Pop Music and Music Videos

A type of music that interests me is country.





1. What is the dominant message of these videos?
The dominant message in Two is Better than One is that a person's future is important but it's meaningless without anyone to share it with. When you meet someone special and they disappear from your life, everyday feels empty and bare. Having someone to share your life with is better than being alone.

The dominant message in There Goes My Life is that people have to let go of their dreams in order find true happiness in their lives. As a person grows up and begins to raise a family, they have to put away their life's desires and move ahead. As time goes on, people start to find new hopes and dreams and feel truly blessed. When the ones closest to you goes away, it feels like your 'life' itself, the one you always cherished, is leaving.

2. What are the similarities between these videos?
The similarities between between these two videos is that they deal with growing up and being in a relationship with someone. Both videos talk about romance and how being with the person you care about is important. If they did not meet, their lives and futures would be completely different. The videos also show that they are grateful to have met each other.

3. What are the differences?
The differences in the two videos is that Two is Better Than One focuses more young teenage love and how without the person you love, life feels lonely and empty. There Goes My Life focuses more on growing up from a teenager into a parent with a family. The video talks about how as people start to grow up, they begin to find new importance in their life and how it's hard letting it go. It shows the importance of being a good parent and making the right decisions.

4. How are the following individuals depicted in the videos? 
Two is Better Than One:

• Teenagers: In the video, the teenagers are the ones falling in love. They are the ones driving cars and living by themselves in their own house.
• Women: The woman in this video does all the chores around the house and being the passenger on a car drive. The man sings about how he feels lonely without her.
• Men: The male is the one singing about how his life would not be complete without the woman he loves. The video shows men are the ones who play in bands and drive cars.

There Goes My Life:

• Teenagers: Teenagers in the video are the ones that  go off to college/university. They are the ones who decide their futures. Teenagers go to high school to attend classes and they are the ones that fall in love.
• Women: Females are the ones getting pregnant and caring for the family. Females are wives that stay home instead of working to look after the children and family.
• Men: Men depicted in this video are the ones who join sports team like football. They are the ones working at their jobs while the wife is at home. Men are the caring fathers in the family in the video.
• Parents: Parents are the ones in the video that care most about the future of their children. They are the ones who look after their children when they grow up and the ones who see them off as they head onto college or university.

5. What lifestyle choices are promoted in these videos?
In Two is Better Than One, lifestyle choices promoted in these videos is that young couples should drive in new model cars and live in rural parts of towns. In There Goes My Life, the lifestyle choice promoted in this video is that teenagers should drive nice cars, teenagers should go to college/university, men should join the football team, and people should start thinking about developing a family earlier in life. Another lifestyle choice in There Goes My Life is the man sings about the girl wearing Abercrombie clothes and using Mastercards.

6. What trends in popular culture have been inspired by these videos?
Trends in popular culture that has been inspired by these videos is that Country has become more modern over the years. In the videos, especially in Two is Better Than One, people singing country music don't always now a days wear cowboy hats and cowboy boots. In There Goes My Life, the singer, Kenny Chesney wears a cowboy hat but his shirt and pants are more current with the fashion today. These videos are promoting more modern cowboys and attracting a wider audience.

7. How has this music influenced your life?
This type of music has influenced my life in a positive way. Country music makes me want to appreciate and think about what life has already offered me. It makes me want to look towards the better side of life and be thankful for who I am  and my parents who raised me. Country music has made me think more not about the past but about the future that awaits. The songs have a very deep meaning in them and almost everyone can relate to the words being sang.