Textual Analysis: Boom Clap Charli XCX

‘Boom Clap’ is a song by British recording artist Charli XCX, released as the first single from the soundtrack album of The Fault In Our Stars (2014) and will also be featured ion XCX’s studio album Sucker which is to be released on the 21 October 2014.

The accompanying music video for ‘Boom Clap’ was directed by Sing J. Lee, it was filmed in Amsterdam and premiered on the 2^nd June 2014. It features a new master of the song with slightly different production, which was released as the main single in the UK.

This video opens with visual that are complemented to the audio sound of XCX shouting ‘BOOM BOOM BOOM CLAP’ before we come across the instrumental of the song. The video opens with an establishing shot of Amsterdam which is accompanied by the first ‘BOOM’, this then follows on with a flash revealing XCX’s name overlaid on the establishing shot which is in sync to the second ‘BOOM’. The final ‘BOOM’ occurs with a close up shot of XCX’s face on the camera (breaking the fourth wall) with aspiring text from overlaying this shot from the film The Fault In Our Stars. The final mid shot has XCX standing in front of the river with her shouting ‘CLAP’. The fact that the ‘BOOM’ has been said three times in this introduction acts as a drum roll with the ‘CLAP’ being the end of a drum roll. It introduces the song in a unique way with the use of visuals that follow the pace of this introduction, efficiently allowing the song and the artist to be introduced.

Through the instrumental at the beginning of the song, the artist has been portrayed in many different shots, enabling viewers to full take in the artist and publicise XCX. Different aspects of the artist enable viewers to see different sides of her, for instance in one shot she is smiling and in the other she is just walking. Also the location, the location is very important in this music video as it takes in consideration the film The Fault in Our Stars. A great chunk of the film was shot in Amsterdam, as the two make a surprise trip. It is considered that majority of the best scenes in the film are in fact in Amsterdam, with the artist visiting those places suggests the artist perhaps telling their story as well as a means of publicising the film.

XCX sitting on a boat on the river, her eyes are currently closed but when the song comes across its single beat, her eyes shot open. When the next beat comes around the corner, the scene suddenly changes. This suggests that the visuals move in sync to the sounds in this song, as this song is quite heavy with the drum and the beat, the sound gives the video an opportunity to fit in more visuals that involve both the artist and the film, suggesting that this song is about the two people in the film.

Features of this music video involve shots of XCX not singing at all to the lyrics, this is something similar to what we wish to achieve. It allows the video to look more realistic and less Hollywood glam. This is because the time of when this was filmed was quite cold, but the general nature of the music video involves the realistic element, which again can be contributed to the idea that the artist is telling the story of Hazel and Augustus. It also allows viewers to differentiate between the two footages of scenes from the film and shots from the music video.

The bridge of the song is slower in terms of beat compared to the verse and chorus. Therefore, the visuals would have that same effect. For instance, this lights and dissolves of one shot to another creates that slowed down, dream - like aurora. This ties in to the film, The Fault in Our Stars, as this dream- like feeling is what Hazel and Augustus must be feeling as they are in love with each other. This represents the stereotypical idea of everything slowing down at the sight of your crush. 

The music video features clips and visual associations to the film, The Fault in Our Stars. Being the song that features in the film, it is only right some clips feature in the music video. Clips from the film featuring in this music video provides a wide and broad approach in publicising the film, the mere act of XCX being in that exact location (Amsterdam) where the most vital scenes of the film was shot. The song itself expresses on these clips featured in the music video as the words itself ‘Boom’ ‘clap’ elicit a thump sound of the heart, portraying the emotion of love, which is done so by these specific clips chosen for this music video.