Katy Perry

Wide Awake

VIDEO DISCLAIMER: LitTunes is totally non-commercial, forever free, and does not profit from linked referrals or endorse commercial enterprises. We've decided to embed the Katy Perry video from VEVO because it is the only embed option available to us that allows the video to be shown on this page. Restrictions imposed by VEVO in league with major music labels prevent us from legally playing "Wide Awake" as an embedded YouTube video. Please know that the VEVO player is buggy, meaning it may be slow to load or not load properly. It also subjects the viewer to a prequel advertisement. If you'd prefer to view the video on YouTube in another browser window, here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0BWlvnBmIE

• Ivy - crawling up toward the sunlight
• Labyrinth - the maze of who she is and how she became that person
• Lantern - something to guide her way
• Strawberries - fruit - very ripe
• moving wall - the world closing in on her, and her lack of control
• firework signal - her bursting through with inspiration and talent and then her ability to push the world off
• Little girl - guiding and mentoring a small version of herself
• hall with mirrors - paparazzi - everyone, including herself, is pointing out all her flaws and successes - butterflies on her dress - red and yellow tiles
• crumbling floor - everything is falling out from under her and she has no way to escape
• breaking mirror - choosing to not be defined by what they say about her
• Sick older Katy - she’s gone slightly crazy
• Strawberry bursting - the ripe fruit has been ruined and is now possibly going to rot
• Little Katy defeats awkward monsters, giving old Katy strength - sometimes the younger we are, the better we are at taking care of ourselves
• Prince charming - fingers crossed - Katy punches him - having had an experience and learned from it, she won’t let herself fall again
• Sunlight pours over the labyrinth - the knowledge of the path has been discovered
• Little Katy leaves, but puts something into old Katy’s hand - while she can’t always hold onto the girl she once was, she will always have a part of her past
• Butterfly - metamorphosis and changing into something beautiful after the struggle and some time

Katy Perry . . . . "Wide Awake"

The music video for “Wide Awake” is rich in symbols and follows a storyline that takes Katy through a version of the Hero’s journey. To better understand the video, some background information is useful. After a completely successful world tour and record breaking sales, Perry was officially the Queen of Pop! The ride was at its highest, and there was nothing that could bring her down. Then, out of nowhere, husband Russell Brand decided the love story just wasn’t working out for him, so he filed for a divorce based on “irreconcilable differences.”

Katy realized that nothing could always be right, and thus she wrote “Wide Awake.” In the video, we can see the difficulties it took to find out where things went wrong, the things that affected her life, and where she got the strength to get through the events.

As "Wide Awake" begins, Perry is finishing a video for one of her top hits, “California Gurls.” She exits to her dressing room and looks at herself in the mirror, wondering who she has become. On the wall, ivy begins growing, leading us to the next scene. The ivy is a good transition because it is a plant that grows up, toward sunlight, and only towards success. While many other plants grow down to get nutrients, ivy reaches and reaches until it gets what it needs, much like the way Katy reaches and reaches until she finds who she is and where she came from.

Katy next finds herself in a labyrinth, a symbol of the journey she must go through to understand what has happened. The confusing twists and turns will eventually lead her to her center. At the entrance of the maze, we see a heart made out of dried, dead twigs. This helps us know that this is the maze of her heart, and she will go through it, finding herself.

Katy begins walking through the labyrinth, holding a lantern to guide her way. This is the classic light of knowledge, showing her where to go. There is a brief shot of a ripe strawberry, which stands for Perry’s abundance of success and her ability to remain modest and humble. She then finds herself trapped, and the walls begin to close in on her, not the first time that reality has pushed her down. She pushes away the walls and stands for herself, while also taking a bite out of the strawberry. This image seems to convey that she will remain who she is and won’t let others define her, even as she experiences the sweet success of the fruit.

After pushing the walls away, Katy is bursting with the energy and excitement of being who she really is, symbolized by a firework bursting out of her gut and flying high to alert anyone around her of where she is and the amazing thing she has done.

