“Whatever It Takes” is from Imagine Dragon’s latest album, Evolve. The whole album is filled with extremely strong pieces, but “Whatever It Takes” is definitely a standout. With fiery lyrics and a passionate performance, it only made sense that this song have its own music video.
Opening with the lead singer swimming through the wreckage, the video immediately pulls in the viewer. The ominous opening pairs well with the first bars of music. The video is filled with striking visuals like rain falling from the sky, strategically-placed books and cards, and creatures swimming through the water with masks.
The video doesn’t tell too much of a story, at least not an obvious one. Through the use of masks and a lot of different objects, it seems like there is a lot of room left open for interpretation. This flexibility can be a positive as it could be relevant for more people because of its focus on so many different things. On the other hand, it also comes off as a little vague and could leave the viewer a little less attached to the song. With a song like this, it seemed as if the band had the opportunity to bring these goals mentioned in the lyrics with, “whatever it takes / because I love the adrenaline in my veins” and “I was born to run, I was born to run for this” to life. It had the opportunity to be inspirational and concrete, but instead came off as ambiguous and elusive.
Imagine Dragons has a similar approach to most of its music videos. There is a big emphasis on featuring the band within the video and then the lead singer and sometimes the rest of the band takes a part in the action and storytelling. Its last music video, “Believer,” while shot in the same vain with a similar feel, had much more of a story attached to it. While this formula has worked for them in the past, viewers may get tired of it as time goes on and resonate with it less.
Featured Image by Kidinakorner
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