison to other mainstream artists who, as quoted by Stephen Hill in his article ‘how music didn’t kill the radio star’ advertise their material overindulgence, living by the ‘because I’m worth it narrative’.

• In ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ (1992), Andrew Goodwin identified a number of features of music videos. His theory can be applied to this video as the video demonstrates characteristics of the indie genre through the outgoing, party making representation of the band with some performance shots. There is a clear relationship between the lyrics, music and visuals, such as the medium shots of the lead singer playing the guitar and singing on the tour bus. There are also a number of close-ups of the group, especially the lead singer, meeting the demands of the record label with this first person mode of address through ‘meat shots’.
• Visual techniques used include the white/grey wash over the daytime shots giving a much lighter, softer feel to the video which enforces the bands portrayal as authentic artists. Night time shots are much darker, with directional lighting used to give a realist image of nightlife.
• It may be argued that the group are capturing the zeitgeist through their image. Even though the single is now two years old, their 'indie' appearance with skinny jeans, baggy t-shirts, and long messy hair is still a current a trend in society today. In this way, their video can be seen as a marketing tool used to attract audiences as the band are presenting an image of themselves in hope that audiences will buy into it.
• This video is an example of illustration, with shots of the band playing to the music and lip syncing such as the performance shots during the pool sequence.
• It is unlikely that this video will be considered as art or an ‘auteur’ style of video, but it also does not appear to be inherently commercial. It may be argued that just because the band are presented in terms of their authenticity, as opposed to their wealth or body image, doesn’t mean that this isn't just as much of a business decision as other mainstream artists as it ultimately it is determining target audiences.
• This video has a hetro-normative discourse. Although there may not be shots of the lead singer with the female he is singing about, his sexuality is clear through the lyrics and song title ‘she moves in her own way’ therefore leading to his unquestioned masculinity. This is reinforced through the presentation of him enjoying himself with his male band members, such as when they are out drinking or relaxing on the tour bus, reinforcing his masculinity.
• The video is essentially a commercial product, simply acting as a marketing tool for the band. It doesn’t present any challenging ideas or disjuncture and therefore simply advertises the group in an illustrative style. It doesn’t demand a focused viewing, allowing for ambient viewings through the cuts between the performance and the narrative. This means that audiences can freely flick through music channels and choose whether they wish to watch the video in its entirety or not based on whether they like the track, as opposed to the video. Audiences would be likely to come across this video on any mainstream channel such as ‘4music’ ‘MTV Hits’ or ‘The Hits’ as the band has received a large amount of publicity, airplay and interest with heavy backing from a number of radio stations.