‘Payphone’ by Maroon 5 Analysis

I am analysing the video for Maroon 5 ‘Payphone’ starring Adam Levine. This is due to the fact members of my class recommended music videos which they liked for the rest of us to analyse. 

This mid shot at the beginning of the music video suggests chaos and danger to the main character Adam Levine. He is in the foreground and the shot suggests serious danger however we are not aware what the danger is. The tattoos suggest rugged ‘bad boy’ style character, due to the connotations in films and characters with tattoos. His costume makeup shows he has been injured around his eye and further suggests danger. The prop of the phone links with the lyrics ‘I’m at a payphone trying to call home’ and further suggests the potentially difficult situation Adam is in, as he needs to contact a safe place.

This long shot of Adam and his love interest escaping the bank robbers, with a gun in Adams hands can show many things. For example the prop of the gun shows Adam has immense power and is also a potentially dangerous man, it aligns him with being a criminal but it is clear in this instance it is used for self-defence. The body language of Adam and his love interest can tell the viewer many thing. The fact they are running suggests they need to get away from the situation very quickly and the fact they are holding hands shows that they care for one another and are a unit together. The girl’s hand is in front of her face to protect her, and Adam is in front leading her to safety suggesting he cares a lot about her as he brings her with him to escape the building.

This two shot of Adam and his love interest shows another angle on the above image and symbolises determination to escape the chaos together. As the love interest is blurred out and we are unable to see her face in the shot it shows how Adam is the hero and the main focus of the music video.

This long shot towards the end shows the trouble Adam has gotten himself in, and symbolises how he is trapped. This could be a metaphor for how he is trapped in a relationship ‘Where have the times gone baby it’s all wrong?’ The chaos is shown in the shot with Adam’s car clearly being outnumbered by police cars and he appears to have no way of overcoming the obstacle. Similar to obstacles thrown in his way with his relationship with the woman.