Music video analysis

What genre is the music and how Is it reflected in the video?

• The genre of the music video is pop & is reflected in the video with Madonna's range of bright attire which connotes to the free willed, extravagant conventions of pop culture; it also compliments the upbeat/ funky rhythm of her song.

How do the images relate to the lyrics?

• When Madonna mentions being ‘like a virgin’, we are bombarded with images of her in a white wedding gown and both white and wedding gown connote to the idea of purity and innocence like the concept of virginity

• The song is about the healing power of love. It tells the story of a girl who used to sleep with everybody, she was very promiscuous and she was used and worn out. But then she meets her true love and she changes, and all the pain, loneliness and the meaningless sexual encounters she had are washed away like dirt. True love renews her and heals her and makes her feel ‘like a virgin’ all over again.

• We are greeted with a moon at the start of the video, the moon represents the feminisity that Madonna feels of being a virgin, the emotions that are being portrayed by her to her lover, the fertility and the transition she makes from being a promiscuous woman to a virgin once more.

• We are constantly encountered with images of a lion which perhaps suggests the sexual nature between Madonna and her significant other but also the theme of beauty and the beast could be involved behind the meaning of the music video. We later see that the lion turns into a man whom is Madonna’s significant other.

How do the images relate to the music?

• The different scenes are in time with the rhythm of the music. There are approximately 108 number of shots in the music video throughout which is the standard count in a pop video.

How is the artist presented to ‘sell’ them?

• Almost every shot in the music video is of the artist with a wide variety of types of shots such as medium close up and focuses on her eyes which emphasises a sense of mystery in her and promiscuity.

• The most predominant type of shot are low angle shots of Madonna which symbolises dominance over the viewer and Madonna feeling superior.

Are females represented voyeuristically?

• In this particular music video there is an in and out of voyeurism because on one shot shows Madonna in a dressing gown which highlights her purity and innocence of virginity but at the same time shows her promiscuous side with her revealing clothing to entice the viewer.

Intersexual references

• The 1980's Decade : Clothes, hair, make-up, jewellery, dancingVenice : Gondolas connotes romance and traditionalist and perhaps advertises it as a holiday destination.