You may have noticed that many music videos are set in casinos, even when the lyrics don’t mention gambling. Why is this a popular backdrop and what messages does this allow the video’s director to get across?
To Add an Element of Luxury
Luxury has also been a key aspect of the casino world, with videos like Waking Up in Vegas by Katy Perry taking us into a world of limos and classy hotels. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars was released in 2016 and it starts with the singer arriving at Las Vegas in a private jet and then heading to some of the city’s famous casinos to sing and dance while dressed in expensive clothing and accessories.
The way that people play has changed, with online casino roulette games meaning we can play at home at any time. While this makes playing more convenient, the same sense of luxury is often transmitted through live-streamed games with human dealers in stylish studios. Titles including Prestige Roulette and Immersive Roulette give players an idea of what to expect.
To Show the Band Having a Good Time
Viva Las Vegas by ZZ Top is probably the most famous casino music video of all time and perhaps its massive success played a part in getting their long-term residency in the city. It begins with a close-up of a spinning roulette wheel before showing other popular casino games. We then see the band playing in front of a series of images of bright lights and players enjoying the games.
If we look at other music videos featuring casino games, this same sense of fun is present. A casino backdrop is regarded as the perfect way to show people getting a break from their daily routines and letting their hair down in a place where everyone else is also there to relax.
To Suggest That They’ve Made It to the Top
Another interesting use of casinos is to suggest that the singer or band has now made it big by getting to Las Vegas or another traditional gambling hotspot. The Bruno Mars video mentioned earlier can certainly be viewed in that light, while an earlier example is shown in Kylie Minogue’s On a Night Like This from 2000, in which the Australian singer arrives at the exclusive Monte Carlo Casino with veteran actor Rutger Hauer.
U2 have arguably been the best exponents of using casinos to signal that they’ve arrived in the big time, as 1987’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For tied in with their rise of superstardom and the video switched from black and white to color and showed happy fans welcoming them to Vegas. The Irish band returned to the city for this year’s Atomic City, whose video was shot from a flatbed truck and celebrated the city.
All of these music videos reveal how casinos can be used in a variety of ways to get a message across. The next time you see a video set in Las Vegas, take a closer look and you’ll find out why they chose that setting to explain something about the song or their own levels of success.
