top of page
admirateur de musique
MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
NUMB BY LINKIN PARK
Linkin Park's Numb is a timeless yet underappreciated song in this day and age. I wanted to analyse this music video because I wanted all of my readers to know how i feel ever since alevels has started (this was meant to be a joke but i don't think it's a joke anymore). Even though the music video for this song may be upsetting to some, it still depicts how many people face similar issues and how this song speaks to them. Yes, the song is as old as I am, which only adds to its amazingness.
"Numb" is the thirteenth and final song on the 2003 album Meteora (yes this song is just as old as I am no wonder it is amazing (i apologise fpr showing narcissistuc traits)), as well as the third single from the album. "Numb" was the most successful song of the year on the Modern Rock Tracks chart for 6 weeks in 2003 and 6 weeks in 2004, making it the only song in history to be the most successful song of the year on the chart for two years. It was later combined with Jay-song Z's Encore to form Numb/Encore, a massive hit for both artists that appeared on the album Collision Course.
The music video depicts the domestic and social problems encountered by a young (portrayed by Briana Evigan), unpopular female student on a typical day. The girl appears to spend a lot of time drawing pictures, indicating that she aspires to be an artist. She is largely ignored and ridiculed at school, as evidenced by the fact that when she is chastised by the teacher for drawing in class, no one stops to help her up, and when she tries to join a group of girls at a lunch table, they immediately get up and leave. There is also a scene in which her mother mocks her for not being the daughter she desired. There are also self-inflicted cut marks on her arms that spell out "NUMB" - the song's title. Near the end of the video, she is shown rubbing the marks after a stressful day and then deciding to relieve her stress by throwing paint instead. The girl runs into the church where the band was playing at the end of the video, almost as if she heard them. Another thing to note is that Chester Bennington's eyes are mostly closed throughout the video, only opening when he blinks as he sings the word "Tightly" from the second verse during the line "Holding too Tightly; afraid to lose control. 'Cause everything you thought I'd be, has fallen apart..right in front of you."
Throughout the music video, the colour tone is set to dull (just like my life nowadays), with very cold colours. Bright colours are avoided because this is a common rock music convention. Each band member receives screen time and is shown performing; close-ups of expressions and instruments provide the audience with an experience similar to that of a live concert; they can see the artist creating music. We are taken from the narrative to the performance and back again using jump cuts. Narrative is about a misfit girl who is tired of the society around her; this is a common theme in rock music because it is mostly about anti-establishment people rebelling against the status quo. Many shots show the world around the girl moving quickly while she is the only one moving at a normal pace; this is accomplished through the use of a technique known as stop motion animation. This implies that the world around her is not moving at her pace, indicating that she is unique and that she feels out of place just like most of the teenagers.
All of the rock instruments are used as props to match the genre of a performance video. The musicians also add to the intensity of their music by acting and using prominent body language. To capture the band, instruments, and location as a whole, many overhead and long shots are used. This appeals to their audiences because it reinforces that we are listening to loud and intense rock music. The costumes are casual-wear, which is more common for modern rock artists to wear than overly gothic clothing. In terms of setting, this music video defies the conventions of a rock video. Rather than a staged concert or club, the performance takes place inside an abandoned cathedral. Perhaps this is the connection to the 'gothic' theme that rock music videos occasionally take. Some of the story takes place on the Charles Bridge, an iconic landmark in Prague that a global audience may recognise. Like most music videos, there is a lot of focus on the iconic artist. Chester Bennington, the lead singer, is featured in numerous close-up shots. He also gets the most screen time compared to the other members of the band. There are numerous shots in which the camera slowly revolves around the lead singer, emphasising that he is the 'centre' of the band and thus the most important 'icon.'
Colors have been de-saturated with a slight blue tint to reflect the song's and video's depressing mood. Because the overall imagery in the performance appears quite dark, there is a lot of use of harsh back-lighting to help make the artist more visible. By cutting to different shots in time with the beat of the music, editing is also used to connect the visuals with the instrumentals. Also, as the music gets louder in the chorus, the editing speed picks up. The artists' actions with their instruments also correspond to the audio sounds. If the emphasis is on the electric guitar sound, for example, there will be a shot of the guitarist aggressively playing the guitar. The actions in the music video's narrative are another example of how the music relates to the visuals. In the beginning of the video, for example, the girl blinks with the beat and falls to the floor during the chorus.
The lyrics, like the instrumental, complement the visuals. They are about a person who wants to be themselves but is struggling to meet the expectations of others. This is demonstrated in the video by a girl who is repeatedly abused by her teacher, friends, and mother. The chorus "I've become so numb, I can't feel you there" shows the girl walking normally while everything else speeds up to distance her from her surroundings. Because she does not fit in with society, this is a good representation of it. This occurs only in the chorus, making it a memorable motif in the video.
Despite the fact that the narrative's lead character is female, there does not appear to be any intentional voyeurism or explicitness of the female body. This had to be done to keep the music video focused on its message. However, there is one subtly voyeuristic shot in which the girl appears to be doing nothing but the camera is unnecessarily tilting down away from her face and towards her body.
The video concludes with a hint of suspense. The girl can be seen running into the church where the band is performing. All of the instruments are still present, but the band is not. This is an indexical signifier indicating that they had already left before she arrived. She also has a look on her face as if she is expecting something, which leads me to believe she could hear the band and was looking for them. My further investigation revealed that this was due to the band's performance being filmed in a matching cathedral in Los Angeles due to the band's inability to make it to Prague.
bottom of page