Monday, June 30, 2014

“We Talked Again” by Bridie Jackson and the Arbour – The Music Video

     Often, music videos are married to a song, so that it would be socially wrong for the video to be with another song. Yes, a relationship that justifies the two announcing that they will enter into a social contract sanctioned by some governmental body (and perhaps some religious body). Obvious examples are videos that splice in shots of the band performing the song. Only slightly less obvious are videos that play out the actions described in the lyrics.
     But this blog post is about a music video that is only dating its song. It’s a good relationship, since the presence of one makes the other more powerful. But this is one of the few videos that can stand strong in isolation from its song.
     The lyrics do include statements that certainly fit the video. Our favorite is “We forgot to be strangers,” which fits a number of scenes. The lyrics also refer to “reaching out for human warmth,” a statement that is best represented by the mother embracing the homeless person at the 1:14 mark.
      Still, this a video in which the six people were selected for skills other than being able to look good on camera. Features we love include:
     1. The effectiveness of the cello in enhancing emotions.
     2. The line “We forgot to be strangers.’
     3. The facial expressions throughout the first 60 seconds, especially:
            a. The subtleness of the nod of the mother at 0:51, when she seems to agree with staying behind while the man moves into what must be a disaster region.
            b. The expansion of the man’s cheeks as he momentarily contemplates moving forward into the danger.
            c. The look of the mother at 0:56.
     4. The hesitancy of the homeless person to return the mother’s embrace.
     5. The business man’s sudden realization of the inappropriateness of taking a cell phone picture of the disaster scene.
     6. The reaction to the heat of a blast at 2:10.
     7. The look of unspoken appreciation from the homeless man at the 3:17 mark.

     The song is “We Talked Again” by Bridie Jackson and the Arbour. According to their Facebook page, they are from Newcastle upon Tyne. The four members are:
Bridie Jackson... Lead Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Belleplates
Carol Bowden... Vocals, Cajon, Percussion, Belleplates
Jenny Nendick... Cello, Double Bass, Belleplates
Rachel Cross... Fiddle, Five String Viola, Vocals, Belleplates


     “We Talked Again” by Bridie Jackson and the Arbour

Lyrics:
The ice came, the ice came
and we talked again, we talked again

A child strayed in our neighbourhood
and we talked again, we talked again

Reaching out for human warmth
Long to be loved for the small things once more
Once more

They built fences high
and darkened the sky
We forgot to be strangers
and we talked again, we talked again

Reaching out for human warmth
Long to be loved for the small things once more

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