Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’s version of the song Wildside focuses on how one’s desire for personal gain negatively affects others. Wildside highlights tragic events that result in the death of an innocent person because of substance abuse, violence, or someone else’s greed. A grayscale, gloomy, and pessimistic music video was created for the song. The color black is shown throughout the music video, not only to add a gloomy and pessimistic atmosphere, but also to attempt to convince the viewer that America is in dire need of change. 

The video grabs your attention right off the bat with an alternating image of a burning American flag on a dark background. Normally, the American flag is perceived as something that represents a country with a bright future and as something that stands tall. When the regular flag is replaced with a colorless, burning version of the flag on a black background, it symbolizes that there are major problems in the country. A black background represents the innocent people that have died. Burning means that the country is heading down the wrong path, toward death. If only the black background were to remain, meaning that the flag has burned completely, then the country would “die” and succumb to deathly anarchy. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’s version of the American flag urges the viewer to change his or her perspective, otherwise the flag will keep burning and the country will keep “dying”, until only the black background is left and chaos has commenced. 

When the burning flag is not being shown, the band is moodily walking down a street under the night sky. Each member of the band is wearing either dark or black clothing. Graffiti covers the vandalized buildings that are being walked past. Litter and debris lay in the road and on the sidewalk. In a long camera shot, the band members are shown gazing off into space. They wish they could turn the country around themselves, but without the support of the majority of the nation, the viewer included, all they can do is look into space or at the subpar environment they are in. Combined with the burning flag, these early scenes set the tone for the song and video. The color black is a warning that the video will not be cheerful, positive, or lighthearted. This color lets the viewer know that a strong, important message will be sent. 

Every time a person is killed in the video, the band walks through a cemetery to drop a bouquet of flowers in front of the graves of the dead. With the death of each innocent person, another family is torn apart and the country inches closer to “death”. Once again, the band members can only look down at their feet or into space, unable to do anything other than express their condolences. The band members are also wearing black when walking through the cemetery, and the victims in the video are wearing black when they die. Black represents death and also shows that not only another unsuspecting person has died, but that the country is also closer to “dying”. Without the help of the country’s population, including the viewer, America will continue down this destructive path. 

After the second person is killed and so on, a sweeping close-up of four dejected women singing in funeral attire is shown. It is apparent that the members of the group of women are related to or were friends with one or more of the people murdered. Black veils cast dark clouds over their heads and over America as they weep for the dead. One woman is brave enough to look the viewer straight in the eye, but the others can only look down in sorrow. The women seem to feel sympathy for each other, but otherwise, they do not seem to know what to do, much like the band members. They too wish they could stop the greedy from killing the innocent, and that they could move America in a new and better direction. 

The motif of the color black adds to the depressing premise of the music video and song. Utilizing such a lifeless color supports the theme that America’s greed, violence, and drug underground can lead to the tragic deaths of innocent people. This motif can attempt to make you reevaluate a preconception. One may think that there is no criminal underground in America, or that there is a criminal underground but it does not take the lives of the unsuspecting. Some may also believe that America is on the right path and not in danger of “death”. It could also be assumed that there is no meaning behind the burning of the American flag early in the video and that it is only shown to express hatred toward our country and those who have fought to defend it. However, after seeing that nearly everyone in the video including the murdered is wearing black, it can be inferred that the video and song express disappointment toward America and not hatred. 

America’s criminal underground is “The Wildside”. If someone chooses to enter the criminal underground or is forced to enter it because of someone else’s personal wishes, death may result. The United States will inch closer to chaos, and out will come the color black. Many other aspects of the video work with the color black and the burning flag to either provide a bleak atmosphere or provide a bleak outlook in hopes of changing a preconception. Examples include the dark jail cell, the overcast cemetery sky, and the dark night sky. 

Wildside’s music video is an excellent example of how one’s selfishness can take innocent lives. It also provides an example of how an innocent person can be put on the hook for a crime just because they are a minority. A burning American flag demands the viewer’s attention at the beginning to symbolize the gradual destruction of the United States itself. Black helped set a somber tone at the beginning of the video as the band emotionlessly walked in black clothing. Black helped set a somber tone at the beginning of the video as the band emotionlessly walked in black clothing. A group of four women dressed in funeral attire shows that black is the color of devastation and destroyed lives. Both the burning American flag and the color black work together to present a meaningful underlying message by adding to a dark but impactful atmosphere.
