Hangeng Clown Mask (lyrical and video analysis)
Music is a Universal language. One that allows you to understand the meaning of the song through the Rhythm and melody. Even if you don’t understand the language its being sung in. Your mind has a way of understanding it through the way the artist delivers the song. I find that each time you listen to the song or see the music video.
The lyric depth can be analyzed many different ways, by that I mean the impact of the song can change each time you hear or see it. Sometimes looking up the translation of the song and finding what the lyrics themselves speak to you can make you have an “aha” moment. each time you view the video or even hear the song and therefore they can take you into a deeper level of thought and understanding.The symbolism that you find throughout the video can be a bit challenging to notice, for some it is immediately obvious as it relates to their emotions at the time
.For others it can be quite hard to find any connection. Its not just the symbolism or melody of a music video or song that can broaden a persons mind: For example the lyrics “Drawn on the mask is a clown, not a tiger. His endless smile has never changed” Most people perceive the clown mask as always being seen in one of two expressions, happy or sad, but they don’t perceive what kind of person could be hiding behind the frown or the smile; The theme of this song is how a person’s true self is always conflicting with the emotional mask that they wear every day to hide their true emotions. In addition to the First example another lyric that stands out is “Illusions and reality are all tangled anyway”.These hold true for everyone, people see what they want to see so that they can avoid the reality of the suffering within the world. What we see as reality is diluted and twisted by the media and people of political power.
In the music video Hangeng plays an android like version of himself who is on a mission. To find the perfect mask in order to create the perfect human. But Every time he tries on a different emotional mask, His robotic body rejects it and he feels like his whole world is falling apart as he continues to try on masks. The struggle to keep it on as gets harder and harder for him. When he finally finds one that his body doesn’t reject, he struggles to adapt. Then a more human version of him appears from within the androids body. Despite all of its “ Supposed human imperfections,” the More human version is able to dance with Fluid and Graceful movements, whereas the Android Hangeng struggles.
For example: The scene where the Android throws up his hands as if in resignation while glass or rain (or both) falls around him. Could be a metaphor Of succumbing to the one particular mask because they are tired of changing so often. Towards the end of the MV, there is a shot of a computer screen where the Real Hangeng seems to be making a replica of himself, aka the android version. Afterwards the android Hangeng finally realizes that even though he isn’t human, He is the one who is control of his own emotions and that he is not bound by the mask to a certain expression.
Wearing mask limits us physically and emotionally as humans because we’re not being true to ourselves. They are like a metaphor, bringing to lite the fact that our “perfect” masks are never truly perfect that they will always be flawed in some way. We come across as stiff and uncomfortable or preppy and rude: facades are created to protect us from being hurt. So when we finally get a chance to be ourselves or become comfortable and accustomed to those around us. Then the so-called “imperfect selves” as we call them can easily be let loose and cast off. These two versions of Hangeng show the gap between reality and fantasy, and the ambiguity of that gap; it also brings up a question; are our masks fake or just a of piece of our true selves?
