M.I.A. – Born Free (Music Video Review)
 |  |
M.I.A. is back in the news for a controversial music video for her song “Born Free.” The video was posted to YouTube, then taken down, then put back up, all within 24 hours. During that short period of time Blogs and Twitter-feeds lit up with people, including M.I.A., screaming that the act of removing the video was censorship. The video could still be seen on Vimeo and on M.I.A.’s personal Web site http://miauk.com.
Was this censorship by YouTube, or by M.I.A.’s own music label? The artist definitely thought that her label Universal Music Group was the source of the removal, going on Twitter and typing, “FUCK UMG WHO WONT SHOW IT ON YOUTUBE!” Four minutes later she Tweeted, “OK NOT UMG FAULT!”
Talk about jumping to a conclusion and having trust issues with your record label.
The video is indeed very violent, and also includes nudity and sexual situations — by two people who should never appear nude on camera — but many think the ban of her video had more to do with the message than the content itself.
Directed by Romain Gervas, the video features the capture and execution of nearly two-dozen redheaded teenagers — also known as “Gingers.” The video is very realistic and is incredibly shot. The 9-minute video plays out more like a film, with “Born Free” being used as the composer’s soundtrack to the scene.
The film starts off with a SWAT team van driving down a city street. They get out of the armored van, wearing riot gear and a very visual U.S. flag on their arms, breaking into a city apartment. They beat and torture a couple having sex, until they find what they were looking for hiding behind a shower curtain; a redheaded male teenager. They handcuff the boy, making the viewer wonder what crime he has committed. It isn’t until he is put on a bus with a bunch of other “Gingers” that the viewer realizes that this is part of some government conspiracy that may lead to genocide.
The reason M.I.A. chooses redheaded males to gather up and execute has more to do with a statement on race than the actual race itself. It’s very obvious to the viewer that the only things these teens have in common is their hair color. It would take more time and effort if they all looked different, but hinted that they all were a part of the same religion. And it would have been a statement about immigration reform if the boys in the bus were all Mexican. But, M.I.A. chooses redheads because the message can now be a generic one about racism, sexism, free speech, religious hate, genocide and more. It’s not just one issue she is dealing with here. The video actually is reminiscent of 2009’s District 9, a film that uses aliens to tell a story of South African apartheid.
The song, which samples the 1977 song “Ghost Rider” from the punk band Suicide, matches the frantic mood of the entire video. M.I.A. sings, “Yeah I don’t wanna live for tomorrow / I push my life today / I throw this in your face when I see ya / I got something to say / I throw this sh*t in your face when I see ya / Cause I got something to say / I was born free
“You could try to find ways to be happier / You might end up somewhere in Ethiopia / You can think big with your idea / You ain’t never gonna fund Utopia.”
The strong message of the lyrics matches the strong message of the video.
The bus drives out of the city, passing a mural of three redheaded teens holding guns with the statement, “Our Time Will Come.” At this moment, three actual redheaded teens try to attack the busses leaving town, but are not successful.
The group is driven out to a fenced-in area of the desert where they are forced to line-up. The boys are told to run, and when they do not do so; the youngest redhead is violently executed with a direct gunshot to the temple. The boys start to run across the desert, where the area is littered with mines. Boys are torn apart limb from limb from the explosions, and no one survives.
Nothing has been released to why the video was taken down, but YouTube can defend their actions by simply saying the artist violated their code of conduct, which states that users cannot upload images of nudity. With M.I.A.’s knowledge of American media and society, she should know by now that the U.S. does not tolerate sex and nudity in music videos and on television. Decapitations, violent scenes of war, suicides? Sure, the more the merrier. A naked nipple? Hell no.
M.I.A. has a new album coming out on June 29, with “Born Free” as one of the tracks listed.
Posted on 05/2/10
221 views
Back To Blog - Tags: M.I.A., Music Video, Review, Winning
|
|
Leave a comment
Related posts:
- Lloyd Banks – Bomb First (Music Video Review)
- Owl City – Vanilla Twilight (Music Video Review)
- Flyleaf – Missing (Music Video Review)
- B.o.B – Nothin’ On You ft. Bruno Mars (Music Video Review)
- Erykah Badu – Window Seat (Music Video Review)
- “Avril in Wonderland” Just Isn’t Magical (Music Video Review)
- Plies – She Got It Made (Music Video Review)
- Kerli – Tea Party (Music Video Review)
- Scooter – Stuck On Replay (Music Video Review)
- Timati – “Love You” & “Groove On” (Music Video Review)
- Usher Ft. Will.I.Am – OMG (Music Video Review)
- Roscoe Dash – All The Way Turnt Up ft. Soulja Boy (Music Video Review)
- Pitbull, Sensato Del Patio, Black Point, Lil Jon, & El Cata – Watagatapitusberry (Music Video Review)
- Lady Gaga – Telephone ft. Beyoncé (Music Video Review)
- Taio Cruz – Break Your Heart ft. Ludacris (Music Video Review)
One Comment
Comments RSS