The plot itself feels very much like one of a short film, as it delivers a narrative in a concise way. In the first twenty-five seconds, the camera reveals a fluorescent light turning on and then proceeds to follow a man from behind who appears to have just gotten out of the shower. In a single take, the camera stays on the man until he sits on a bed, revealing that he is the song’s artist, Richard Ashcroft. Soon, he reaches for a remote to turn on the stereo, and, until this moment, this appears to be a familiar convention before the song’s arrival; this is, however, not the case. Existing in the same space as Ashcroft, the music plays over a stereo in the hotel room and continues as he meanders throughout the space, occasionally singing along. Finally, after following him through a number of idle motions, the fluorescent light in the bathroom flickers on suspiciously and soon catches his eye. After pausing the song, he slowly makes his way into the bathroom to examine the curious activity. **SPOILER** With suspense in the air, he arrives at the shower curtain and, after a brief pauses, proceeds to urinate into the toilet. With this unlikely reveal, this short narrative is brought to a close as the music fades out. The consideration given to Ashcroft’s activity is eminent, seemingly accounting for everything as it takes place continuously to the duration of the song. Such concern is very rare in the music video format.
Sound functions very much like a film in this music video. Utilizing the “three components of the sound track—speech, music, and sound effects,” the video goes beyond an aural world that is limited to the song itself 1. While there is little dialog in the video, Ashcroft’s casual singing and mysterious phone call are undoubtedly evident and completely separate from the music. Every action is complete with a sound effect, from the light flickering at the beginning of the video to as the surprising moment near the end. These sound details further shape the atmosphere and tone of the video, just as a film would set out to do. And finally the music, “A Song For The Lovers,” plays an exceptional role within the narrative. Prompted by Ashcroft’s desire to turn on the stereo via remote control, the music begins at his hand and occasionally is paused when he feels the need. What’s interesting, as well, is that the volume and clarity change with the camera’s perspective and distance from the speakers in the room. It is only at the end of the video after a key moment that the music resumes non-diegetically, as a tag to bring the narrative to a close.
The visuals are also designed quite differently from most music videos. Shot with an anamorphic lens, the extremely narrow frame is quite common to cinema. Additionally, the wide shots and slower editing pace offer a clear view of the hotel room, thereby capitalizing on “the viewer’s mastery of the space” that is customary “in traditional Hollywood narrative” 2. With such long takes and attention to Ashcroft’s activity throughout the room, the overall look of the video adopts a very cinematic approach.
“A Song For The Lovers,” released in May 2000, is certainly not the first to construct a world where the image and sound revolve exclusively around the music, but it is very effective in incorporating the song into a concept that evades expectation.
https://cinemamusicvideo.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/richard-ashcroft-a-song-for-the-lovers/
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