Week 4 Video Reviews
Careless Whispers
Artist's Name:
Wham! Wham! was a 1980s pop duo featuring George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.
Song Title:
"Careless Whisper"
CD/Album Title
Make it Big
Year
1984
Record Company
Columbia Records
Director
Duncan Gibbins
Narrative of Video:
The video begins with the camera panning across the lights of a city at night. The next scene is of George Michael who is grasping on to a rope that is looped around something in the scene. The lighting is very dark so it is difficult to see what it is. Michael begins singing the song. The video changes to Michael taking the hand of a woman and leading her to a bed. The couple kisses. The video returns to Michael singing. There are ropes hanging in the background, and Michael is holding on to a stand up microphone. As the song moves into the first chorus, the video returns to the images of Michael with the woman. The couple is on a sailboat in the afternoon. The woman is dressed in shorts and she moves toward Michael who is sitting down. They are face to face talking and laughing. The scene returns to Michael as he continues to sing. The camera moves from a wide shot to a close up of him. The next scene is a close up of a guitar being played and then back to
Michael who is holding on to a long strand of white woven material. The next series of shots alternate between Michael’s singing and the story that is being
told in the video. The first change is to a shot of a woman’s legs in high heels getting out of a car. The next change after Michael’s singing is to the same woman who is dressed in a black dress and is walking toward a car. She looks directly at the camera as she walks by. The scene changes back to George Michael singing again.
Then a series of images are shown of a woman in a sheer white swimsuit sailing on a sailboat. The camera shows her at different angles, but it inevitably moves in very close to focus on her rear end, and on her chest which shows her breasts through the sheer material of the swimsuit. Michael who is dressed in a golf shirt, shorts and hat can be seen in the background. He motions to her and the next scene shows the boat, but neither person is visible. After returning to Michael once again, the video returns to the sailboat and the couple who are sailing on it. It then transitions to a darkened bedroom and the couple appears to be making love. The camera moves around the room, but the lighting is so poor that it is difficult to see anything. The video returns to Michael singing. Another scene begins with what appears to be a different woman. She is dressed in a blue dress and is boarding a private plane. The video moves back to Michael singing again. The scene changes to the
woman who appears to be waiting for him to show up, followed by the plane she is on taking off. The video returns to Michael singing again. The camera moves to a wider angle and shows him from the back. The scene moves to the woman sitting and thinking and to Michael sitting and thinking. The camera moves to the sky during the evening as the sun is setting. It then moves to a building and a wide angle shot shows Michael on the balcony of the building. He turns and walks along the outside corridor as the video comes to an end.
Michael who is holding on to a long strand of white woven material. The next series of shots alternate between Michael’s singing and the story that is being
told in the video. The first change is to a shot of a woman’s legs in high heels getting out of a car. The next change after Michael’s singing is to the same woman who is dressed in a black dress and is walking toward a car. She looks directly at the camera as she walks by. The scene changes back to George Michael singing again.
Then a series of images are shown of a woman in a sheer white swimsuit sailing on a sailboat. The camera shows her at different angles, but it inevitably moves in very close to focus on her rear end, and on her chest which shows her breasts through the sheer material of the swimsuit. Michael who is dressed in a golf shirt, shorts and hat can be seen in the background. He motions to her and the next scene shows the boat, but neither person is visible. After returning to Michael once again, the video returns to the sailboat and the couple who are sailing on it. It then transitions to a darkened bedroom and the couple appears to be making love. The camera moves around the room, but the lighting is so poor that it is difficult to see anything. The video returns to Michael singing. Another scene begins with what appears to be a different woman. She is dressed in a blue dress and is boarding a private plane. The video moves back to Michael singing again. The scene changes to the
woman who appears to be waiting for him to show up, followed by the plane she is on taking off. The video returns to Michael singing again. The camera moves to a wider angle and shows him from the back. The scene moves to the woman sitting and thinking and to Michael sitting and thinking. The camera moves to the sky during the evening as the sun is setting. It then moves to a building and a wide angle shot shows Michael on the balcony of the building. He turns and walks along the outside corridor as the video comes to an end.
How the Music and Video Relate:
I think this video works well with this song. The expression on George Michael’s face meshes well with the words of the song as he displays his regret about being with another woman. The scenery in the video and the images of the two women also go well with the sound and lyrics of the song.
Review:
This video tells a clear story that matches well with the song. Although the video still somewhat objectifies women as sexual objects because of the way it focuses on specific body parts, the two women in this video at least are being portrayed as human beings who have feelings which is a step up from many of the other videos made during this time.