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‘’I CAME OUT SWINGING’’ BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE• THE ALBUM ‘’ SUBURBIA I'VE GIVEN YOU ALL AND NOW I'M NOTHING” WAS PRODUCED BY STEVE EVETTS.• THE ALBUM WAS RELEASED ON JUNE 14, 2011, BY HOPELESS RECORDS. THE ALBUM WAS RELEASED ON VINYL

THROUGH NO SLEEP RECORDS. A VIDEO WAS ALSO PRODUCED FOR THE SONG "CAME OUT SWINGING". THE ALBUM COVER FEATURES THE BAND'S MASCOT, HANK THE PIGEON.

• DAN "SOUPY" CAMPBELL - LEAD VOCALS• MATTHEW BRASCH - GUITAR, VOCALS• JOSH MARTIN - BASS, VOCALS• CASEY CAVALIERE - GUITAR• NICK STEINBORN - KEYBOARDS, GUITAR, VOCALS• MIKE KENNEDY - DRUMS, PERCUSSION

COSTUME CONVENTIONS• POP PUNK ENCOMPASSES ELEMENTS OF BOTH THE POP AND THE PUNK GENRES MEANING THE

COSTUME HOLDS SIMILARITIES TO BOTH KINDS OF MUSIC. DISTINCTIVE ASPECTS OF THE PUNK ROCK STYLE REMAIN IN POP PUNK CLOTHING STYLE RESULTING OFTENLY IN A DIS-SHEVELLED APPEARANCE; INCLUDING RIPPED JEANS, EAR GAUGES, FACIAL PIERCINGS PERHAPS SIGNIFYING THE CAREFREE YOUTHFUL ATTITUDE THE YOUTHS AND THE ARTISTS HAVE THEMSELVES. THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE NARRATIVE ASPECT OF THE VIDEO IS A TEENAGE GIRL AND SHE IS SEEN WEARING CONVERSE AND BLACK PAINTED NAILS, THE CONVERSE TYPE SKATE SHOES ARE FASHIONABLE IN THE POP-PUNK SCENE AND IS RELATED TO THE GENRE AS WELL AS THE BLACK NAILS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH TOM DELONGE(BLINK 182) AND FRANK IERO(MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE), BOTH THE MEMBERS AND BANDS INFLUENCING MANY POP-PUNK ARTISTS AND STYLE. THE PURPLE COLOUR IS ALSO BIG AMONG THE 2000’S STYLE ‘DARKER’ POP PUNK SUCH AS PANIC! AT THE DISCO AND MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE.• THE DRUMMER IS SEEN WEARING A BAND T-SHIRT OF A MELODIC HARD-CORE BAND

“DEFEATER”, THIS IS DONE FIRSTLY AS FASHION AS WELL AS A WAY OF ADVERTISING OTHER ‘SMALL’ BANDS

LOCATION• THE PERFORMANCE ASPECT OF THE VIDEO IS BASED INSIDE A GARAGE/BASEMENT TYPE ROOM IN SUPPOSEDLY PHILADELPHIA, THIS LOCATION TIES IN WITH THE LYRICS “I CAME OUT SWINGING FROM A SOUTH PHILLY BASEMENT” AND THEIR HISTORY OF ACTUALLY STARTING UP IN A BASEMENT IN PHILADELPHIA.• THERE IS AN AMERICAN FLAG ON THE WALL

CORRESPONDING TO THE AMERICANISED THEME OF POP-PUNK AND ITS ROOTS, AND THE IDEOLOGY OF THE ‘CASUAL’ PEOPLE WHO LISTEN TO THAT GENRE. THE AMERICAN FLAG IS ALSO HUNG AND PRESENTED IN A MANNER OF WAYS THAT BREAK THE ‘FLAG ETIQUETTE’ RULES, SHOWING THE BAND AND THE GENRE TO BE CARELESS AND FREE, A KIND OF ‘WHO NEEDS RULES’ WAY OF THINKING.

