"Where is the Love?"

Where Is the Love? by The Black Eyed Peas was written by the band itself with the assistance of Justin Timberlake as well as produced by one of their very own band members, Will.i.am. Released on the 26th of June, the song addresses the lack of unity and love in the world with a heavy emphasis on the effects that it has on children. Through uncensored lyrics discussing issues on the inaccuracy and negativity within the media, global warfare and human indifference which are then further emphasized by the thought provoking use of semiotics and intertextuality within the music video, it is no wonder the song became the highest selling single of 2003 in the United Kingdom. 

The song’s central point is that today’s society is easily influenced by the negativity and drama within the media but extremely detached from global issues like warfare and racism because it doesn’t affect them personally. The use of semiotics and intertextuality are incorporated throughout the video making it more relatable. The music video does a great job of making it relatable which is effective in emphasizing their point that people only care about things that are personal and relatable to them. If the video had been shot in an otherworldly setting, the message would not have been as easily received.

A perfect example of intertextuality within the music video is the depiction of kids playing the video

game Postal 2. The inclusion of this video game is significant because after its release in 2003 there was a huge controversy over the graphic violence and stereotypes being portrayed in the game. This goes along with the lyrics “wrong information always shown by the media, negative images is the main criteria, infecting the young minds faster than bacteria, kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema”. The image of young kids playing a video game well known for its violent content and laughing over it proves the point in the lyrics that negative images like this have become normal and accepted in society. Even worse, the song warns that children see these graphic images and want to replicate them because they look cool and exciting. The song basically states that by glorifying violence and other explicit content, it desensitizes children to it causing them to be undisturbed by it in real life.

An example of the semiotics used would be the question mark that the band members plastered throughout the city of LA. The question mark is a universal symbol with the sole purpose of asking a question and making a person think. It appears immediately after the video game is shown, making the viewer think about what they just watched.

Children play an important role throughout the music video by making people care. There is a natural instinct to protect children and by using children in the music video about all these serious issues it motivates people to want to do something to prevent anything bad happening to the kids.