Music Video analysis

Summarised lyrics

When there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son

If you can hold on, hold on
I wanna stand up, I wanna let go
You know no you don't

I wanna shine on in the hearts of men Another head aches, another heart breaks
I am so much older than I can take
I need direction to perfection

Help me out

don't you put me on the blackburner

help me out

I got soul, but I'm not a soldier

Over and out, last call for sin
While everyone's lost, the battle is won
With all these things that I've done

The central protagonist is most clearly the bands vocalist, Brandon Flowers, given that he is undeniably the only mouth piece for the narration of the song’s essential tale. However the video does not portray a one man band, and identifies a strong air of apparent brotherhood via the cowboy costumes, establishing a gang aspect, but also the visual impact of seeing them walk to the camera at the same pace as one another, giving further evidence of the bands unity.

  

•Fundamentally the video reflects a objective character identity, given that the majority of the screen time is given away to the bands vocalist, as suppose to dividing it up amongst all the members of the band.

 

The singers attempt to ride a midget donkey, portrays him as rather ridiculous but also gives symbolism to the songs theme of men unsuccessfully trying to mount there boyhood activities and having to finally grasp the responsibilities of their actual age.

Given their surroundings being a desert and the vocalist carrying around a set of colourful light bulbs, it identifies a metaphor for the songwriter’s described attempt to fill an inner empty space inside of him with colour.   However it also brings to attention the bands background being Vegas.