“Just Like You” is a 2004 song by Three Days Grace, a Canadian Post-Grunge band. The video is based around the idea of everybody conforming to an image that higher powers choose. This is accomplished by portraying everyone wearing identical jumpsuits and masks. While the band doesn’t conform to this image, the crowd’s view of the band is distorted by a glass wall that portrays them in the same way as they are dressed. The higher powers watch over the crowd to make sure they all obey while faceless armed guards are stationed all around the room. This is likely an intertextual reference to the 1927 film, Metropolis.
After a power surge causes the lights to flicker and the true image of the band breaks through the glass wall, members of the crowd begin to slowly react to the music. At first it is a very slight reaction, however it begins to increase. The higher powers begin to notice this and motion to a guard. When the guard move towards the member of the crowd who is most active, he abruptly stops in fear.
As they continue to play, the band is able to shatter the glass wall, immobilising the guards and causing the crowd to shield themselves from the glass. As the crowd begins to remove their masks the lights are shown once again, this time flickering constantly. This connotes that the higher-ups have lost their power over the crowd. The crowd begin moshing as the guards are lost in the crowd. The video ends with the crowd as it was at the beginning, possibly connoting that you can’t escape the higher powers.
The video is generally about breaking free of conformity and enjoying yourself. However, it also refers to the use of force to maintain control, when a superior motions to a guard to stop a non-conforming crowd member. As the final shot of the video is identical to the opening shot it implies that even if you rebel against an authority it is a futile attempt to escape their control. The identical jumpsuits and masks worn by both the superiors and the crowd may refer to the fact that members the same society/culture/sub-culture often wear similar clothing. The fact that the superiors are also wearing these clothes connotes that they also control the fashion styles, rather than it being free choice. Use of the glass wall may also be a reference to the influence of authority in deciding whether the masses are allowed to see the truth or what they want them to see. This is also present in the use of armed guards to prevent anyone breaking the pattern of conformity.
All of the references within the video are the band’s view on how the everyone is controlled by higher powers, by using the music industry as an example.
A satisfactory analysis of a quite difficult music video. To strengthen by adding another post I'd suggest you engage with:
ReplyDeleteIntertextuality : Search Youtube "Metropolis" 1927 Part 1, at about 1min 32secs is the sequence called "shift change" then you will see where the director may have got his/her ideas of a passive uniform mass; also the opening sequence in "A Clockwork Orange" the gang wears masks; also the anti capitalist protestors camping at St Pauls are wearing masks. So the masks are significant, and can be read as menacing/distrubing or comic but they do hide identity.
If you engaged with these intertextual possiblitites your marks would strengthen.