Michael Jackson- You Rock My World Analysis

Friends Michael Jackson and Chris Tucker, the protagonists, start off the video in a state of equilibrium. 'Rock my world' adheres to Tzvetan Todorov's theory of equilibrium intently as after this state of equilibrium which is the Michael and Chris walking into the bar prepared for their night out when there is then disruption/ distraction when the protagonist sees a girl he wants is with another guy then he causes upheaval in the bar: fighting, creating a mess, breaking bottles etc. Then the resolution is found in the form of a dance off between the two groups of guys then the return to equilibrium when the protagonist gets the girl he first tracked down.

'Rock my world' adheres to Vladamir Propp's theory of the narrative of folk tales. This text displays the 'stock characters' that Propp believes provides a structure for the text. Michael Jackson, the main artist and the protagonist in the text, falls into the 'stock character' of the Hero as he is a character that seeks something. Chris Tucker falls into the 'stock character' of The Helper as he aids The Hero in retrieving the damzel in distress. Michael Madson and Marlin Brando fall into the 'stock character's of The Villain. 

Claude Levi-Strauss' theory that meanings, including narrative, depend on binary oppositions in terms of underlying typical themes is a factor in this text with the binary oppositions of Good Vs. Bad with Michael Jackson and his gang vs. the gangsters  and this also falls into Hero Vs. Villain with the same two groups.

Through the use of postmodernism there are signs of intertextuality in 'Rock my world'. In 'Rock My World' there is hommage and self pastiche to the artist's own previous song 'The Girl Is Mine' alongside intertextuality. The intertextuality  is when the artist Michael Jackson says the words 'beat it' as this is the name of another one of the artist's previous tracks. Intertextuality can also be seen as some of the actors in the video are well known for other film roles for example Michael Madstone is playing a villain in this music video and was a well known villain in the film Reservoir Dogs. This is also similar to the intertextuality of Marlin Brando playing a gangster in this music video as he was one of the worlds most famous gangsters in the film The Godfather.