Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box
by Michelle Thiele
Introduction
Nirvana’s music
video for Heart-Shaped Box was mostly
written by Kurt Cobain and directed by Anton Corbijn. As Cobain is responsible
for both, the video and the song, one can assume that the creation of the video
represents something very personal. Watching it, the audience is not able to
agree on its meaning. Probably, this is mostly due to the fact that it is not
supposed to mean anything at all or nothing definite. Therefore, the analysis of
the video shall not be presented as the one and only truth either, but as a
collection of suggestions and offers for its further understanding.
This
analysis will use the same chapters as in the presentation, reiterating the
same questions, but deepening some answers. Moreover, a short chapter about
surrealism has been added right in the beginning, which is supposed to
underline some of the arguments following in the next chapters. The third
chapter focuses on the setting of the video. Afterwards, the video’s recurring
images will be presented, i.e. Jesus, the cross, the Ku-Klux-Klan girl, embryos,
and the obese angel woman. Next, Kurt Cobain’s facial expressions will be
examined, before the lyrics are analyzed in connection to the video.
Surrealism
Surrealism is an
art form, which evolved in the first half of the 20th century.
Artists that can be classified as surrealistic are for example Chagall or Dalí;
but the concept of surrealism is not only limited to the field of visual arts,
but can be found in literature and film as well. As surrealism developed under
the influence of psychoanalysis, its prevailing aim was displaying the
unconscious. In surrealism the unconscious is presented as the actual reality.
This is the reason why surrealistic paintings often appear as dream-like
landscapes, since dreams also belong to the unconscious. Surrealistic art is
thus a very fantastic art, which includes the world of dreams, hypnosis and
intoxication. Elements presented in surrealism are often taken from particular
context, and then put into another. Therefore, the style of this art form can
be described as grotesque. Reality and dream blur into one another and create a
whole new setting. (Kunst in Frankfurt)
Although
the concept of surrealism had its heydays in earlier times, it also is important
for other more modern genres and present artists. For example, David Lynch’s
films can be classified as surrealistic. And indeed, it cannot be denied that
the concept of Surrealism influenced the music video Heart Shaped Box, which is going to be discussed in this short
analysis. As Kurt Cobain is the author of the video, he must be seen as the
artist creating the surrealistic setting and its inhabitants. Thus it is very
likely that his dreams, and unconscious feelings and desire fuel the imagery.
In the next chapter, the different elements of the music video will be
discussed, keeping the concept of surrealism in mind.
1. The Setting and
The Wizard of Oz
Watching the video,
one will be strongly reminded of the Wizard
of Oz. In fact, this film is the base for the scenery of the music video. First,
most of the video and the band’s performance take place in a field of poppies.
The poppies are found in the film The
Wizard of Oz at the end of Dorothy’s way to the castle, when the Wicked
Witch wants her to fall asleep to cross Dorothy’s plans. This is not only the
first cross reference to the film, it could also be understood as a link to the
consumption of drugs, namely opium, which can also be made from some sorts of
poppies. With regards to the concept of surrealism, drugs can be the trigger of
surrealistic images and ideas as well. Second, there are trees in the video
that resemble the trees of the forest where Dorothy met the lion. Third, the
yellow brick road appearing in the music video reminds the viewer of the yellow
brick road that would eventually lead Dorothy to the Wizard.
Another reference to the movie can
be found in the Ku-Klux-Klan girl’s hat. She loses her hat when it gets blown
away by the wind. It changes into a butterfly net, and then falls into a
puddle, which contains a dark liquid, resembling blood. When it then flies away
again, it looks like the Wicked Witch’s hat.
Moreover,
it should be mentioned that the video was shot in a very special way: “my
producer and I devised an idea to shoot it in color, then transfer it to black
and white, so the black and white would match the colors in gray tone, and then
hand-tint every single frame” (Cobijn in Romano). This is why the actually not
so light-hearted scenery appears in very bright and colorful colors. The
contrast between the setting and the colors make the video even more
interesting, and the colors work as a relief.
2.
Recurring
elements in Heart Shaped Box
In the music video, certain elements
occur again and again. Therefore, it is necessary to take a closer look at them.
This chapter is dedicated to the discussion of these elements and intends trying
to find explanations for their meanings.
a.
