Going Underground

Going underground was the bands first British number 1, released in March 1980. It’s a fast paced, fast temped punk song that dictates an important message. The band is making a political statement about war and the leaders who lead countries into war. Paul Weller, the lead singer of the band also makes a point about society contributing by continually appointing these leaders. This is very stereotypical of a punk rock song because the song employs a meaning and they are creating music with a purpose as opposed to pure entertainment. I choose this particular song because I wanted to incorporate this major function of punk culture in my research. I am also interested as to how the video will be made and the techniques it uses, as the video has to back up the message that the strong lyrics and sounds create.




The video itself is a performance video as the band is with their instruments playing and singing in time with the song. However, the band plays in front of a large white backdrop, like a blank canvas which immediately highlights them as the centre of attention to the audience. Now that the band has the audiences gaze, a number of close ups of Paul Weller makes us focus on his words and lyrics. This, along with Weller’s stern and serious expressions underline the fact that this is a political statement and the lyrics are what take main priority.

The video is very uncomplicated and low budget because it doesn’t really need to be anything but. If there were big distracting colours in the background or irrelevant images shown during the video then this would take away the poignancy of the message in the video. The editing is uncomplicated and basic with only the odd change in image away from the playing band. The band remains central as the camera only moves around them ranging from mid shots to close ups, transitioning via zooming in and out at different sections.


The point in which the video most inspires me is the use of small montages and sneaky subliminal messaging. Every now and then through the video, images are flashed before our eyes before we cut back to the familiar scene of the band playing again. These images are of: Atomic bombs; warfare; the “your country needs you” war posters (image left); and images of political leaders from around the time e.g. Margaret Thatcher. These give the video a time era and show the public what their message is in a more physical notion.


What can I take from this?
The video has shown me a very basic, deliberately bare performance video that can be used to get a point across. The technicality of the video is very low but that is the whole point of this era, this music and this Band. If I was to pick a punk rock song then I would have to seriously look at doing a video like this to promote the meaning of the words, not just the band image.