Goodwin Theory

Goodwin's theory identifies three types of relations between songs and videos: illustration, amplification and disjuncture.

Illustration is where the video tells a story through lyrics or dance which can express the mood/emotion of the song. For example
Unknown Mortal Orchestra- So Good At Being In Trouble

 
 STORY: 


The music video for "So Good At Being In Trouble" tells a story or a girl going missing and her boyfriend or male friend trying to look for her. At the beginning of the video it shows the male pinning 'missing' signs on trees which tell you she's missing.






It then reveals the girl gone missing as part of a cult/group.

The man then recognises her and tries to take her but it looks as though she has been possessed by the group she is apart of. The leader of the group saves her from being stolen.

It then shows the male who previously tried to save her, continue to try and save her by coming to the house she is in.

The man continues to go up to the house, masked and with a baseball bat as a weapon. He is going to rescue this girl from the cult.

The leader of the cult group then attacks the man who is trying to rescue the missing girl.

The missing girl then gets her "savour" to leave which signifies the fact that she has been possessed by the group and she has a new style of life.










Amplification is when the artist may take on a fictional role to convey a deeper meaning which would not be picked up from the lyrics alone. For example Ed Sheeran- A team

This music video is about a female who sells her body for money so that she can afford to buy Class A drugs such as crack cocaine.

The only time Ed Sheeran does feature in the music video 'A Team' is when he buys a big issue off the girl. This portrays Ed is a kind guy who looks out for the homeless.

The rest of the music video only shows this girl who the song is about. The song refers to her as the angel and there are a few references to this in the music video. Firstly she stands outside 'Angel train station' where she holds a white blanket making her look like an angel.

There is another sign which is technically about the train station but is linked to the girl in the video. The sign says "improving the Angel" This suggests that Ed Sheeran feels as though he wants to help the girl improve her lifestyle.










After the girl earns some money through prostitution she immediately buys drugs. This is the point where the title of the song links to the music video. The title "A Team" links to someone who is addicted to Class A drugs.








Disjuncture is where the music video contradicts the meaning of the song or is completely irrelevant to the lyrics.
For example: Kanye West- Bound 2 (explicit)

Kanye West's Bound 2 music video is completely irrelevant to the lyrics of the songs.



 Bound 2 begins with different shots taken all over the world from different times of day.
These shots are completely irrelevant to the lyrics of Bound 2 which are all based around love and sex.

Kanye is first introduce on a motorbike in the middle of a mountain. This is completely irrelevant to the lyrics of the song.    

Kim Kardashian, Kanye's wife is then introduced......naked.....on a motorbike.