My dear students from A12, C14, E01 and M01,
Hello guys!
This is the answer for the “Guess??” music video. Sorry for being late. I have been waiting for everyone to submit the printed blog. Finally, everyone has submitted it. Well, [sigh] almost. Hehehe.
So, like what I have promised you, let’s reveal the answer!
The title of the song for the "Guess?? music video is....
It is a MTV Video Music Awards – nominated single.
And the band is....
The vocalist who some referred to as ‘weird’ while singing the song, that is....
Hey, he's cool you know.
Now.. about the music video.. haha.. the one that make you scratch your head, remember?
It was directed by Jamie Thraves, who was hand-picked by the band after they saw several of his experimental short films. It was filmed near Liverpool Street Station in London, and intersperses footage of Radiohead playing the song inside an apartment with scenes of a middle-aged man who lies down in the middle of the pavement just outside of the apartment building. People start to gather, thinking that something must be wrong with the man, and the band are shown looking out the window at the events below. A heated (subtitled) conversation between the man and the crowd develops, as the people start demanding to know what the man is doing and why he is lying there. In subtitles, the man finally gives in and says, "Yes I'll tell you, I'll tell you why I'm lying here... but God forgive me... and God help us all... because you don't know what you ask of me." The camera zooms in on his mouth as the man finally gives the answer, but the subtitles have suddenly stopped, so the reason is not revealed to the viewer. As the camera zooms back out, it shows the pavement covered with the crowd of people, all lying down just like the man. Radiohead members have yet to reveal what specific words the man was intended to have said, if any, and Thraves has said "to tell you would deaden the impact, and would probably make you want to lie down in the road too".
Hahaha. Yes, I agree with Traves. Because that’s the feeling I had when I learnt the answer. It is as if I want to lie down in the pavement too.
And now, you want to know what does the person said to the people?
You really want to know, right?
Yes, I'll tell you.
I'll tell you the things that he said to those people. Things that make the crowd of people, all lying down just like him.
But forgive me... forgive me if after knowing it you want to lie down too. Haha.
Well, from a website that I’ve read, someone asked his friend who learns a sign language and learns lip reading to read the lip movement of the guy in the music video and it is found that the man said,
I’ll tell you what I will tell you “.
And basically he is repeating the same sentence over and over again. You can read from the website (here.)
Huh?? Whaaaaaaaaaat? That’s all?
Huhuhu.
Okay. Okay. It's enough. Get back. I think everyone has enough time lying on the floor just now ;p
Lastly, for the “reason why the first man is lying on the sidewalk and the message that this music video tries to convey?”, let’s rest that alone to your own interpretation. You can read the lyrics here. I think it is meant to be universal. And its okay to have different interpretations. I think people should have different interpretations about this song depending on how this song affects them and their life experience. I guess that’s the beauty of it. It should mean what it meant to you.
Satisfy?
Well so long, live well and farewell. You have all been absolutely wonderful and great. I’m going to miss your presence in class, laugh and jokes. And some amusing antics (behaviour which is silly and funny in a way that people usually like) too. Hehe.
Good luck and all the best for your future undertakings.
Remember, be careful with what you wish for. For you’ll never know. Sometimes what might happen to us, happened just because it happens that we do it to ourselves.
Till we meet again.. [wink].