Analysing Music Videos: 21 Guns - Green Day

Artist: Green Day "21 Guns"
Genre: Punk/rock
Director of Music Video: Marc Webb
Category: Narrative/Performance/Concept

My Interpretation
This song (as any other) can have many interpretations. In the context of the album, 21 guns is talking about a sudden loss in faith when you realise everything you've been fighting for has been for nothing  and realising what is actually worth the fight.

However in context of the album, the following quote pretty much says it all.
In a very broad and simplistic interpretation, 21 Guns' lyrics are about 'giving up the fight' and surrendering to an unwinnable or worthless conflict. When taken on its own out of the 21CB story-arc, the song's lyrics can be interpreted as anti-war, however when applied to the story of Christain and Gloria, its meaning is far less global, instead they're referring to their relationship and all its conflicts. Up until this point on the album, Christian has been the angry, self-destructive, disenfranchised, left-behind rebel that's trying to fight against 'the system' of post-Bush America, while Gloria has been his rock and stabilising force; a guiding light of rebellious femininity at the end of his own dark tunnel. This song is the tipping point for the pair's already rocky relationship; Gloria is questioning Christian on his beliefs, values and feelings (the first verse), and ultimately trying to get him to stop walking down the path of martyrdom - she's trying lay down to rest the soldier within him with a 21-gun salute.

Relationship Between Lyrics & Visuals

Conventions Used

• Features full band 
• Performance aspect combined with narrative 
• Dark/punky colours 

Location

It's interesting that this entire music video takes place in the space of a single room. The song is discussing standing back and thinking about what it is you're fighting for, and so it fits the idea perfectly. Two people are stuck in a room together, fleeing the police- they have no where else to go. So in this small space, there's nothing left to do but stop and think. This is reflected in the way the man (Christian) is symbolically rolling the bullet between his fingers at the beginning of the song- he is contemplating what the bullet is worth. 

Narrative/Concept/Performance?
It is impossible to give this music video simply one label since it fits into all three. The song was taken from a concept album. The concept involved the story and struggle between these two characters shown in the music video-Christian and Gloria. They are the icon for the album from which this single was released. In fact at one point- the image on the front cover is replicated in the 350 shot where Christian and Gloria kiss. Therefore they are the concept. The performance aspect is self-explanatory and involves the entire band of Green Day performing in the same space where Christian and Gloria are hiding. The narrative apparently involves these two characters who are fleeing the police, for what purpose- is not clearly obvious through the music video. But the again- perhaps this is part of the message. If we do not know why they are fleeing and what they are fighting for and they're having doubts themselves, what is the point of the fight? Throughout the music video, subtle hints are made to what the characters are experiencing. An obvious example would be the shot of the broken glass reflecting Christian's conflicted spirit on the verge of surrender. A link I found interesting was the low angle shot of the phone ringing during the lyric "when your mind breaks the spirit of your soul". I interpreted the phone as a symbol for Gloria's thoughts calling out to her and talking her heart out of the pointless conflict hence "her mind breaks the spirit of her soul". 
There is obviously a parallel between the performance aspect of the video and the narrative aspect. Both seem to be occurring at the same time (you can tell by the time the guns start shooting through the walls) and in the same space yet in different places. It makes the performance and the performers more linked to the reality of the characters and as the lyrics are sung the characters are experiencing those very emotions.