The Fear, Lily Allen

Name of music video: The Fear

Artist: Lily Allen

Release Date: January 26th 2009

The imagery used juxtapose each other throughout the video as in the start she is in a caravan which suggests a lower income situation compared with the end of the video where she is in mansion which gives the impression of a higher income situation. The contrast between these two locations implies a split in society and that there is a vast, ever growing, gap between higher income families and lower income family. In the beginning of the video, the lyrics are saying "I want to be rich, and I want lots of money" which gives the impression that the artist is representing someone who thinks that being rich will solve all their problems, this reflects how society is at the moment, and how there is a celebrity culture and that's what people to aspire to. The celebrity culture could be perceived to be directly mentioned within the song, as she sings “now everything is cool as long as I’m getting thinner” because there has been controversy in the news about celebrity women becoming dangerously thin and thinking that it’s okay. However, at 1.27 in the video she sings “but it doesn’t matter ‘cuz I’m packing plastic and that’s what makes my life so fucking fantastic” the lyrics suggests that it being rich and famous doesn’t necessarily bring happiness, this is represented through the language used “fucking.” Throughout the entire video, however, the same colour scheme is used which suggests that the rich and poor are closer than society thinks, not necessarily in monetary value but in the sense they are each poor in one way; for instance, the rich are perceived as lacking in happiness and the poor lacking money.

The imagery within “The Fear” suggests that the pop/pop rock genre. The bright colours and the light feel to the location conform to the pop genre, however the lyrics contrast the normal bubbly feel that pop songs have giving it a darker edge. “I'll take my clothes off and it will be shameless, 'Cuz everyone knows that's how you get famous”, this suggests that even in the ‘happier’ situations there is always a darker edge to peoples’ lives. The location is represented as a childlike and surreal place, which could be an implication as to how the public may perceive celebrities and their lifestyles to be like – childish and surreal, as they appear to get/have everything they want and their lives aren’t average and ‘normal’, the sense of surrealism and celebrities lives diverting from the norm is strengthened by the lyrics “I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore,” also the use of moving presents/gifts are surreal and childlike and strengthen the thought that celebrities get everything they want. The use of a large house as one of the main locations, appeals to the aspirational demographic as it is something that they can aspire to that portrays wealth and success; it may also appeal to a wider range of audiences as because many audiences will aspire to wealth and success, not only the aspirational demographic.

The artist is also represented and promoted throughout the video, due to the close ups and tracking shots of the artist; also the lack of other people within the video strengthens the artists’ profile as it is only her that is portrayed on camera, although there is one point in the video where there are male dancers because the camera is tracking the artist, the attention is still on her, and the only other point within the video where there are people they are portrayed dressed as presents/gifts which, again, because the artist is the only realistic person within the mise-en-scene, she becomes the main focus. Many of Lily Allen’s previous videos have her as the main focus within the mise-en-scene, and similar motifs are used – tracking shots in particular are used throughout many of her videos as are close-up shots; for instance in her video “LND” the camera tracks all the way through the video and in “Smile” there is a strong use of close-ups, both tracking shots and close-ups are used with “The Fear.” Due to being the focus of many of her videos, this has made her relatable to the audiences as her music has a face and people can not only name her music but can also name her. It also boosts her public profile and helps her when she introduces other aspects to her career, such as a clothing range or is in a TV show, because the audiences will recognize her from her videos and because of her music and if they like her, they may just watch the show or buy her clothing ranges because they are created by her or she is making an appearance.

The target audience for the Lily Allen appears to be within the 16-25 age range and the artists is aimed mainly at the female sectors of the audience, according to my research of Lily Allen’s music page on www.myspace.co.uk; however there are a large sector of her fan base who are male. The main attraction to Lily Allen is the themes within her songs are relatable., for instance in “littlest things” she talks about having broken up with her boyfriend and how the smallest thing reminds her of him “the littlest things that take me there” the majority of the audience, both male and female, would be able to relate to the song. However, this can also dissatisfy members of the audience if the general themes within her songs are about relationship break-ups, then people – although sectors of the audience may be experience this, and may be part of her fan base - could, perhaps, feel uncomfortable when listening to the songs as it is too close to their hearts. Nevertheless the motifs throughout Lily Allen’s songs satisfy the poprock genre through the general themes of heartbreak and life experiences, also the locations and bright colourful [and use of many] props suggest the poprock genre similar to “McFly, 5 colours in her hair” and “P!nk, Get this party started.”

www.myspace.co.uk was mainly used as Lily Allen’s forum for distributing her music [especially her demos] and appears to be the appropriate outlet as she was struggling to promote her music through her record company, Regal Recordings, and by using www.myspace.co.uk she was able promote her music herself; however Regal Recordings were “slow on responding” to the demand for reports on her, as not many people outside her A&R department knew who she was. Through using www.myspace.co.uk, Lily Allen was able to promote her music, almost independently as she had a lack of support from her record label, as they were focusing on their bigger artists; the rise of new technologies have made it able for Lily Allen to do this as she has been able to build up a solid fan base. Having a solid fan base helped her create a reputation and influence within the music industry, because with more fans and more demand for her music, she could start to become an asset and promote her label.