Songs and Music Videos: Political Statements That Artists Are Making Through Their Works
by Phoebe Mock
Like in Beyoncé’s visual album, Lemonade, there have been other singers who have used their platforms to make political statements. The 1975, a British “boy band,” specifically the lead singer, Matty Healy, has used his fame to make political statements in both his songs and music videos. For example, in the music video “Love it if we made it,” there are a couple of specific statements made regarding the discrimination of black people, similarly to what Beyoncé does on a larger scale in her visual album.
In The 1975’s song, “Love it if we made it,” there is a line that specifically stands out:
“Selling melanin and then suffocate the black men.”
The first part of the line “selling melanin” is referring to “a recent phenomenon that sees super-rich and super-white purchasing the pigment which makes skin darker” (Connick). During this line we see white people on Black Friday fighting in line to buy this pigment (Brimstim). In the music video (0:34) it is supposed to be showing racial tensions caused by this phenomena (Brimstim).
The second part of this line also contributes to The 1975 noting racial tensions and police brutality saying “suffocate the black men.” While this line is being played (0:37) it shoots to an image of a black man, Eric Garner, who was choked to death by the New York police in 2014 (Brimstim).
There are similar images shown in Beyonce’s Lemonade, particularly during her final song “Formation” (or in its own music video), where she shows a young black boy dancing in front of a police line-up (3:32), showing similar tensions between white police in power and black men. However, in the imagery regarding this issue, at the end the little boy puts his arms up and so does the line-up of police.
There are clear words and imagery in both Beyoncé’s and The 1975’s works showing social justice issues involving the discrimination of black people today. However, there are some issues that arise with them. Should The 1975, a band of white men, be talking about racial issues not having experienced them firsthand? And, even though Beyoncé does address these important issues in Lemonade, is it more so to make money than actually just for the message?
Bell Hooks in her article “Moving Beyond Pain” argues that these albums, specifically talking about Lemonade, are “the business of capitalist money making at its best.” Hooks goes on to say that the audience of Lemonade is not just for black women to feel empowered, but it is for everyone to view (Hooks). With that being said, there are certain visual aspects of the women portrayed in Beyoncé’s album, which come off as showing an overly sexualized or aestheticized image (Hooks). By including actors and dancers in her album that do look a certain way and wear sexualized clothing, Beyoncé may have been trying to make her album more pleasurable to the eye for a larger audience, and in turn, make money from it. So, like Beyoncé showing people in a particular way, could The 1975 be talking about these important subjects as a way to make money, more so than to prove a point?
It is unclear to know the artist’s true intentions. Obviously, both Beyoncé and The 1975 are making music and music videos in order to make money, so should want them to appeal to a wide audience. However, unlike what Hooks says that Beyoncé’s album is more so to sell-sex and the idealized version of the black female’s body, I do think that she also is trying to make a point and show an important message about racism in America.
Music Videos:
Sources:
“Moving Beyond Pain” by Bell Hooks
