Intertextual reference

Intertextuality



The video above is of REM's song 'Bad Day'. This video has references to news channels such as The O'Reilly Factor etc.

In the video, Stipe appears as the Morning Team's news anchor Cliff Harris; Mills doubles as roving reporter Ed Colbert and meteorologist Rick Jennings; and Buck as climate expert Geoff Sayers and the reporter Eric Nelson. News stories shown include a monsoon contained within an apartment, a senator's office flooding, and a tornado inside a boy's bedroom.

Above are screen shots from the music promo. You can see how they linked their video to the news from the way they looked to the props they use and even the small scrolling titles at the bottom of the screen.

It is a powerful political critique of politicians and the media reporting on them and topics of the day. That is, it is not just about someone having a bad day. The main thing I wanted to add was the whole bit about "please don't take a picture." To me that has always been a funny tongue-in-cheek reference to political scandals and ethical / legal issues, where the white collar criminal always looks so stupid trying to hide their faces.

The first verse is about the media being jerking with stories that aren't independent, but somehow too politically biased, either telling "thick shit" about those they don't favour, or portraying others as "whitewashed" and non-stick ("Teflon") clean. And all this to a degree where we just "pay it never mind".
The second verse, I think, is about politicians acting crazy for the media, but if you "look behind the eyes" you see that they really mean to "save my own ass, screw these guys".
In the last two verses it gets more serious. I think the third verse is about oil. "We dug in deep" (for oil?) "The price is steep" (oil prices are raising fast?), and I have can easily follow that the oil traders can be some creeps. "The lights went out, the oil ran dry": America is very (too) dependent on oil, when there's no oil everything stops. All this we "blame on the other guy", who else but the favourite scapegoat of the 21th century: the Arabic world/the middle east, which ties perfectly to the next verse: "sure we're all equal", but this is "THE church" saying nearly like Orwell puts it in Animal Farm, that some people (in this case the Christians) are more equal than other (in this case the Muslims). I think "ashes to ashes, we all fall down" is a way of saying that neither part will benefit from this growing tension, and if we don't "ignore the lower fear" (deep fear? - fear of the unknown/strange? - religions (being the ones "explaining" all the big questions we will never know the answers to) then "this means war".
 
These are the lyric to the video:

"Bad Day"

A Public service announcement followed me home the other day

I paid it never mind. Go away.

Shits so thick you could stir it with a stick- free Teflon whitewashed presidency

We're sick of being jerked around

Wear that on your sleeve

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord,

Count your blessings.

We're sick of being jerked around

We all fall down.

Have you ever seen the televised St. vitus subcommittee prize

Investigation dance? Those-ants-in- pants glances.

Well, look behind the eyes

It's a hallowed, hollow anesthesized

"save my own ass, screw these guys"

smoke and mirror lock down

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord,

Count your blessings.

the papers wouldn't lie!

I sigh. Not one more

Its been a bad day.

Please dont take a picture

Its been a bad day.

Please

We're dug in the deep the price is steep.

The auctioneer is such a creep.

The lights went out, the oil ran dry

We blamed it on the other guy

Sure, all men are created equal.

Heres the church, heres the steeple

Please stay tuned--we cut to sequel

ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord, Count your blessings.

Ebrace the lowest fear/Ignore the lower fears

Ugh, this means war.

Its been a bad day.

Br.

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord,

Count your blessings.

We're sick of being jerked around

We all fall down.

Its been a bad day...

Pleaase..