This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, November 2004
Video: “She Says What She Means”
Artist: Sloan
Album: Navy Blues
Directors: Jay Ferguson, Chris Murphy, Patrick Pentland & Andrew Scott (Sloan)
Released: 1998
Available on Second Hand Views from Murderecords.
“What would you say if we said we wanted to stop all this?” asks Sloan’s drummer Andrew Scott, fidgeting and uncomfortable. The music video for “She Says What She Means” is based on the 1967 film Privilege starring Manfred Mann. Sloan are the pop stars for the masses that the government uses to control the young people. “The liberal idea that given enough education [the youth] will grow into self aware creative human beings is nothing but an exploded myth. Sloan, you can lead them into a better way of life, a fruitful conformity,” says the government man in control.
Sloan walk down corridors to an instrumental track based on their song “Sinking Ships.” In the arena we see a marching army carrying the flag of Nova Scotia, surrounded by fans and police everywhere. Sloan hit the door to the arena when the cough that opens Navy Blues launches into “She Says What She Means.” The pounding guitar plays as Sloan fight their way through the crowd to get to the stage. Chris Murphy is dressed in all red, while the rest of the band is all in black. Andrew Scott, Jay Ferguson and Patrick Pentland take their places at their instruments. Murphy starts singing into microphones set up as if at a political rally, getting the crowd excited enough to break through police barriers. Plastered behind the band is a giant black and white poster of Sloan themselves, based on the cover of their Navy Blues album.
Interrupting the music briefly, the announcer says, “Within about a year all that remained of Sloan was a few records and a piece of archival film with the sound, of course, removed.” The video finishes with black and white footage of the band on a plane while credits roll.
“She Says What She Means” was rarely played on Canada’s music television station MuchMusic because there were too many images that could be misinterpreted as representing Nazi Germany. Chris Murphy did often seem to carry attributes of a certain fascist during this video. Unlike another long Sloan video “The Good In Everyone,” “She Says What She Means” was not easily edited to create a short version; this is another reason why the video received very little airplay during the height of Sloan’s career.
Sloan’s efforts with this video can best be summed up as ambitious. It is very crisp and clean, the people on stage lit from the back, their faces hidden in shadows while the crowd is vibrant and colourful. Lots of lights flashing and quick cuts combined with bright colours provide a lot of eye candy. Dramatic wide shots often deceive the original perception of a packed stadium with borders of emptiness around the crowd.
Perhaps it was a commercial mistake to have made this video. Sloan are not Michael Jackson and cannot get away with a music video in the likes of “Thriller.” Still, it’s an enjoyable video best viewed by fans.