Analysis one
- The lyrics are dark and depressing, yet the song itself is chirpy and energetic, making extensive use of the millennial whoop. This constructs a binary opposition which creates depth and interest.
- And I armed myself with a grin/'Cause I was always the fuckin' joker - The lexis ‘armed’ has connotations of violence and war. Yet here a grin functions as a weapon. This indicates Fender hada difficult and complex childhood. The swearing here has connotations of embarrassment and self-reflection and looking back with regret
- Drenched in cheap drink and snide fags - The term snide has connotations of contempt and secrecy, and the term fag is clearly blunt and brutal slang. The term drenched indicates drinking recklessly and dangerously
- Canny chanter, but he looks sad - Use of Geordie slang may limit the target audience, and may alienate an international audience. Constructs a down to earth mode of address
- So it can fleece you of your beauty/And leave you spent with nowt to offer - Fleece is yet more colloquial slang, for stealing, indicating that anger is something we carry with us and can never leave
- I thought about shifting gear - yet another example of criminality, reinforcing that to be working class is to be associated with crime
- I remember snuff videos - footage of death. Seeing something you regret
[instrumental] - RAPID FIRE MONTAGE:
POV NIGHT EXT CAR COUNTRY ROAD/
EXT BONNET SHOT NIGHT CAR HOUSING ESTATE MS FENDER/
BEACH SLOW PAN ARC SHOT LS/
SNAP ZOOM OUT FIELD GANG SHOT CU->LS/
MS BEACH GIRL STANDING UP LOW ANGLE/
MS LOW ANGLE BEACH ANOTHER GIRL COUNTERSHOT/
LS EXT FIELD GANG SHOT
This rapid fire montage constructs a sense of confusion and excitement
I was far too scared to hit him - MS STRAIGHT ON EXT NIGHT BONNET SHOT - FENDER’S FACIAL EXPRESSION ANCHORS THEMES OF REGRET AND SADNESS
But I would hit him in a heartbeat now - MACHINE GUN MONTAGE DANCING CLUBBING ECU SWEAT - CONSTRUCTS A SENSE OF INTENSE EMOTIONS AND ALL THE FEELINGS THAT FENDER IS HAVING AT ONCE. ANCHORED THROUGH THE LEXIS ‘HEARTBEAT’, THIS CONFIRMS THAT THESE ARE FENDER’S THOUGHTS
That's the thing with anger - TRACKING SHOT LOW ANGLE EXT DAY - AMBIGUOUS NARRATIVE SHOT SUGGESTING MANY POLYSEMIC READINGS
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Analysis two
- Much of the lyrics are written in dialect and present a closed code to the target audience
- “Bizzies” is a disrespectful Northern slang term for the police, and symbolically suggests an opposition to the police force
- ‘I see my mother/The DWP see a number’. The DWP are instrumental in giving out benefits. This line considers the difficulty in obtaining benefits in the UK. This is a symptom of austerity in the UK, where certain departments are cut to fund others.
- I was far too scared to hit him/But I would hit him in a heartbeat now - This couplet considers the difficulties of being a teenager, and the regrets we look back on. Here he regrets not punching someone, suggesting Fender has completely changed as a person
- Crying like a child - to be 17 is to be between being an adult and a child. To cry as a man is not seen as being hegemonically and stereotypical appropriate. Here these lyrics explore masculinity and what it means to be a man.
- That's the thing with anger/It begs to stick around - Fender considers what it is like to grow up as a working class youth, and he considers the idea that anger is something which becomes part of us and cannot be lost so easily
- So I thought about shifting gear - casual slang term for drugs suggest that drugs are ubiquitous in the North of England
- Arm myself with a grin - to smile is a coping mechanism,, yet to arm oneself is to get ready for war. These lyrics conversely symbolise violence as well as happiness.
- The lyrics and the video present a non-linear narrative to the audience suggesting Fender’s upbringing is chaotic and confusing
INTRO - Slow zoom ELS Fender EXT street/LS woman and child EXT beach slow pan tracking shot - constructs a sense of NS being dull, depressing and boring
I remember the sickness was forever - CU Fender Beach, direct mode of address - Fender’s miserable face connotes a miserable lifestyle. This long take establishes Fender as the performer and the narrator of this story.
I remember snuff videos
Cold Septembers, the distances we covered - mother and child/sam street ext - reinforces the importance of these shots
The fist fights on the beach, the bizzies round us up (slow zoom continues) - encodes a sense of finding out about Fender
Do it all again next week
An embryonic love - mother ext - Clearly connotation of motherhood, and the idea that generational trauma and poverty begins even before birth. A natural and human love.
The first time that it scarred - ELS sand two figures lying down =- here scarred refers to a internal and emotional wound
Embarrass yourself for someone - POV shot beach topless guys MS - A relatable mode of address
Crying like a child - EXT car shot night - the low shot suggests being at one’s lowest