Popular or Mass Culture: Mimetic Analysis, Semiotics and Narrative

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Mimetic analyses
Semiotics
Narrative
Reference List

Introduction

This paper is devoted to the evaluation of culture on the global level, referring to the ‘local’ level of analyses of one of the culture forms. Popular or mass culture was not the first to deserve the attention of the researchers.

However, with the development of sociological and cultural studies, it has been admitted, that massive culture is one the most important components to investigate for exactly the latter shapes the conscience of society, indicates the society’s preconceptions and needs, reflects the mode of living and the perspectives of development.

Hence, this work aims at conducting the analyses into the ‘item’ of modern massive music art – the video under the name ‘Sex Room’ by Ludacris featuring Trey Songz. This work of pop culture will be considered in terms of textual analyses in order to reveal the hidden messages, contextual information, and to draw the basic picture of the cultural processes through the prism popular music development.

The surface consideration of ‘Sex Room’ induces to trace the remarkable resemblance with Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’, which is either the successful advertisement of the hotel accommodation, but rather modernized. Indeed, this video, having the implication of advertising the Las Vegas luxury hotel ‘Palms’ through verbal and non-verbal messages seduces the viewer to come and experience all the services offered. Indeed, the latter are being successively depicted in the video, seasoned with the strong metonymy of luxury life and the stereotyped images of the sexual appeal.

Mimetic analyses

“Spoken words are the symbols of mental experience“, as the Greek philosopher states, and it is well established that every word indicates a particular meaning and has a unique connotation. Hence, it is relevant to analyze the lyrics of the pop music video. [Marx, 2008]

First, one has to admit, that the lyrics of the song is the perfect accompaniment to the video visualization and completely corresponds to the idea of it on the technical view. On analyzing the mode of expression, it is rather simplified for the reason of the musical style, which can be defined as a combination of R&B and rap.

The language appears the specific mode of expression of a particular society group, i.e. the representatives of the black race. This is, however, outlined by the singer himself while using the censured word “nigga” deriving from taboo ‘nigger’. [Bridges, 2010]

Concerning the means of expression that the lyrics operate, there must be distinguished metaphors, metonyms, comparisons, and word plays. To metaphors one may refer the expression “my little sanctuary”, which actually, being explicated as a sacred object, stands for the ‘sex room’. [Bridges, 2010] The other metaphor lies in the connotation of the following expression “Let me get a vowel, I-O-U So I-E-U mean I eat you”. The latter is connected to the common conception about the resemblance of a female body with the fruit, frequently strawberry.

Further, in the lyrics the word “daddy” is used, which, by the definition of Collins English dictionary, is “the dominant male in a group; boss; top man”. Comparing himself with a tripod, the singer counts on physiological resemblance with this subject, while experiencing sexual arousal.

The examples of the metonymy could be found in the following expression “I’mma give you this dick to ride”. The word play is realized through the expression “Feelin’ high but I’m hung real low”, where the juxtaposition of the adjectives creates a desirable effect of pun. [Bridges, 2010]

Generally, this part of the paper is devoted to stylistic analyses of the pop music video through detailed investigation into the lyrics of the song and its means of expression.

Semiotics

The video ‘Sex Room’ performs a variety of symbols and signals, which communicate either through open or through hidden context. There is a set of codes that the viewer has an opportunity to decipher and define the main message of the modern work of pop art. Hence, following the deduction procedure, the main message of the ‘Sex Room’ is that the viewer should visit the hotel ‘Palms’, where any kind of the viewer’s desire would be fulfilled.

This implies that if you stay at this luxury hotel, you are a successful and loveable person. The code is the invitation to the community of richness, posh accommodation, extravagant clothes, and glistening stones. This invitation to the world of beauty and hedonism is realized through the scenes of luxury apartments, Las Vegas view, poker, posh alcoholic drink, beautiful girls, and sexual satisfaction.

Thus, the symbols of the video are the authority of Las Vegas, the hotel ‘Palms’, the I-Pod (mentioned in the lyrics), UB.net on-line poker, designers’ clothing, ‘Sobieski’ and ‘Karma’ alcoholic drinks. The message is that the viewer should follow the modern trends and to be ‘cool’, one only needs to do what his favourite artists do.

These are denotations of the signs, however, simply the picture that is directly offered to the viewer’s eye. The connotation of these objects reveals the hidden sense of the video, which, in the large scale, gives us understanding of the situation and prerogatives of modern society.

Hence, there appears an impression, that the value of society is already labelled and only when proving that you belong to the community that use I-Pods, wear designer’ clothes, and play UB.net poker, you are able to be recognized and acknowledged. The ‘Sex Room’ depicts the paradise on Earth, specifically created for eligible bachelors (or, we could even assume, for single women) to spend the time with pleasure.

Thus, the critical viewer can easily distinguish the first and, actually, the most global myth about happiness in richness. In the age of individualism, which has grown to ill egoism, the level of personal hedonism is constantly rising. Thinking and fulfilling own desires has become the task number one for the majority of population of this planet.

In fact, it has become the real popular cult, and, naturally, it is being depicted in the works of popular music art. The main value of the society is no longer family and children. They have been successfully replaced by money (and willing to have them the more the better) and personal preferences, where sexual ones take far not last place. This is a new model of happiness for the majority of free and independent people.

Narrative

The narrative flow of the video presentation is consecutive and appropriate. There is a preliminary scene that makes the viewer acquainted with the ‘story‘ of the ‘Sex Room’. The girls find themselves in an unfamiliar place and start wondering what happened to them.

The viewer may infer that one of them is Mexican due to her words in Spanish ‘My God’. [Bridges, 2010] This also relates the common myth that a lot of Las Vegas visitors come there having a special purpose of partying, drinking, and gambling. This either implies the willingness to find a potential intercourse partner. Further, the song and video relates the story of an evening and, finally, the singer Ludacris appears spicing the video with a slight humour note.

Reference List

Bridges Ch 2010 ‘Sex Room’. Web.

Gripsrud, J 2002, ‘Identity: The Media And Our Understanding Of Ourselves” In His Understanding Media Culture.’ London: Arnold.

Marx K, Engels F 2008, ‘The German Ideology’ (Extract) In Michael Ryan (Ed.) ‘Cultural Studies: An Anthology.’ Oxford: Blackwell.

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