LIGHTING• SMALL BULBS ARE HANGING FROM THE CEILING IN THE PERFORMANCE ASPECT OF THE VIDEO, WHICH RELATES TO THE LYRICS “UNDER HALF-LIT FLUORESCENTS". NATURAL LIGHTING IS USED IN THE NARRATIVE DUE IT BEING BASED OUTSIDE, THIS ADDS TO THE NATURAL, AMATEUR-ESQUE FEEL OF THE BAND AND VIDEO, SHOWING HOW THEY ARE JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER AMATEUR BAND BUT MADE IT TO THE BIGTIME, THEY WANT TO RELATE TO THE AUDIENCE AND THEY CANT DO THAT WITH MASSES OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING AND IMAGERY THAT THE AUDIENCE CANT BASE THEMSELVES IN, THEY WANT THE AUDIENCE TO FEEL THEY'RE ON THE SAME LEVEL AS THEMSELVES-THE BAND.

NARRATIVE/PERFORMANCE• THE VIDEO SHOWS US THE BAND PERFORMING THE SONG WITH ALL THE

INSTRUMENTS AS WELL AS A NARRATIVE ABOUT A GIRL WHO FEELS LIKE SHE IS RUNNING AROUND LIKE A GHOST-HENCE THE LAZILY CRAFTED GHOST COSTUME SHE IS RUNNING ABOUT IN, THE GHOST ALSO CORRESPONDS TO HER BEHAVIOUR AS SHE IS BEHAVING LIKE A POLTERGEIST WOULD, SMASHING OBJECTS AND CAUSING BACKGROUND TROUBLE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND HER IN THE VIDEO.WITH THE REMOVAL OF THE SHEET SHE IS SEEN TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE IDEA OF SHOWING HER TRUE SELF, POSSIBLY A NUANCE TO THE FACT SHE DOESN’T FEEL LIKE THERE IS A PLACE FOR HER REAL SELF AND SHE SHOULD JUST GO AWAY AND BECOME A “GHOST”

MUSIC VIDEOS DEMONSTRATE GENRE CHARACTERISTICS• AS I MENTIONED EARLIER THE GIRL/GHOST IN THE NARRATIVE HAS HER NAILS PAINTED BLACK, A FASHION AMONG THE EARLY 2000’S GENRE OF

POP-PUNK, UPHELD BY ICONS SUCH AS TOM DELONGE, AS WELL AS THIS SHE IS WEARING CONVERSE, A BRAND OF SHOES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GENRE DUE TO THE SKATING BRAND BEING A POPULAR HOBBY AMONG TEENAGE POP-PUNK ENTHUSIASTS, THE DEEP PURPLE ALSO CORRESPONDS TO POPPUNK BANDS SUCH AS MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE WHO WERE ROCKING THE SCENE IN THE 2000/10’S.

• THE DRUMMER IS SEEN WEARING A BAND T-SHIRT OF A MELODIC HARD-CORE BAND “DEFEATER”, THIS IS DONE FIRSTLY AS FASHION AS WELL AS A WAY OF ADVERTISING OTHER ‘SMALL’ BANDS., HE IS ALSO SEEN WEARING “VANS” ANOTHER SKATING BRAND OF SHOES WHO ALSO RUN THE “VANS-WARPED TOUR” A TRAVELLING MUSIC FESTIVAL MAINLY HOSTING FAMOUS POP-PUNK BANDS, AGAIN SHOWING ITS POP-PUNK THEME.AS WELL AS THIS ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE BAND IS WEARING A FLANNEL SHIRT, A COMMON FASHION PIECE BY POP-PUNK ENTHUSIASTS.

• THE LOCATION ALSO CORRESPONDS TO THE GENRE AS MOST AMERICAN POP-PUNK BANDS STARTED UP IN BASEMENTS AND GARAGES WITH THEIR FRIENDS, JUST JAMMING TO ICONS SUCH AS BLINK 182 OR GREEN DAY.

• THE GHOST IS SEEN THROWING TOILET ROLL-”TEE PEE-ING” A TREE, THIS IS ASSOCIATED WITH ROWDY TEENAGE BEHAVIOUR WHICH IS THEN AGAIN A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE ENERGETIC POP-PUNK VIBE AND IDEOLOGY.

THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS (ILLUSTRATIVE AMPLIFYING OR CONTRADICTORY)• “I SPENT THIS YEAR AS A GHOST”-GIRL IS DRESSED AS A GHOST

THROUGHOUT THE BULK OF THE VIDEO.• “I CAME FROM A SOUTH PHILLY BASEMENT”-THE BAND IS SEEN IN

A BASEMENT AREA THROUGHOUT THE PERFORMANCE ASPECT OF THE VIDEO.• “BEEN ON A STEADY FAST FOOD DIET”-THERE IS A MAN SEEN

EATING A FAST FOOD-MCDONALDS MEAL ON SCREEN, AND PAYS HOMAGE TO THE FACT MANY TEENS AND TRAVELLING POP-PUNK BANDS MUST EAT QUICK FOOD ON THEIR TOURS.• “UNDER HALF-LIT FLUORESCENTS”- THIS HAS BEEN MENTIONED

BEFORE, BUT IN THE BASEMENT THERE IS THE SWINGING FLORESCENT LIGHT BULBS HANGING FROM THE CEILING

THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS(ILLUSTRATIVE, AMPLIFYING OR CONTRADICTORY)

• THE VIDEO IN THE PERFORMANCE ASPECT CAPTURES “SOUPY”(DAN CAMPBELL“) THE VOCALIST IN CERTAIN DEEPER MOMENTS OF THE SONG WHERE THE REST OF THE INSTRUMENTS SLOW DOWN, IT DOES THIS SIMILARLY IN INSTRUMENTAL MOMENTS OF THE SONG.• THE LYRICS MEANING TALKS ABOUT THE BANDS STRUGGLE IN MAKING IT TO WHERE THEY ARE,

AND THE NARRATIVE AND PERFORMANCE EMPHASISES THIS DUE TO THE PERFORMANCE BEING BASED IN A BASEMENT MUCH LIKE THEY WOULD’VE BEEN IN “SOUTH PHILLY”, AS WELL AS THE NARRATIVE BEING A GIRL TRYING TO COPE WITH HER REAL SELF AND FEELING LIKE SHE'S JUST A NOBODY AND THEN THE SHEET IS BEING TAKEN OFF AT THE END, MUCH LIKE THE BAND TRYING TO FIND THEIR REAL SOUND AND MEANING AND THEN NOW HITTING IT TO BIG-TIME POP-PUNK ICONS OF OUR GENERATION.

THE DEMANDS OF THE RECORD LABEL WILL INCLUDE LOTS OF NEED FOR CLOSE UPS OF THE ARTIST, AND THE ARTIST MAY DEVELOP MOTIFS WHICH REOCCUR ACROSS THEIR WORK.• THIS IS A SMALL BAND AND OTHER VIDEOS BY THEM DO NOT NECESSARILY

SHOW ALL OF THE BAND MEMBERS, WHEREAS WE GET MANY LONG, MEDIUM AND CLOSE UP SHOTS OF ALL THE BAND MEMBERS IN THE PERFORMANCE, AS WELL AS THIS THE BANDS “MASCOT” HANK THE PIDGEON MAKES AN APPEARANCE AS A HOMAGE TO VARIOUS OTHER PIECES OF THE BANDS WORK.

THERE IS FREQUENT REFERENCE TO THE NOTION OF LOOKING(SCREENS WITHIN SCREENS, MIRRORS, STAGES ETC) AND PARTICULARLY VOYEURISTIC TREATMENT OF THE FEMALE BODY

• THERE IS VERY LITTLE EVIDENCE OF THIS BY ANY POP-PUNK VIDEOS, AND ESPECIALLY NOT IN THIS DUE TO THE MAIN FEMALE IN THE VIDEO MUST ONLY BE ABOUT 15/16 AND IT WOULD BE IMMORAL TO PRESENT HER IN SUCH A WAY.R&B OR POP VIDEOS ARE MUCH MORE LIKELYTO PRESENT FEMALES IN THIS WAY TO ATTRACT THE MALE GAZE, BUT THIS MUSIC IS MEANT TO CARRY MORE MEANING THAN THE MAINSTREAM MUSIC BASE.

INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES

• “HANK THE PIDGEON”• IS BASICALLY THE ICON WHEN IT COMES TO THE WONDER YEARS AND HE IS

DISPLAYED ON “THE UPSIDES” ALBUM COVER AS WELL AS THE DRUM KIT/STARRING IN “I CAME OUT SWINGING” AND “THE LOCAL MAN RUINS EVERYTHING” AND THE ARTWORK FOR “SUBURBIA I'VE GIVEN YOU ALL AND NOW I’M NOTHING”

• MEN FIGHTING COMPARABLE TO “MELROSE DINER”• (ANOTHER SONG BY THE WONDER YEARS)