Jesus/The Old Man
The video begins in
a hospital with an old man lying in a bed. This man later turns into Jesus, or
at least he looks like him. Interestingly, Jesus wears Santa Claus’s hat.
Further on, this hat changes into a bishop’s hat. Actually, the old man could
be seen as only an old man, if he did not climb onto a cross, and if he did not
wear the same things as Jesus does in Christian figures and pictures. Thus, he
seems to be a copy of the Christian’s imagination of Jesus, despite being much older.
The meaning of Jesus here is not
easy to understand and one has to assume that there is no reason for his
appearance in the video at all. First, the fact that Jesus is wearing Santa’s
hat and later on a bishop’s hat could be a criticism of capitalism. Christmas
should actually be a celebration of Jesus’s birthday, and thus a celebration of
Christianity. In fact, Christmas has become a holiday which is mostly about
presents, and hence about creating profits. Also, the bishop’s hat could display
that Santa and Saint Nicholas are merging into one person. As Jesus is lying in
a hospital, one could also assume that he is ill, which either could stand for
the illness of Christianity, or for another disease like cancer, which is also
mentioned in the lyrics.
In
fact, none of the foregoing proposals must be right, considering that not even
Anton Corbijn, the director of the video, knew what Cobain actually tried to
express with these ideas (Romano). Thus, it is more likely that in this
context, Jesus is just a representation of Cobain’s dreams or his unconsciousness,
or that he is treating something personal with it, which is not accessible for
the audience.
b.
Crosses
Another recurring image, strongly
connected to Jesus, are the crosses. The first cross that can be seen in the
music video is located on the hospital room floor. Then, the cross appears
again as the cross on which Jesus in hanging. Using these two images, the
different meanings of the cross in the Western culture can be explained. The
cross stands for Christianity, as Jesus died on the cross. It then became a
symbol for him, and may therefore have a positive meaning. Simultaneously, the
cross also stands for death. A cross is used at first when people are buried
and their gravestones are not ready. In addition, a cross is used to explain
that a date next to a person’s name was their day of death. Both meanings come
from the Christian background. Supposedly, the meaning of the cross here, might
be found in both denotations. The cross on the hospital floor might mean the
old man’s death, while the cross on which he is hanging as Jesus could be used
as a means for displaying that he really is Jesus.
c.
Embryos
The next image that occurs in
different scenes of the video are embryos. Embryos are hanging in the trees,
and the Ku-Klux-Klan girl and the obese woman try to catch them. Moreover, an
embryo can be found in the drip in the hospital. The image of the embryos being
portrayed outside of a mother’s womb is something very bizarre and disturbing
in general. A certain reason, why they are shown this way is not obvious. Thus,
the considerations here again are just assumptions. In the context of cancer,
the portrayal of embryos could mean that embryos are being used for science, or
for curing other, older people. So, for the old man, the embryo in the drip
could mean his cure, and the people who are trying to reach the embryos might
do this for this very reason. On the other hand, the embryos might be also used
for merely shocking the audience, and experimenting with certain images. In
combination with the other images, the embryos get an even more bizarre and
surreal nuance, because they are taken from their actual context, their
mothers’ wombs.
d.
The
Ku-Klux-Klan girl
The next recurring
image which shall be discussed is the Ku-Klux-Klan girl (KKK girl). The girl
appears in several scenes of the video. The first question that has to be
answered here, is why the KKK actually plays any role at all in the video.
According to Cobijn, he was more than surprised that MTV did not have any
problems with a girl dressed like a member of KKK appearing in the video
(Romano). What is most interesting about the girl is that she appears as
something very pure, but then represents something extremely evil. First of
all, a child is always something pure and innocent, as a child mostly has not
experienced the world’s evilness, and has not lived through the struggles, life
can confront one with. Then, white is often described as the color of pureness,
as for example bridal gowns are white to express the bride’s purity. This girl
is not only wearing white, with her blonde, almost white hair, and her blue
eyes, she seems like an angel-like creature who cannot possibly be connected to
something like the KKK. On the other hand, her whiteness perfectly matches the
aims and morals of the KKK, and thus represents it very well. Therefore, the
KKK girl is a paradox in herself. The KKK girl does not only wear white. When
her hat flies away and gets darkened, all her clothes get black, and she
appears in the hospital. Being all black now, she could represent death itself,
or a person wearing mourning garments, because of the old man’s disease and his
possible death.
