I was reminded of the feeling I had downloading that video so I could watch it time and time again recently, when The Spider Accomplice released the video to go along with their new song I was already raving about.
"Crawl" is more than a mere music video put online for the benefit of YouTube clicks. Many songs get videos that mean nothing, and are put together to satisfy fans who don't want to watch a blank title card while the music plays. Here, the visual art is a vital component to the effectiveness of the song. Without the video, our experience would be incomplete, because we would be relying on some members of the audience with an incomplete understanding of metaphor having to decipher lyrical imagery on their own. The connection we form with the song is deeper as a result of being able to see VK's passion and emotion jumping off the screen. We reach a deeper level of music's humanity by absorbing it through multiple senses. It does to in three ways.
First, the video gives us greater context to the intent of the lyrics. The snake suit VK wears shines a light upon how we are our own tempting serpents. The true essence of ourselves may seem to us an outside force pulling us in directions we don't want to go, but they are who we are, and eventually we will crawl out and become our final form. The metamorphosis may be slow, it may be painful, but it needs to happen if we are going to find peace. Unlike the biblical story, this serpent is leading us into Eden, closer to the peace that comes from not having to hide who we are. The tempting fruit feeds us, with no repercussions.
Second, VK's skin baring is a layer of metaphor on top of the soul baring exhibited by the words. Music is, at its best, confessional. Art says something about the person creating it, and VK is able to deepen the meaning of the song by tying her voice and her body together. Words are not always clear in how honest they are, but images are harder to fake. Even the best actress has trouble replicating pain effectively enough to fool us for long. VK, in this video, makes it clear that "Crawl" is her, as she says, bleeding for her art.
Third, VK's skin baring also plays with our perceptions by taking a song with a panoramic scope, and making it as personal as humanly possible. She uses her small frame as a canvas upon which an epic statement is projected, concentrating the message upon her skin while we concentrate on the magnetic pull of her skin. Our eyes are drawn to the screen, focusing all our attention upon our senses, which allows the song to burrow deeper than if we were listening while distracted. By putting the attention on herself, VK has usurped our gaze to redirect our attention to the song. When we cannot take our eyes off her, we cannot shut our ears to the song. She has emerged victorious in psychological warfare.
"Crawl" makes a statement all on its own, but the video component adds layers of blunt nuance that shine like a lacquer upon a painting, revealing details that would otherwise remain hidden. The video stirs our blood as if thoughts travel through our veins, making sure we coat every nook and cranny with the song. VK is pretty in (and out of) pink, but it's all for a purpose. She is an artist, and the "Crawl" video is her masterpiece. As much as I loved the song when I first heard it, my affection has forged a crystal from the sands of time by watching the video. As it refracts a rainbow, pink is my favorite color.
See for yourself:
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