At this point, a wall opens in front of Perry and we see a young girl, whose presence represents Katy as a child. She is also headstrong and proves to be Katy’s greatest strength. The two join hands and begin walking. They first enter a hall of mirrors, and while the adult Katy must look at her own reflection, the younger Katy does not appear in the mirror. At the end of the hall they reach a very large mirror which, instead of reflecting Katy, reflects a mob of paparazzi. The older Perry puts her hand to the glass, terrified of what she sees, and the younger Katy turns around to discover that the floor is crumbling behind them.

Escape from inevitable doom seems impossible, yet the older Perry manages to break the glass in time, and the two walk through the shards, which have turned into butterflies, the ultimate symbol of becoming something new.

The two aspects of character, then and now, enter a long hallway, which appears to be a psychiatric ward. The younger Perry is pushing a deranged older Perry through the hall. This shows that even though Katy has very little strength, she knows she can make it through. In her right hand is yet another strawberry, which Katy has opened with her fingernail. She is digging into the deepest part of the fruit, a small gesture symbolizing her complete rise to fame. The succulent juices running down show how much she is enjoying the ride and success, while always remaining humble and true to herself.

As they move down the hallway, the child and woman encounter two monster-like guards, who attempt to stop them. The younger Katy steps in front of the wheelchair, and after giving a very mean look to the guards, stomps the ground so hard that the monsters disappear. This shocks the older Perry into finding the strength to rise up and grab little Katy by the hand as she runs out the door of the hallway. I believe this portion is a reference to a difficult time in her childhood which she overcame. By remembering the episode, she proves to herself that she can still overcome anything.

Going through the door, they find themselves near the center of the maze, the place of Katy’s biggest dream, a big and bright garden, full of trees, life, and light. In the center is a dashing young prince on a unicorn, the Disney ending to any story of a girl. The prince comes towards Katy and looks at her. She couldn’t be happier. But we see the young man put his fingers behind his back and cross them, symbolizing the promises never kept by her husband. Both Katys realize what is happening, and the older Katy, instead of kissing the prince, punches him in the face. In victory, Katy realizes that Prince Charming will never come to sweep her off her feet and that she must learn how to be on her own. The labyrinth is covered in light because of their victory. It is the light of life.

Nearing the end of the tale, we see the child Perry departing. She cannot always be there for her older self to remind her of who she has been. Before she leaves, she presses something into the older Katy’s hand, a token to always remember her by. The older Katy is suddenly back in her dressing room, getting ready for the start of her next concert. She looks down into her hand and finds a butterfly, proving that through this journey, she has undergone a metamorphosis and become something greater and more beautiful. She ends the journey by going back out and doing what she loves: performing with music and dance.

"Wide Awake" guides us through Katy’s journey and reveals her most telling personal experiences, employing an array of symbols to convey the life messages. "Wide Awake" is a great video for classroom use because of the storyline, the use of symbols, and the current popularity of the song.

Creed

With Arms Wide Open

VIDEO DISCLAIMER: LitTunes is totally non-commercial, forever free, and does not profit from linked referrals or endorse commercial enterprises. We've decided to embed the Creed video from VEVO because it is the only embed option available to us that allows the video to be shown on this page. Restrictions imposed by VEVO in league with major music labels prevent us from legally playing "With Arms Wide Open" as an embedded YouTube video. Please know that the VEVO player is buggy, meaning it may be slow to load or not load properly. It also subjects the viewer to a prequel advertisement. If you'd prefer to view the video on YouTube in another browser window, here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99j0zLuNhi8

• yellow coat
• Hero’s journey: storm clouds
• Hero’s journey: meteor shower
• Hero’s journey: starts journey
• Hero’s journey: tower (light house)
• Hero’s journey: sun painted on the floor - world turned upside down
• Hero’s journey: bell is broken and falls on floor, breaking through
• Hero’s journey: jumps through hole - the descent
• Hero’s journey: a cave
• Hero’s journey: jumps into water - freshwater baptism
• Hero’s journey: ascent out of the cave
• Hero’s journey: climb up
• Hero’s journey: Cristo Redentor - Christ like sacrifice
• Hero’s journey: In a nest - phoenix and rebirth

