Controversial Music Videos

Why is a music video controversial?

Music videos may be deemed as controversial for many reasons the most common being if they include:

• Dangerous behaviour

• Misuse of Drugs

• Bad language

• Sexual conduct & nudity

• Threatening behaviour & violence

Now in the 21st century where these music videos can be viewed almost anywhere at any time, be that on YouTube, Vimeo or just via a google search, it is becoming harder and harder to censor or even hide these controversial music videos so in an agreement a few years ago the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) reached out to three music labels; Sony, Universal and Warner (all UK independent labels), The BBFC’s goal was to put an age rating on all of their ‘current’ music videos to begin with then work their way back through the thousands of videos that had been produced in the time the labels had been about.

Below is a video on the age rating systems released in 2015 when the BBFC music video rating program was brought into effect.

Online Music Videos To Get Age Ratings

However, this was incredibly difficult for the BBFC to age rate all of these videos and in an effort to make life easier by themselves they now only age rate a video if enough watchers request them to, this is because big sites like YouTube have built-in algorithm’s that scan through thousands of videos an hour for bad language in order to classify the age rating themselves, though this does not always work. Therefore there is a report button on YouTube where a watcher can report if there are other aspects of content that a child should not be watching, like a sex scene for example or nudity.

As well as all of this on some YouTube videos that do contain age-restricted material they may ask you to sign in to prove your age (though people can just lie) and/or YouTube will show an age rating directly from the BBFC in the description of the video itself, but if the video is not acceptable at all it could be removed from the site and the owner from which the channel will get a strike (A 3 strikes and your out of the system).

Below are some of the warnings YouTube will show:

youtube-video-sign-in-to-confirm-your-ag

video-not-available-youtube-error-696x40

Next, however, are some examples of controversial music videos and why they were deemed controversial in the first place, firstly though:

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines ft. T.I. & Pharrell (Unrated Version)

The video below is to the regular video as I would not like to have the unrated version on my site. However, you can find an unrated version on YouTube if you choose to search for it.

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines ft. T.I., Pharrell (Official Music Video)

After watching this video in class (unrated version) it was clear to me that there was controversy surrounding this video when it was released in 2013, there was nudity (in most shots) abusive language (against women) and also abuse towards women implied, I do not believe the video should be hosted on YouTube at all as it is almost (in my eyes) promoting the over-sexualization of women… I can see why this video created controversy.

Below is a newspaper headline of when the video was released (via www.theguardian.com 2013)

(Photo above was edited my me as the original was inappropriate)

After discussing this music video in class, we then talked about Rihanna’s song S&M which contained the following:

• Immutable behaviour - (wrapping people in cling film)

• sex toys

• Sexual conduct

• Questionable clothing

Below is the video itself you may need to sign in to YouTube to watch it:

Rihanna - S&M

The video was also mentioned in multiple news outlets below is a headline on one of them (via www.youstylish.com 2011)

Then after watching this video, we proceeded to watch Childish Gambino - this is America below is the music video itself:

Childish Gambino - This Is America (Official Video)

After watching this video, we extracted the behaviour which may have caused the video to be age restricted it contained:

• Gun Violence (a big problem in the USA)

• Aspects of racism

• A church shooting and execution right at the beginning

• Terrorism

• Possible Immutable behaviour to a younger audience

I think this video although, it contains all these disgusting acts of behaviour proves a point, unlike some other controversial music videos which include inappropriate scenes with no reason at all. I agree with this music video though as it clearly outlines some of the USA’s apparent problems when it comes to gun laws and racism.

Below is a headline on the music video (via www.dailymail.co.uk 2019)

Then came a shocking music video which was mocking the young white community by a rapper known as Dizzee Rascal I found the video disturbing and I couldn’t watch it all thoroughly, because of this I will leave a link to the video on my website that you can copy and paste into your search engine (viewer discretion advised).