Moreover,
the child’s behavior is not easy to explain. She is always jumping and trying
to catch things. She is jumping up at Jesus’s cross and she is jumping to catch
the embryos, which are hanging in the trees. Here again, Cobain’s thoughts that
are behind his ideas, are difficult to understand.
e.
The Obese Angel Woman/Mother Earth
The last image that shall be
discussed here is the obese angel woman, who was created by Cobijn, the
director of the video. For him, the obese angel woman stands for Mother Earth.
Generally, Mother Earth is a very absurd creature: She is a naked woman, who is
wearing angel wings. Normally, angel wings are white, but hers appear in a
dirty grey, and look like they are being destroyed. Her nakedness is even more
intense, because her bowels are naked, and the audience is able to look into
her very inside. The behavior Mother Earth shows, makes her seem like an insane
person. She is walking, but never moving forward. Moreover, she is trying to
reach the embryos. Thus the question arises, why Mother Earth should act like
that. The way she is portrayed could exemplify humans’ treatment of Mother
Earth. Her wings are dirty, because humans destroy and pollute the environment.
Her bowels are visible, because humans’ greed has led to severe wounds in
Mother Earth’s skin, i.e. exploiting resources. If these assumptions are true,
they might also explain Mother Earth’s behavior. She is trying to catch the
embryos, either for influencing their future behavior, or for avoiding more
damage; but she is never able to move forward and to improve, as humans pull
her back and prevent her from healing.
3.
Kurt
Cobain’s facial expressions
Kurt Cobain and the other band
members appear in several scenes of the video. The reason why Kurt Cobain is
highlighted here, is that he is much more prominent than the other band
members, and that the whole video was his idea. In some scenes, Cobain is
singing near the camera, so that his face can be seen in a close-up view. Thus,
his facial expression appear very clearly. While he is singing, Cobain shows,
not a great spectrum of, but very intense emotions, which could be described as
suffering or madness. This undermines Cobijn’s assumption that Cobain lay many
personal feelings into the song and the video, although he never found out,
which feelings precisely Cobain wanted to express (Romano). Hence, Cobain’s facial
expressions reinforce the feelings conveyed by the video and give it a more
personal touch.
The lyrics
Often, a video represents the lyrics
of a song, or at least tries to illustrate the song itself. In this case
however, the lyrics and the video do not match. The only element that appears,
both in the lyrics and the video, is the Heart Shaped Box. In it, the band
performs, and the KKK girl sits on a bed. In fact, the lyrics of the song might
not make any sense at all for some people, neither does the video. This lack of
sense might be exactly the reason, why the video and the song match in the end.
Both express Cobain’s feelings and his unconsciousness. They are hence an
illustration of his psyche. So, both the video and the lyrics are highly
surreal, and this is why they fit better together than a video which illustrates
the lyrics might have
Summary
This analysis shows that is not
possible to find one true meaning of the video Heart Shaped Box. Instead, many offerings for interpretations could
be found, although it is possible that they are not true at all. As the whole
video was Kurt Cobain’s idea, it is likely that the video contains many
personal feelings and thoughts, which only the creator is able to understand. We
can thus assume that Kurt Cobain’s art was very surrealistic. The audience is
not supposed to get the true meaning of his work. For them, the video appears
as a potpourri of different images that do not really fit together. Actually,
the same could be said about the lyrics of the song. What we hence find in Kurt
Cobain’s last video is his very own unconsciousness, his feelings and ideas,
and we are thus left alone with the analysis and the interpretation of the
video, as Cobain is not able to answer our questions anymore. Finally, this
analysis could show that the video belongs to the realm of surrealism, and that
it therefore does not need to make any sense at all.
Sources
Video
Nirvana. Heart
Shaped Box. Video. 10/15/14. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6P0SitRwy8>
Literature
“Surrealismus".
Kunst in Frankfurt. Michael Kania.
Website. 10/15/2014. <http://www.kunstinfrankfurt.de/SurrealismusLayout.html>
Romano, Andrew. “How Nirvana Shot the ‘Heart Shaped
Box’ video”. The Daily Beast. 9/13/13.
Website. 10/15/14. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/13/how-nirvana-shot-the-heart-shaped-box-video.html>