Creed . . . . "With Arms Wide Open"

Although the song and video are slightly outdated, "With Arms Wide Open" is excellent for the classroom. First, because the tune is slightly older than current Top 40 entries, the kids won’t be so distracted from learning from the video because of the popularity of the song. (It is likely that most students will have heard the song once or twice.) Second, the story line takes viewers all the way through the hero’s journey, making the video an ideal introductory tool to explain and explore a traditional literary concept. So let’s begin!

First, as always, we need to know some background information about the song. “With Arms Wide Open” was written by Creed's lead singer Scott Stapp after he discovered that his girlfriend had become pregnant and that he would soon have a baby to help care for. The video takes him on this journey of personal discovery!

The first symbol we notice is the lead singer's yellow coat. The color yellow stands for everything that comes along in the life of a surprise parent. There's the good: joy, optimism, hope, and sunshine.... And the bad: cowardice, illness, hazard, and betrayal. It is a scary thing, the unknown, and causes a lot of problems. The sky is stormy, symbolizing the oncoming upheaval of everything that is (and was) his world.

We can see for a brief moment that the singer's necklace is a chain — not only a bad fashion statement, but also a symbol of the fact that he will be forever captured by this child, not only in the support and dedication it takes to be a father, but also because of the fact that he will always have to support the kid. The mountains surrounding him show the great heights he will have to climb to become a father.

As Scott walks down the mountain, burning meteors begin to fall from the sky. The flaming meteors represent a supernatural intervention that kicks off his journey. Scott continues walking and comes to a tower. This is representative of the threshold, a gateway to a new world. Scott must enter the tower in order to change and grow into the father he needs to become.

Inside the tower, we see a quick montage that includes the face of a creature who appears to be Dionysus, the Greek god of grapes and wine. Dionysus is two-faced and dual in nature, likely because a two-faced attitude is often typical of someone who gets drunk. In this case, the two-faced god shows that while Scott was previously having fun and messing around, he now has to come to terms with the harsh reality of responsible parenthood. Dionysus might also represent the joy and happiness that comes with being a parent and the responsibility and seriousness of the situation.

There is also a small statue of a gargoyle, a long-time protector, a role that Scott must learn to assume.

In the next sequence, the viewer must pay very close attention to detail. On the wooden floor of the tower, we see a sun, showing that Scott's world has turned completely upside down. A broken bell on a rope then smashes through the floor. A ringing bell is often a death symbol. Therefore, the broken bell falling to the floor symbolizes that Scott must overcome the psychic “death” of his previous self.

Next comes a wicked and awesome guitar solo. Notice the background for the guitarist: It is blue. The color blue represents the loyalty, stability, and trust that Stapp hopes to provide to his son on his progression to manhood.

After the bell crashes through the floor, Scott jumps down into a cave, an act symbolic of the hero's descent, his loss of innocence and protection, and his expulsion from the paradise he once knew. In the cave he finds a pool of natural spring water — and he dives in. The water stands for his cleansing and rebirth, much like the baptism of a Christian into the Church. Stapp then walks out of the cave, completing his hero’s journey through the ascent and back into a brighter, newer, happier paradise.

In the final scene, Scott stands in a huge nest on the top of a mountain. The nest shows that, like a phoenix, the man is reborn out his ashes. It also symbolizes that he, too, will build a nest — a safe, nurturing home for his child. As the video ends, Scott spreads his arms wide, must like Cristo Redentor, the statue of Christ that towers over the city of Rio de Janiero.

Scott's pose on the mountain top suggests that he is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for this new child. He also signals that he is now ready to welcome his child into his life. He completes his journey and he decides to become a loving and caring father.

