The Verve- Bitter Sweet Symphony Textual Analysis

Bitter Sweet Symphony by Britpop band The Verve was released in 1997, described widely as one of the most iconic videos of its generation. The appeal of the video to a 90's audience is undeniable as the non-conformist message it preaches, maybe a bit cliché in this day and age, was however, a staple of what the period was all about.

The tone of the music video is established from the onset; a wide shot is used showing a man (the lead singer) standing next to a sign saying "pedestrians" with an arrow pointing the opposite way to the direction he walks throughout the video. The symbolism of the sign highlights the dig the artist is trying to have at society and is deliberately not adhering to their expectations.  The lighting of this shot is dull, until the interjection of a woman in coloured clothes.  In the arguably political song that is very serious the lighting maintains a sombre atmosphere and fails to grab the attention of an audience, suggesting that the artist wanted the focus to be on the lyrics rather than antics of the video.

The lighting only continues to get darker as the video progresses and the lack of variation in action is perhaps a metaphor for the monotony of life, summed up in the first verse "cause it's a bitter sweet symphony, that's life/ trying to make ends meet/ you're a slave to money then you die".
Goodwin's theory of Voyeurism is also implemented as eye contact between the man and the camera lens (the audience) is maintained throughout, making the message of the song seem personal as if he is singing it directly to us.
The main man has not been glamorised, and would not be deemed as attractive in terms of Hollywood stereotype, this suggests that appearances were not important to the artist and the artist himself was not vital to the music video, only the message of the song held value to him.