
While the title of the song may not be a clear representation of what the lyrics or video means, it leaves the story open to let the viewer imagine what it may mean to them. “Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage The Elephant tells a prominently black and white story of a troubled young woman who has clearly had depression issues caused during her childhood by those around her, and her journey of leaving that person behind for good.

In any kind of visual text such as music videos, comics, and magazines, colors are often used to show emotions or prominent objects in the text or image. They can stand out to the point where the author may not even need to write anything about it, because the color says enough. For example, imagine an image from the late 1700’s of four white men dressed in nice clothing standing around an African American man wearing ragged, ripped clothing while he works in a home. This image does not need an explanation because the color of the photograph says enough by itself. 

The color theme throughout this tale is almost entirely in black and white. In this case, the omission of color represents the sadness of the story that is continued from the beginning to end. Because of the primarily black and white throughout the video, whenever we do see a splash of color it is to be taken as a symbol or an item of importance. We see flashbacks of the main character throughout the video, mostly in the intro, where we see much of her childhood. In these quick intro clips we see red roses and red lipstick being flashed and then drawn away quickly, back to black and white. The meanings of the roses are very contrary. A rose can be a symbol for new hope and new beginnings, as she hopes to leave her past life behind. The thorns on a rose can represent pain and loss, which is evident through the black and white color scheme and also the viewable, emotional sadness of the main character. On another hand, the red lipstick showcases power and fearlessness, another side of the main character that is not shown off as clearly until the end. Together they represent the video as a whole and what the young woman is trying to achieve in her life. 

Many of the perspective shots are close, facial views that are on eye level with the characters in the video. Usually when a shot is looking up to someone, we think of them as having power or authority. Shots that look down on people tend to mean the subject of the image is lesser, or not as important as the viewer. These shots are not above or below, to represent the reality of the problems the main character is facing and to show that they are relatable to many.

Rightfully, this video is a very accurate representation of the hero’s journey. In many visual texts, movies, and stories this is a commonly followed plot line that almost always makes the viewer or reader hooked to see what happens at the end. We see her life from beginning to the present, all mixed up with many different emotions. Happiness, sadness, and anger play a key role in developing this story. Playing in the pool as a child, depression at a young age, and screaming at herself in the mirror are all common sentiments in life that many experience. We see her then decide to make things right and do what is best for herself.

A major symbol in a video can be shown only once or twice and still have a drastic effect on how the story will play out. In this instance, we briefly see the main character traveling with a body bag, which makes us wonder who is inside it and the reason behind why they are inside it. Her journey with the body bag is revealed at the end when we see her open it, and she herself is in the bag. The reason behind all of the flashbacks and an encounter with a police officer inappropriately touching her and being so close to her are revealed. She is running from her old life and wants to forget about it for good. In the end, lighting the match to the oil filled car with the body bag inside is the true representation of her moving on from the awful experiences she’s had. We see the car erupt into flames, and the actual colors of the flames show the seriousness of the scene because they contrast so much to the black and white theme. The real color of those flames represents the end of her old life she is leaving behind. 

Throughout the entire video the goal of the main character is to leave her old life in the dust because of all the sadness she experienced previously. The shots of her running, yelling, and wondering what to do next are a great visual representation of what the director is trying to tell throughout the film and through the lyricist’s words. The angles, colors, and characters all play vital roles in analyzing the video and the meaning behind it. 
