narrative case study (updated)

How are narrative techniques employed in Foo Fighter video 'Learn to Fly' 

The song I have chosen to do my this case study on is "Learn to Fly" by the Foo Fighters. This song was released in 1999, on the album There's Nothing Left to Lose. The song was very successful even though it was released in 1999 it has 62 million views on youtube it reached 21 in the UK singles charts, so it was a big song when it was released. They have sold 30 million album world wide.

In this music video the narrative is of the lead singer David Grohl flying on a plane in which has had sleeping power put in to the coffee maker by two cleaner who are play by Jack Black and Kyle Gass. This lead to everyone who has had the coffee to fall asleep, even the pilots. This leads to Grohl and other band member having to land the plane because they are the only people who haven't drunk the coffee and they pull out a manual called learn to fly (shown in figure 2), which is a direct reference to the song title. This give the song an impressionist narrative where the music video is what the lyrics are about. Also this narrative conforms to Todorov's narrative progression as in the beginning of the narrative there is equilibrium to it, but the there is disruption when the pilots drink the drugged coffee, then the band member recognise what has happened, they then try and fix this through learning to fly and finally they land the plane safely to bring back the equilibrium.

figure 2

figure 1

This music video is similar to their other music videos which is that the lead singer David Grohl is in the performance and the narrative. Like in 'Walk' he is in the narrative as a person who can't get to work and walks there and encounters challenges which he over comes by using comedic violence like beating some one with a salami (shown if figure1). The narrative in their songs have a comedic side to them compered to the genre Alternative. But in there song 'Best of You' the narrative is quite dark but this goes with the lyrics of the song and in Walk and Learn to Fly this music video fits in with the genre of these songs. These videos go by Claude Lévi-Strauss' theory that there will be opposites like in learn to fly Grohl is shown to be the hero by saving the plane and the cleaners are shown to be villains. Also in Learn to Fly and Walk reality and fantasy are show by seeing the band in video of a live performance then to him being a pilot. Also in these two song the narrative is linear which means it is in a chronologic order.



In Nirvana Smells Like Teenage Spirit, the song has a climax in the narrative where all the teenage get up and dance. Learn to Fly also has a climax in the narrative, this is where the sleep drug have an effect and Grohl take over as the pilot. Also these song both have linear narratives. This is shown in Smells Like Teenage Spirit, by all the kid being sat down at the beginning of the music videos, then they are all dancing by the end of the video and in Learn to Fly it start with him getting on the plane then him saving the plane. This a common theme in this genre. This is also the same in Imagine Dragons 'Radioactive and It's Time, this also has linear narratives in them.

Another thing in which Foo Fighter song and Imagine Dragons 'Radioactive' is that they both have in common is that they both have the binary opposite of Corruption and innocence, which link to Lévi-Strauss' theory. In the Foo Fighter song Walk Grohl is given a burger which look nothing like the picture, which is the corruption and he is innocent to this. But then this is switched when Grohl pushes the burger in the guys face who served him and in Radioactive they narrative is off a puppet or toy fight with one being superior over the other. The narrative in this song is non-linear.