Leon Bridges wrote “River”, directly after the Baltimore uprisings, to reflect on them with a healing and hopeful reminder that hope
trumps injustice. It was mainly directed to the black families and people that
were grieving due to the horrors that took place. His goal is to remind the
grievers that we will find our way back from this and we will be stronger. He
delivers that message by singing lyrics such as “surrender to the good lord and
he will wipe you clean.” He is trying to tell them that God can fix anything
just remember that he’s in your corner. Towards the end of the music video, he
shows everyone coming together in the backyard playing music and the families
reuniting. By ending with this he is trying to portray that no matter what the
outcome, if we all come together and stay
together we will heal. Leon Bridges used scenes in the video and lyrics to try
and remind the black community that was hit the hardest, there is hope and
justice will be found, so don’t worry.
-Nidhi Kalaria
I like how the audience analysis focuses on how the music will affect the audience: however, I would have liked to see more analysis of who the audience is, and what they're experiencing, considering that today's racism is different from racism of the past.
ReplyDeleteRiver is testament to Leon Bridges knowledge about his own audience. His influential use of media shows that he truly grasped the underlying emotions and desires of the population. This is furthered by his ability to act positively in such a negative situation. Instead of latching on to the hate, he is able to successfully promotes an attitude of healing through his music.
ReplyDelete-Race Saunders