Intertextuality Essay

Artists- Sugababes

Music Video- No can do

Director- Marco Puig, who has previously directed videos for artists such as Robbie Williams and Madonna.

Genre- Pop

The relationship between the lyrics and the video make sense as the lyrics are about the women not taken the men back and giving them a second chance.

In the video we see that the men are all objects that the women use and don’t really need, some of the objects that the men are, are stairs which show the women walking all over the men which could mean that the women are in control of them the men also become lamps, cars, motorbikes and sofa’s this shows that the women see them as everyday objects that the woman use and can replaced because if something is broken then we replace. The women are also shown by not being dependant on men this is shown by one of the women pushing the men away from her. Also the women also a part of the lyrics say “Don't try to sweet talk me no more 'Cause I've heard it all before what makes you think I'd want you back again? And now my mind has been Made out and I have had enough you’ve had your chance and now this is the end” which shows that she is telling the man that she doesn’t need him.

The camera shows the woman from a low angle shot giving her power over the men she is also higher than the men as the men are on the floor making them seem like her slaves,

The lighting is high key on the women and low key on the men showing that the men are not important and the women are.

There is a relationship between the music and the visuals because the music is not very fast pace and so the visuals are not fast pace instead the cuts are very smooth and go with the beat of the music. The music sometimes rises dramatically this is shown in the video by camera movements as the camera tilts on the women this also would make the women seem more dominant and  there would also be high key lighting on them. 

In the video there are close ups shown of every band member when they start to sing their part but when they sing together the camera tends to show them all together. Sometimes the band is shown in low angle shots this is to dominate them. This shows that the record company is trying to sell this music video to women to dominate them and show them that they don’t need a man to survive. The band members are being shown as strong independent women.

This video is different to some other videos by the band as in other video’s they are shown to want seduce men. This is shown in their videos Push the Button were the band are singing about wanting a man, Too lost in you video where the band is singing about being obsessed with a man, however in the music video girls  the band is shown as being able to have fun without men this would change the public perception of them and make them seem more independent this is shown in the lyrics “I'm filled with sexuality With or without a man I feel complete Stop speculating, I'm a regular girl All independent women know We got the guts to run the show Don't let no boy tell you nothing You're in control.”

In this music video I don’t believe that the band is shown in a sexual way like in their music videos this makes me think that in their music video’s they don’t want to be shown as sexual objects but as  independent women. The women are shown clothed and the men are in their underpants this makes the men look more like sexual objects than the women who are wearing dresses that fit and don’t look to tight or show off to much skin, instead they look more like goddesses.

The Music video is an intertexual reference to a piece of art created by the sculptor Allen Jones in the 1960s, which uses female mannequins as everyday pieces of furniture. Allen Jones’s work was also used in the Korova Milk Bar from the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange where women were also shown in a sexual way this connects with this music video as the male mannequins are shown in a sexual way and objectified by women.

Overall I believe that this video shows the women as being dominate which changes their star image from the beginning of their career it also sends a good message to their fans that have grown up loving them.