Suzumu Kenan
English 100 MW
Tiare Picard
February 4, 2015
We are not “like animals” Essay
Maroon 5 has been my favorite hip-hop group ever since the beginning of their album in 2002, but unfortunately, they took things a little too far this time. A woman stalked by a stranger endures into his sexual fantasy, is the most immoral establishment I’ve seen in a music video. The opening lyrics that introduces the first lines to the song, clearly elucidates the creepiness aura that subsides with the song’s theme. As the song progresses, it lures the listener towards the catchy audacity of the chorus- remodeling the idea of stalking woman to be exceptionally appropriate. The music video has not only made its reputation slightly morbid, but has caught the disturbed attention of the music industry. The music video has wrongly casted out this illicit representation of “stalking with romance” into a romantic perspective, and should revamp their messages that they input into their catchy tunes.
The first 10 seconds of the music video has already gotten the audience sensing a dark scenario. The beginning of the music video, we see the lead singer, Adam Levine, portraying a butcher, who stalks a woman under the night sky- if not groping an animal carcass in meat lockers. He begins to follow her through the streets and watches her go inside her home. The disturbing plot continues as he breaks into her home and crawls into her bed while she sleeps, unaware of his presence. The next following scenes become a sexual bloodbath of the stalker’s fantasy. This gruesome scenario paints the picture, of the idea: “stalking with romance” to be encouraged. Then what is seen till the end, is the repetition of the whole controversial aspect that made this video a “dangerous” feature of the entertainment industry.
The first half lyrics of the song explains the idea that the scenario must been a breakup recently, “So what you're trying to do to me / It’s like we can’t stop, we’re enemies” Then it shows the force love that he commits to the woman by force from the next line, “But we get along when I’m inside of you”. This mere disturbing scene is already taking things too far, doesn’t sound very compassionate, more like rape. The second half of the lyrics shows the creepiness starting to emerge, “You’re like a drug, that’s killing me / I cut you out, entirely”, thoroughly explaining the attached stalker is not only groping onto its victim, but rather forcing himself upon her, “But I get so high when I’m inside you.” The first part of the chorus uses high imagery and figurative language like, “Baby, I’m preying on you tonight / Hunt you down eat you alive / Just like animals.” The juxtaposition of “baby” and “preying” could also be elucidated as how the stalker see’s it’s victim as his romance partner, but simultaneously grabs onto her as defenseless piece of meat. All this blended along with a catchy tune and authentic visuals depicts how a stalker’s fantasy should be encouraged through catchy beat and an attractive couple.
The chorus repeats throughout the music video, and it tags along a rough visual of the “romance” in the moment of a serious situation. In addition, the use of animals to be compared to human interaction is ridiculously appalling and ridiculous. The second part of the chorus ends by expressing the whole idea of stalking a lot more clearly to the audience, “Maybe you think that you can hide / I can smell your scent from miles”, this line shows the disturbing message that explains the idea of a stalker invading one’s privacy. Now for the last part of the chorus, it shows how the stalker is becoming really attached and won’t give up until he prizes his victim, “Yeah you can start over, you can run free / You can find other fish in the sea”. The whole sentence illustrates the need for the woman to be “free” and away from the scenario but then is seized back into the arms of the stalker, “You can pretend it’s meant to be / But you can’t stay away from me”. Here it brought back the darkness and creepiness of the stalker’s perspective. The last part shows the stalker’s fantasy to be revealed that he is needy, “I can still hear you making that sound / Taking me down, rolling on the ground”. Then provokes the idea of preying on this poor woman in the music video as if she couldn’t escape his attention, “You can pretend that it was me / But no”. Having the last part to always wrap up a short summary of what the stalker implies to do next.
The music video did not only shake its own reputation to its fans, but it also shocked the entertainment industry and made itself a new controversy. Different news articles has claimed that the video is “dark and bloody” and most likely “dangerous” for being a “stalker’s fantasy” being appraised. Sexual assault support group, “RAINN” has slammed the video for being too dangerous and criminal like behavior. Obsessive love music listeners have devoured themselves into pop music that briefly shares the love category, but they weren’t as creepy as “animals”.
Stalking is a serious crime, and the music video should never have to confuse the behavior between stalking and romance to agree with each other. Thus, this video should have no place to be in the entertainment industry. Is it really needed for Adam to make stalking look sexy and appropriate? From this disturbing literalism of the music video, it seems to reach out to the audience to portray a handsome protagonist to be seen under a positive light.
Yet as the same time, is clumsy and out of touch with the current social concerns about the creepy men who lurk in this world to stalk woman. This video expresses the fact that women could be seen not as a person, but as side beef-noting that he was a depicting a butcher in the music video. It is understandable that music videos want to get artsy with their themes and try new things that can grab people’s attention. Though, when it takes it to a higher level that coincides with social issues, then it has a possibility in changing or motivating a serious crime.