Paramore

Playing God

VIDEO DISCLAIMER: LitTunes is totally non-commercial, forever free, and does not profit from linked referrals or endorse commercial enterprises. We've decided to embed the Paramore video from metatube because it is the only embed option available to us that allows the video to be shown on this page. Restrictions imposed by metatube in league with major music labels prevent us from legally playing "Playing God" as an embedded video on any other platform other than metatube. Please know that the metatube player subjects the viewer to a prequel advertisement. If you'd prefer to view the video on YouTube in another browser window, here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDy2wCQYSrU

• Christ symbols
• glowers
• storm cellar
• tied-up band members
• investigating photos
• tea time
• examine the band
• black and white glasses
• empty picture frames
• mirror
• unties band
• pulls them up enough to see sunlight, then throws them down and closes door

Paramore

Monster

VIDEO DISCLAIMER: LitTunes is totally non-commercial, forever free, and does not profit from linked referrals or endorse commercial enterprises. We've decided to embed the Paramore video from metatube because it is the only embed option available to us that allows the video to be shown on this page. Restrictions imposed by metatube in league with major music labels prevent us from legally playing "Monster" as an embedded video on any other platform other than metatube. Please know that the metatube player subjects the viewer to a prequel advertisement.

• submerged in water
• abandoned hospital
• wearing all white
• waking up alone at the hospital
• earthquake leads them together
• in water shots, they are very still, like corpses, except for Hayley singing
• meet in chapel and run to white room with red stripe, very dirty and boarded up

Paramore

Ignorance

VIDEO DISCLAIMER: LitTunes is totally non-commercial, forever free, and does not profit from linked referrals or endorse commercial enterprises. We've decided to embed the Paramore video from metatube because it is the only embed option available to us that allows the video to be shown on this page. Restrictions imposed by metatube in league with major music labels prevent us from legally playing "Ignorance" as an embedded video on any other platform other than metatube. Please know that the metatube player subjects the viewer to a prequel advertisement.

• Lightbulb in a cramped room
• everyone wearing black
• Hayley shoving lightbulb into other’s face to examine them
• hall of blue and mirrors
• “straight jacket”
• Hayley going crazy looking at herself and the band

Paramore

Brick By Boring Brick

VIDEO DISCLAIMER: LitTunes is totally non-commercial, forever free, and does not profit from linked referrals or endorse commercial enterprises. We've decided to embed the Paramore video from metatube because it is the only embed option available to us that allows the video to be shown on this page. Restrictions imposed by metatube in league with major music labels prevent us from legally playing "Brick By Boring Brick" as an embedded video on any other platform other than metatube. Please know that the metatube player subjects the viewer to a prequel advertisement.

• very saturated light
• falling
• Hayley’s in white
• little girl with butterfly wings
• frees a trapped fairy
• hole being dug - looks like a grave
• garden with mushrooms and disguised monsters
• runs into a castle and down a hall of mirrors
• sees herself, then the monsters from the garden
• takes off wings
• sees “Traumatic” scenes in the mirror
• running away, but ivy grows and trips her
• she gets away and continues running, but falls into the hole that was being dug. the digger starts shoveling dirt back into it

Florence + The Machine

Cosmic Love

VIDEO DISCLAIMER: LitTunes is totally non-commercial, forever free, and does not profit from linked referrals or endorse commercial enterprises. We've decided to embed the Florence + The Machine video from VEVO because it is the only embed option available to us that allows the video to be shown on this page. Restrictions imposed by VEVO in league with major music labels prevent us from legally playing "Cosmic Love" as an embedded YouTube video. Please know that the VEVO player is buggy, meaning it may be slow to load or not load properly. It also subjects the viewer to a prequel advertisement. If you'd prefer to view the video on YouTube in another browser window, here's the link:
http://youtu.be/2EIeUlvHAiM

• flickering lightbulbs
• room of mirrors
• lost in leaves
• light up dress
• finds a star in her heart