Textual Analysis - Jamie T - Sticks and Stones

Textual Analysis - Jamie T - Sticks and stones

Jamie t is singer/songwriter, who was born in Wimbledon, south London. He is 25 years of age he first started his career in 2005. His first few songs were ‘Sheila’ and ‘if you got the money’. The performing band are known as ‘the Pacemakers’ when he performs live. On the 29^th June 2009, Jamie released his single ‘Sticks and Stones’. It reached 15^th in the uk charts, and also reached 14th in the Triple J hottest 100, which is one of the most popular voting countdowns in the world.

The video starts off with Jamie t and another person dressed a clown. This firstly set the scene, and some of the characters that are going to appear in the video. There is also mist in the background, behind them. When the guitar strum kicks in for the first and second time, the mist goes up, then pauses and spreads, in tempo with the guitar. This helps the flow of the video link with the song itself. It then cuts to a tracking shot, that’s unsteady, and in black and white. The editing is fairly quick and makes the video seem quick. I think its done in black and white to link it to the lyrics. It says ‘as soon as I see the dust settle’. This is represented by the everything being black and white in the video at this part. It then cuts to Jamie t in what looks like a station. This is visually showing the lyrics, as it kicks in saying ‘I took a train’ The camera shot looks as if its in the train and he’s running after it. It goes along with the pace of the song, which makes it look really effective. Along with this, he’s at Wimbledon train station where he was born. Making the video where he lives shows he loves the music more, rather than making a video that has no relation to the music. It then cuts back to him and the clown. He’s sitting down singing the song, which shows that this song is performance based in a way that he sings all the lyrics, Its good as its different because its not performance in him playing the guitar. The first few opening parts of the video have unsteady cuts. This helps represent him figure in the industry, and shows how he is as a person, everything not being straight and perfect. The song is also like this, very messy and a general laugh to make.

Just before a minute of the song, it cuts to Jamie T in town with all the his mates, some of them being part of ‘the pacemakers’. This relates to the lyrics yet again, as he say’s soon as I see the dust settle, out in the town trying to find trouble’. This verse goes on with it saying, ‘hope I don’t miss the train. Ill be stuck in Hampton Wick’. The video is of him in Hampton wick at the train station. This then cuts back to the group of boys, all throwing stuff at the camera, which cracks. The whole way through the song so far, the lyrics match the images your seeing on screen. This helps make both of them flow, as they relate to each other. You get a sense that its meant to be made for the night out that he is having in the video.

The next scene is of him and another person at someone’s flat, where he says he feels most comfortable. The editing in this scene is being fast forwarded in sections, of him walking towards the camera. It cuts back and forth to him sitting down with some of his mates. It jump cuts when he walks towards the camera, and is also sped up. This is a good effect that helps represent them being youngsters and making trouble, and also relates back to the lyrics. I lighting so far looks all original, and untouched as if to show how his music, and how it is unique and original.

The next chorus cuts to all the places that they have filmed. In the flat, town, alley and garden. In the town with his mates, there all throwing beer and bricks at the camera, casing ‘trouble’. In this part it cuts to them in the same place at night and at day. In the night scene, they have red smoke in the background, resembling them causing trouble in town with the shot being seen through the cracks and holes through the camera. He talks about ‘boys like us’ in the chorus, which I guess represents how there’s not a lot else to do than cause trouble as there no one else to ’fight’. It represents his song perfectly set in London, explaining what him and his mates do.

Expressing a night out, the words make this whole song appealing to the audience. The instruments aren’t playing that much, with the bass playing one chord in verse 3. It’s the way he raps his verses that make this song how it is. As if he is producing a separate beat while singing. Having the band there adds to the song, and compliments the chant that Jamie has throughout the song.

The whole song is a representation of him and his mates, and what they do. The lyrics are shown perfectly through the images in the video, and the editing just makes it all flow well together. The whole song has been thrown together I think to help show a wild night out, and is demonstrated none the less. it’s a very fun and uplifting song that fit’s the image of himself and ’the pacemakers’. The editing definitely links the music, with all the lyricas matching whats on the video. Its hard to say weather this is a performance based or narrative based. Although hes not playing the instruments, neither is the band, he still sings the lyrics through out the whole song. On the other hand it could be narrative based, as its representing hima nd his mates on a night out in London. It tells a story, that is in the lyrics but also shows him singing it along side this. Therefore you could say that this video is both performance and narrative based.