rihanna disturbia

Rihanna-Disturbia

Word association• Rihanna: Flirty, suggestive, glamorous,talented,

exotic,ardent,raunchy,emotive,provocative,artistic,musical,rhythmical,independent, individual,assertive,paramount, elevated.• The Video: Gothic, thriller(Michael Jackson),torture, suckerpunch

(movie)demonic/occult,BDSM, Silent Hill(Movie)• ‘’Disturbia’’:Meaning contemplating or disturbed about something

Introduction• The mise en scene of the video is dark colours, fast paced shots and

flashing lights relating to horror pop culture in some way aswell as the quickpaced editing and the jerky quick motions of the characters dancing and the jerky editing synchronises the features of the video together aswell as portraying an complete message of evil and negative feelings of disturbia in the meaning of the video and the song.

• Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bumBum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bumBum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bumBum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum

What's wrong with me?Why do I feel like this?I'm going crazy now

No more gas in the rigCan't even get it startedNothing heard, nothing saidCan't even speak about itOut my life, out my headDon't wanna think about itFeels like I'm going insaneYeah

It's a thief in the nightTo come and grab youIt can creep up inside youAnd consume youA disease of the mindIt can control youIt's too close for comfort

Throw on your brake lightsWe're in the city of wonderAin't gonna play niceWatch out, you might just go underBetter think twiceYour train of thought will be alteredSo if you must falter be wise

Your mind is in disturbiaIt's like the darkness is the lightDisturbiaAm I scaring you tonight?DisturbiaAin't used to what you likeDisturbiaDisturbia

Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bumBum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bumBum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bumBum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum

Faded pictures on the wallIt's like they talkin' to meDisconnecting all the callsYour phone don't even ringI gotta get outOr figure this shit outIt's too close for comfort, oh.

It's a thief in the nightTo come and grab youIt can creep up inside youAnd consume youA disease of the mindIt can control youI feel like a monster

Throw on your brake lightsWe're in the city of wonder (City of lights)Ain't gonna play nice (oh)Watch out, you might just go underBetter think twice (think twice)Your train of thought will be alteredSo if you must falter be wise (be wise)

Your mind is in disturbiaIt's like the darkness is the lightDisturbiaAm I scaring you tonight?DisturbiaAin't used to what you like (what you like)DisturbiaDisturbia


Release me from this curse I'm inTrying to maintainBut I'm strugglingIf you can't go, go, goI think I'm gonna oh, oh, oh

Throw on your brake lightsWe're in the city of wonderAin't gonna play niceWatch out, you might just go underBetter think twice (better think twice)Your train of thought will be alteredSo if you must falter be wise (if you must falter be wise)

Your mind is in disturbiaIt's like the darkness is the lightDisturbiaAm I scaring you tonight?DisturbiaAin't used to what you like (disturbia)DisturbiaDisturbia


Full Lyrics

Lyrics• Rihanna’s lyrics talk about confession and opposition of

thoughts which directly relate to the scenes of her opposite roles in the video.

• An example of her opposite role is where she is shown to be captive behind bars, couple with the lyrics “im going crazy” alluring to the fact that she is in a cage of her own feelings and mind which pushes her to a very low and weak figure.But after this the shot shows her in the front almost commanding the dancers behind her, juxtaposing the previous shot.The chair she is own seems to be an old electric chair from the asylum type prison she is in but is treated like a throne giving her a feeling of majesty and power.This imagine has the lyrics “it can control you” coupled with it, this lyric can be interpreted as either the mental disease and disturbia the characters are presented with , or it can represent Rihanna and the power of control she has on the throne.

Editing and Pace• Shots in the video aren’t longer than

around two seconds which keeps in tune with the beat of the song (bum bum be dum…) because of its quick pace. Some shots fade over each other(eg at 44seconds).Rihanna is sitting on a throne but her face also appears on the leftmost side of the screen giving an impression of deliriousness of disturbia of reality.(This links to my previous point of juxtaposition, the whole video is made to seem confused and disturbed to show the singers mind-set and resonate with the lyrics).

Lighting• Some scenes are lit but mostly with dull

long cylinder fluorescent white lights emphasising the dark atmosphere(its all artificial light connoting horror, darkness, closed spaces).The lighting is mostly from behind the characters giving a silhouette look to the actors which is a fitting visual representation because of the connotations of witches and wolves and other horrific things in front of the moon and lights, it also blurs the detail and creates mystery and suspicion of these characters and fits with the running theme of disturbia or deliriousness.

Previous Videos• “Disturbia” is the follow up of “Umbrella” and it

describes the state of mind as a possessed individual. Whilst possessed victims cant think for themselves-thoughts are given by the possessor and the possessed behaves according to the thoughts they give. Lyrics such as “out my head”, “a disease of the mind” and “disturbia” convey the same message very blatently.The question is who's the possessed and who is the possessor. Rihanna or the producers have done all this purposely to confuse the viewer and cause them to be in disturbia.The producers and directors and the agency who Rihanna works for could be the possessors possessing her to create music for the money grabbing company. Rihanna could be the possessor possessing the audience into watching her material. Rihanna could be the possessor of the other actors in the story, or the other way around, no message is the clearest again reinforcing the theme of Disturbia in the video and music.

“Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum”• First words heard are a repetition of “Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-

dum bum” which can be read as a ‘spell’ to hypnotize the subject.A ‘bum’ is either a tramp or incompetent person and ‘be dum’ can be heard as ‘be dumb’ which put together says ‘bum be dumb’ AKA ‘tramp just give into it and be hypnotized’ and increases my point of the audience being caught by the video and possessed by the catchy lyrics and tune.Or that she herself didn’t write the lyrics and she is hypnotically singing out these lyrics causing herself and the audience to ‘be dumb’.

rihanna disturbia

Art & Photos