Lyrics Analysis

Where have you been?

I've been everywhere, man
Looking for someone
Someone who can please me
Love me all night long
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for you babe
Looking for you babe
Searching for you babe

In this paragraph Rihanna, as an artist has travelled the world and with these lyrics, she is trying to portray to her target demographic, that she is looking for that special someone, who will love her for who is she; not what she is being promoted as, by her music producers and record label.

My intention for this segment of the song is to introduce each band member firstly as a single artist, and then as a group; this is to increase band awareness as I had to consider that we are a new band. 

By setting the video in a club, will help to create the idea of living life and having fun, which is also supported by our costumes which will be going out dresses along with red and green lighting, which will help to make it higher in verisimilitude. 

Where have you been
Cause I never see you out
Are you hiding from me, yeah?
Somewhere in the crowd

Her lyrics are also portraying that she is begging to be discouraged in the search of this man, as he can't be found. The lines are also depicting that the artist is starting to ask herself if he is hiding from her, as if she is positive that he exists. This also helps the audience to be clearer of the fact that this man might be someone that she already knows.  

In this verse, as a group I thought of making some reference to moving traffic as it represented life passing by. The natural lighting will help relate the scene to the nature of life and as by filming in the night it will help to convey to the genre conventions of dance.

Hook]
Where have you been,
All my life, all my life
Where have you been, all my life
Where have you been, all my life
Where have you been, all my life
Where have you been, all my life

This verse emphasises that she hasn't given up the search for this long lost love but although she fells lonely, his company is all she wants.

In this section, I was thinking of considering setting it in a forest; showing us running into to it, as if looking for something or someone; by using every day casual clothing I thought would show the audience our simplicity in order for them to relate to us. The natural lighting will help to relate to the concept of life and nature.

[Beat Break]

[Rihanna]
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for someone
Someone who can please me
Love me all night long
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for you babe
Looking for you babe
Searching for you babe

Where have you been
Cause I never see you out
Are you hiding from me, yeah?
Somewhere in the crowd
In this segment I was thinking of filming many shots of crowded places, in order to relate to movement; by using streets and clubs and maybe showing fireworks or club lights. This would show life in different aspects and places.
[Hook]
Where have you been,
All my life, all my life
Where have you been, all my life
Where have you been, all my life
Where have you been, all my life
Where have you been, all my life
[Beat Break]
Where have you been, all my life

[Bridge]
You can have me all you want
Any way, any day
To show me where you are tonight

These words portray that she is sending him a message; that she will leave him in charge of the relationship but in return he will have to become part of her life as she can't live without him.
In this section I thought of filming a scene with all of us dancing and singing to the song, in order to really show us as a band. By setting this scene in a club it would convey to the club genre conventions of dance with flashing lights and also help to portray our fun and young image.

[Outro]
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for someone
Someone who can please me
Love me all night long
I've been everywhere, man
Looking for you babe
Looking for you babe
Searching for you babe

Rihanna is looking for her true love, it is not clear if she has already met him or if she is still to meet him; but assuming that she is relating her lyrics to her previous relationship to Chris Brown. The audience, with the help of the lines can presuppose that he is the person Rihanna is talking about and that he is the one she is waiting for. 
Although as the lyrics are not totally clear, they could also portray that there must be another man apart from Chris Brown that is right for her. 


The lyrics "someone who can please me and love me all night long" shows that she is almost desperate to find this person. This verse also has two different connotations; one could be that she wants to be love in a sexual way whilst the other in a romantic way. The lyrics also depict that her love is incomprehensible as she is not all she is portrayed to be.

In our own version of this music video, I want to focus on a narrative rather than what Rihanna originally did in hers. I want it to be about us as girl friends having fun and living life in our youth; although I also want to show some references to love in order for the visuals to relate to the lyrics. I would like to show scenes of moving traffic and busy areas to connote the association to life passing by.