Human Lyrics
I did my best to notice
When the call came down the line
Up to the platform of surrender
I was brought but I was kind
And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
Close your eyes
Clear your heart...
Cut the cord
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I'm on my knees
Looking for the answer
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
Give my regards to soul and romance,
They always did the best they could
And so long to devotion
You taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye
Wish me well..
You've gotta let me go
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I'm on my knees
Looking for the answer
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
Will your system be alright
When you dream of home tonight?
There is no message we're receiving
Let me know is your heart still beating
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I'm on my knees
Looking for the answer
You've gotta let me know
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I'm on my knees
Looking for the answer
Are we human
Or are we dancer?
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
Are we human
Or are we dancer?
The video I have chosen to analyse is ‘Human’ by The Killers. The video was directed by Stuart Price, and it consists of the band performing in the middle of a canyon. The song can be defined as American indie rock, and the use of a lead guitarist wearing smart suit further backs up this point.
There is a slight relationship between lyrics and visuals, for example, the lead singer sings the words ‘cut the cord’, before a low-angle shot shows an eagle flying away. This shows that ‘cutting the cord’ can be seen as being set free and being left alone. This line links in to the purpose of the song, which is raises the question whether we are human as a group, or whether we are individual dancers, and an eagle is used to further get this point across to the audience.
There is also a slight relationship between music and visuals, in the sense that the slow paced track matches the slow paced cuts between shots. In addition to this, the panning and tracking shots pan and track slowly opposed to quickly, again matching the pace of the track. This is because a fast paced track or pan would look out of place as the visuals would not match the backing track of the band.
During this music video, every band member has their own ‘close-up’ somewhere in the video; however, most emphasis is placed on the lead singer. This is because the video is mainly performance based, and as we hear the lead singer most, the audience will be shown the lead singers face more often. Close-ups are more popular during performance-based music videos as we tend to see more of the band singing opposed to a narrative structure when a story is trying to be told.
During the music video, we rarely see the band head on all together, and instead, we tend to be ‘peeking’ at them. The band are shown performing in the middle of a canyon, where there a lots of rocks, and we as the audience seem to have to look around the rocks to see the band. Panning shots around rocks gives the audience the impression that they are not supposed to be looking at the band, however we do get ‘sneak peaks’ of their performance.
There is also evidence of an intertexual reference in this music video. One of The Killers previous music videos, ‘Somebody told me’ was also shot in a canyon, and this more modern track from The Killers could be seen as the preceeding ‘episode’. This idea is aldo heightened by the fact that the band are wearing similar smart-style clothes to what they were wearing in the music video of ‘Somebody told me’.
This music video is completley performance based as we only really see the band performing their song, and no narrative is aimed towards the audience. In addition to this, we see every member of the band playing their instrument, as you would if you were to go and see the band live. The only time the camera cuts away from the band is to show the environment they are playing in, and to show animals of the canyon, for example the eagle representing freedom.
Overall, this music video is of an American Indie Rock genre, which is performance-based. The track is slow paced, and this matches the visuals being shown to the audience. In addition to this, the lyrics the band sing represent freedom, and this also is being portrayed to the audience through visuals.
