Analysis of The 1975- Girls Music Video

By Daniel Bruce

Introduction Clip• In the opening sequence of Girls there is a part added where

the band state ‘This feels all wrong… for a start it has to be Black and White, were not a pop band’. This quote from the band instantly tells me that the Narrative that they try and tell in this particular movie is not about loving girls its about the bad side to girls, with the band filming in black and white giving off a really moody feel something that modern day pop bands often avoid, however the 1975 want to embrace this and appeal to a different and perhaps more niche audience. Considering the sound is designed around Matty (Lead Singer) who is telling the audience about squiring and being squired by younger girls..

Impressions given by lyrics and filming• The first line ‘Bite your face and spite your nose is clearly an inversion of

the “Cut your nose to spite your face” idiom. While the original idiom warned of doing damage to a particular thing which would then cause damage to the whole, the line here seems to be about doing damage to the whole despite the problem being singular.

• Coupled with the second line ’17 and a half years old’, it could also be an intentional misstatement to couple with the girl’s youth/naiveté. The camerawork and editing used also shows of the bands general mood with Matt Healy the lead singer being place in front of an extremely out of character yellow background and judging from his facial expression he to has probably experienced a difficult time with women.

• Another line ‘Worrying about my brother finding out, where’s the fun in doing what your told suggests to the audience that while the singer knows that he is in the wrong and knowing there are people who would look down on him for what he is doing, he wants to have some fun. This supports the stereotype of rock/pop bands who usually aim to be a bit rebellious in their actions. Via the use of a long shot we then see Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze being excessively used in the video as we see the entire band have a lightly dressed equivalent, however you cannot help but feel that The 1975 are not using women in a classically conventional way and they’re almost taking the mick of how other pop videos show ‘stupid women’ who become exposed for fame and money, while the band themselves remain in bland black and white clothing.

Impressions given by lyrics and filming

• The lyric ‘One moment I was tearing of your blouse now your living in my house, what happened to just messing round’ is showing that he recollects what has happened over the brief events that have unfolded. This “girl” originally stated she wasn’t a “typical” girl who sorted for commitment however as time goes by it seems commitment is playing a big factor here. At one point it was lust and no serious entanglements, now however they have become an item, something that was not intended and he asks what happened to the old days of fun and no consequences? These particular lyrics are also met with a two shot of the couple where the male looks far more dominant in the argument then the more vulnerable female. Furthermore, Matty’s behaviour is an example of an Andrew Goodman stereotype where the artists will include several stereotypes of their sex’s.

Impressions given by lyrics and filming

Powerful Visual MeaningsAll of the following photos on the left that I have extracted out of the The 1975 Music Video ‘Girls’ are a very negative effect shown on women and actually go further than Laura Mulvey’s theory suggests about women shown in a sexual light, although this does appear to be apparent in the video it also seems that girls are represented as trouble for men and not just because of their sexual attraction. The image of the women blowing out the 17th birthday candles also suggests that the girls in question like the lyrics suggest are not even old enough to be doing these sort of things.

Conclusive points• To conclude this enthralling song, the listener is given an interesting lyric that basically sums

up the entire song ‘Because they’re just Girls’. What Matthew Healy is trying to say is that he is the dominant one in both the relationship and in the sexual intercourse. It’s as simple as that when you put it down to it and it is shown the whole way through the video with the women characters always being viewed as objects and not people with a mind and opinion.

• Furthermore, the chorus involves heavily mixed repetition which implies that the cycle of arguing is frequent and often about the same things which often ends up with the same outcome… Wrestling to the ground and experiencing the passion they once did before, it seems that the pair are made for each other and even though there is a giant age difference, they stand on common ground and will continue as one. An incidental accident much like the car crash image represents in the video.

• I truly feel that there is a weird sexual fascination with girls while a resignation with the fact that they cannot be treated as women. In the song, they function as sex objects that rationally cannot be had, but are emotionally latched on to.