'Virtual Insanity' By Jamiroquai: Music Video Analysis
Ever since 1981, the year that MTV first aired “Video Killed the Radio Star”, music videos have been a huge part of the popular music industry, and any artist hoping to be relevant was expected to produce some music videos. What makes music videos so important is the ability to create a visual representation of the music. Jamiroquai’s music video for the song “Virtual Insanity” is essentially an interpretive dance number for the themes present in the lyrics of the song that are the fear and rejection of technology. However, the entire video is ultimately, heavily ironic, due to the fact that the video employs the use of impressive technology to shoot. The “Virtual Insanity” video is about the increasing influence of technology on the lives
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The entire video was shot in one take, which for such a complex choreography and orchestration of the set, is quite impressive. The illusions in the video are created using a moving set over a stationary floor, allowing for objects simply resting of the floor to appear as though they are moving without any external forces. This is ironic to the theme of fearing the effects of technology because complex technology, that the general public likely fails to fully grasp, is employed to get that theme across. For example, when Jay sings “Who can tell what magic spells we’ll be doing for us” and magically moves the chair towards him. The idea expressed here, that the growth of technology has reached a point of appearing to be magic, which is illustrated by him moving the chair, is actually itself a product of the development of technology. Similarly, the portion that takes place in the hallway with anonymous cast sliding backwards down a hall, illustrating the unknown forces that are a product of “virtual insanity” are actually a product of technology, the precept to virtual insanity. The music video for Jamiroquai’s song “Virtual Insanity” is an impressive piece of production and of thematic irony because of its effective optical illusions and its warnings about the unseen effects of technology that are created using unseen effects of technology. If the aim of creating this song was to truly warn listeners about an impending threat of technology, then the method of argumentation that is the video effectively destroys any efficacy the song had in this respect. However the music video does maintain high value with regard to purposeful irony, complex choreography, and
The entire video was shot in one take, which for such a complex choreography and orchestration of the set, is quite impressive. The illusions in the video are created using a moving set over a stationary floor, allowing for objects simply resting of the floor to appear as though they are moving without any external forces. This is ironic to the theme of fearing the effects of technology because complex technology, that the general public likely fails to fully grasp, is employed to get that theme across. For example, when Jay sings “Who can tell what magic spells we’ll be doing for us” and magically moves the chair towards him. The idea expressed here, that the growth of technology has reached a point of appearing to be magic, which is illustrated by him moving the chair, is actually itself a product of the development of technology. Similarly, the portion that takes place in the hallway with anonymous cast sliding backwards down a hall, illustrating the unknown forces that are a product of “virtual insanity” are actually a product of technology, the precept to virtual insanity. The music video for Jamiroquai’s song “Virtual Insanity” is an impressive piece of production and of thematic irony because of its effective optical illusions and its warnings about the unseen effects of technology that are created using unseen effects of technology. If the aim of creating this song was to truly warn listeners about an impending threat of technology, then the method of argumentation that is the video effectively destroys any efficacy the song had in this respect. However the music video does maintain high value with regard to purposeful irony, complex choreography, and