Dizzee Rascal - couple of stacks:

https://vimeo.com/groups/musicvideo/videos/110253687

After watching (most) of this music video, although I thought the song does prove a point I think it could be considered a bit over the top when it comes to the gore and graphic violence, I don’t want to watch it again as what is present in the video is both disturbing and, in my opinion, uncalled for.

So, what does it contain:

• Horror

• Bad Language

• Graphic violence and Gore

• Various weapons

• Multiple deaths

• Implied deaths of young white teenagers (actors in video over 18)

Below is a screenshot that has been taken from YouTube showing the videos age rating and the fact it has been restricted (based on community guidelines).

I also think that the video is original and contains a purpose and though it's not my cup of tea, it might be someone else’s as the video itself goes with the lyrics of the song and the style of rapping as well.

Below is a headline of the video when it first came out (via www.irishexaminer.com 2015)

However, after reading up some more on this music video I have now realised that the song was only on YouTube during the Halloween period 2015 after this period it was later removed from YouTube (I believe), then it was put on Vimeo where their video rules are more relaxed.

The song itself was also meant to be a montage of Halloween inspired death clips that is why the video is so graphic and extreme as it only contains some of the most gruesome types of death.

The last video we looked at as a class, however, was Little Mix - Strip (Official Video) ft. Sharaya J

Little Mix - Strip (Official Video) ft. Sharaya J

The video itself, for the most part, was entirely on par with other girl groups videos, in my opinion, It did contain sexual scenes and sexual clothing, but I believe that is fine if that’s what the woman wants to where however like others my flag was raised when we were shown the clip near the end of the music video, this was a slow zoom in shot of the 4 women in Little Mix completely naked, however, covering all their private parts with their hands/legs. Though they had very sexual/derogatory words written all over them, which Pierce Morgan on twitter pointed out when the video was aired, the tweet is below:

Piers Morgan, in short, criticises little mix as using their bodies to sell their music rather than their actual talent. However, I mostly disagree with this as did Ariana Grande who followed up Piers’s tweet with this:

Ariana Grande in shot mentions that its ok to be able to sell music by sexuality and being talented which I agree with in its entirety, as this form of advertising is part of society these days, its just progression of humanity.

Below is a headline of the story from the BBC (2018):

Then after all this, I looked up a controversial video by myself, I wanted to research something that relates directly to Pink Floyd, who is the artist of the song ‘Money’ the song that out music video is on. It took me a while, but I eventually came across a music video called ‘another brick in the wall.’

Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall (HQ)

The song was deemed controversial in South Africa as “The song itself is a protest against the rigidity of British schools, and in particular, the boarding school system Waters would have been part of as a young boy”. (quote via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5ApYxkU-U (2010)). Apparently according to the same channel on YouTube Pt. 2 of the song ‘even became the protest song of a group of South African students during the apartheid regime, the song was subsequently banned in South Africa’. Also ‘The poem read out by the schoolteacher is a direct reference to "Money"’.

I found this information all from the YouTube channel called ’Moonchild’ (2010) extremely interesting, as these songs, that I never even knew existed relate directly to the song ‘Money’ which we are doing our music video on. So, the reason for the ban of these music videos in South Africa was because of the trouble they were causing for the government about their schooling system (which was imperfect).

The actual video itself does not specify anything that I would consider to be inappropriate. I believe the video brings up issues rather than cause any. The only immutable behaviour I could point in the video is the uncontrolled children in the video ‘rioting’ in class, which I deem to be a realistic take on the current events of the time in the late 1970s.

Below is the Headline I found on the story which inspired me to write up on this music video.

Headline from ultimateclassicrock.com (2015)

In summary of all my writing today I have learnt what makes a video controversial and what could be a way of bringing up footage deemed as the inappropriate way in an educational way, and highlighting issues rather than straight up nudity and sexual content with no reason for it other than to generate press talk and sales.

I have also learnt more about the artist that I am making my music video on, Pink Floyd and how he has brought specific issues to light in the past (the South African schooling system in the ’70s). So I am very happy with my research today. I think it has improved my knowledge of what is acceptable in a music video and what is possibly not so advisable.