Music Video Deconstruction - Bebe Rexha & Martin Garrex: In the Name of Love

Bebe Rexha

Bleta ''Bebe'' Rexha is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. She is best known as a features guest vocalist on many Billboard Hot 100 charting songs. For example, David Guetta's 'Hey Mama'. She has co-written many songs, one including 'The Monster' by Rhianna and Eminem. 

LINK:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebe_Rexha

Warner Bros

This is an American record label and it was founded in 1958 as the foundation label of Warner Music Group. It now operates as an owned subsidiary of that corporation. It was established as the recorded-music division of the American film studio, Warner Bros. It was once one of a group of labels which were owned and operated by larger parent corporations. Warner Music Group is the smallest of three major international music conglomerates and the world's last publicly traded major music company. Other artists that are with this record label include, Kylie Minogue, Cher and Jason Derulo along with many others.

LINK:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros._Records

Martin Garrex

Martin Garrex is a Dutch DJ, record producer and musician. He is classified as number 1 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJ's list in 2016. He founded the label 'STMPD RCRDS' after leaving his previous record label, Spinnin' Records and before signing with Sony Music.

LINK:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Garrix

Sony Music

Sony Music Entertainment is an American music company and it is owned by Sony which is incorporated as a general partnership of Sony Music Holdings Inc through Sony Entertainment Inc. The company was developed in 1929 as the American Record Corporation and it was renamed in 1938 to Columbia Recording Corporation. Sony Corporation then bought the company in 1987 and renamed it Sony Music Entertainment in 1991. Sony is one of the biggest record companies after Universal Music Group and before Warner Music Group.

Some artists that are signed with Sony Music include, Celine Dion, Shakira and Brittany Spears.

LINK:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Music

'In the name of love' Music Video

Lyrics

If I told you this was only gonna hurt

If I warned you that the fire's gonna burn

Would you walk in?

Would you let me do it first?

Do it all in the name of love

Would you let me lead you even when you're blind?

In the darkness, in the middle of the night

In the silence, when there's no one by your side

Would you call in the name of love?

In the name of love, name of love

In the name of love, name of love

In the name of, in the name, name

In the name, name

If I told you we could bathe in all the lights

Would you rise up, come and meet me in the sky?

Would you trust me when you're jumping from the heights?

Would you fall in the name of love?

When there's madness, when there's poison in your head

When the sadness leaves you broken in your bed

I will hold you in the depths of your despair

And it's all in the name of love

In the name of love, name of love

In the name of love, name of love

In the name of, in the name, name

In the name, name

I wanna testify

Scream in the holy light

You bring me back to life

And it's all in the name of love

I wanna testify

Scream in the holy light

You bring me back to life

And it's all in the name of love

In the name of love, name of love

In the name of love, name of love

In the name of, in the name, name

In the name, name, in the name of

In the name, name, in the name of

Synopsis

Rexha plays a women who is in a relationship and the song is all about the trust and love in the romance. You can see she is standing just above the rough waters thinking if she would jump in, would her significant other do it as well. The video shows what the trust is like between the two and for most of the video, they are looking back and forth at each other wondering if the other would jump in with them. At the end of the video, they both jump into the water at the same time and hold each other close underneath the water, sinking deep under.

Timeline

Lyrics Analysis

The title, 'In the name of love', is repeated many times throughout the song which tells us a bit on what the song is about. So, referencing to the song, the title translates to, 'If i did..., would you love me enough to do it too?'. 'Would you let me lead you even when you're blind?'. I think that this line means that would he trust her enough to look after him if he is helpless and to see that how much of the relationship is built on trust. 

She also sings a line in which she says, 'You bring me back to life'. This could mean that even if she died, if she died with him she would feel like she is still alive and living a happier life. This shows that she depends on her partner a lot and wouldn't want to be anywhere but with him and she feels like if they died together, they would be happier together in their next life.

Mise-en-Scene

Setting

The place in which this music video takes place is just outside an extravagant palace with a balcony where there is what looks like a pool but with rough waters. You then see both of the singers standing on what looks like a diving board, getting ready jump in. At the start of the video, the rough blue waters turn a deep, blood red which is used as a significant colour in the video. 

The sky has a gloomy colour to it with big, dark grey clouds hovering over the mansion. Lightening also strikes many times throughout this video towards the end.This could symbolise the events that were yet to happen with them both jumping into the rapid waters and sinking. 

Costume/Make-Up

There are only two people who are in the music video which are the two people who created the song. Rexha is wearing all red in the video, including her red lipstick. The colour red connotes to love, passion and desire which links with the music video and the lyrics as the song is all about trust and love and relationships as I explained in the synopsis. Garrex also turns up in the video in a sleek, black suit. Black has the same sort of symbolisms as the colour red as it too signifies love and mystery. 

Key Shots/Camera Movements/Edits

I think that the most effective shot in the music video is at the end when they shown the two people jumping off the board into the water. I think this because as soon as they hit the water, a variety of colours and different tones were used mainly consisting on green, blue and red. At the start of the video, the main colours were only red, grey and black but as soon as they jumped into the water, brighter colours started appearing. As bright colours have positive connotations, this means as they jumped into the water, they felt more free and happier with themselves as they both jumped in together so they know that their relationship is real. 

I think that the most effective edit was when the deep blue waters turned a deep red colour. I think this because I believe it had a strong representation to it which links to the story of the video. As red connotes to strength, love and relationship, I think it's the most significant colour used in the video as those are the themes that were told in the story line. Strength, because they had to prove themselves to each other by jumping in the water together and love to see that if they both jumped in, there is trust and reliability in the relationship.

I think that the GIF below is the most effective camera movement in the music video as the camera slowly rises up showing the lightening strike in front of them whilst the sky is covered in dreary, dark clouds. It was also edited into slow motion as you can see the smoke is floating quite steadily and you can see the water droplets when they splash.