Ms. Jackson - OutKast

"Ms. Jackson" is the second single off of the band OutKast's fourth album Stanktonia. It reached the top of many music charts and even won a Grammy in 2002.

Initial Reaction: What the song was about was evident. They are directing the song to former loves’ mothers, who they may have wronged due to the end of a relationship. When I first saw the video, I didn't understand it. What was the purpose of the woman in the beginning? Why were they trying to fix so many things that were deemed unfix-able? Their house was a mess and it was falling apart. Yet, they kept trying to fix it. Then a storm arises and ruins the house even more. There were different animals around the house. This video left me with more questions than answers.

Analysis and interpretation: The reason OutKast made the music video was to further show the meaning and the themes of the song. They may also have created to get their message out to ‘Ms. Jackson’ who may have not heard it on their album. The song is an apology to the mothers of former loves’ that they may have let down. They said they would never hurt their daughter but in the end they did. This song is showing that they do feel bad that the relationship ended and that their daughters’ did get hurt. ‘Yeah this one right here goes out to all the baby's mamas, mamas’. This is the first line of the song and also proves how the song is an apology to them and also shows us that they had children with these women. Further analyzation of the lyrics will show in depth about how each band member are sorrowful about the things they lost. In the music video, after the mother drives by, it begins to rain. The rain became a thunderstorm and yet they still continued to fix the house and the car. I think this is a literal metaphor about no matter how much they tried to fix the house and the car, they could not. It was unfix-able. The lyrics ‘You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather’ also contribute to how they (each couple) planned to be together forever but such factors did not allow them and thus they went their separate ways. The storm kept coming but they tried their hardest to keep things together. In the end of the video, the storm breaks through the roof and they both look up at the sun and smile. I think this is symbolizing that when you realize that you can’t fix it anymore, you reach this understanding with yourself and each other. You can’t keep fixing something that can’t be fixed. They both have come to a place where everything’s been said and done and that they had a great time together but now it’s over and both must move on. The sun is symbolizing how it’s a new day, and it’s a reassurance that everything will be okay. This song aligns with Gospel Values because they have let go of the resentment they once felt towards their significant other and is now asking for forgiveness from their mothers because they realized the animosity they must feel towards them. This song is not about them and how they feel about the parting of the relationship but how sorry they are that they hurt the mothers’ daughters after they said they wouldn’t. They didn’t mean for it to happen and although it did, they apologize. By looking through the lyrics, we read their story and we see that it must not have been easy to say sorry.

Consideration of cultural context: Like I have stated before, the events that have influenced the band to make this music video was the end of relationships they both had. They both didn’t foresee the relationship parting ways nor did they want it to. They wished that they could be in love forever but ‘You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather’. They saw a future together but due to varying circumstances that did not end up happening. They know they made their daughters cry and for that they are apologizing. In the end of the song they tell ‘Ms. Jackson’ how the end of their relationship happened for a reason but please take note that they will be there for their children nevertheless.

Expression of aesthetic judgment: The music video is basically a literal metaphor of how their relationships were like. The animals that appear all throughout the video even contribute to the song, often stepping on instruments that add to the melody of the song. Special effects were also used to make it seem like the animals were singing as well. I found this quite interesting and that it greatly added to the song even though it wasn’t much. The acting was amazing. I think OutKast does a great job at performing. If you have seen their other music videos you can see how they look like they add their own touch to each performance they make, whether it be on stage or on a music video.

Ongoing reflection: My chosen music video influenced my reception of the song because I realized that there was more to it. I have seen this video many times but after further analyzing I realized that OutKast is more than a band but also artists. They took a different road on this video. Instead of doing a storyline where they could show how each relationship fell apart, they showed it in a metaphorical way that made you think. The story wasn’t laid out for you; you sort of had to piece together which is more appealing to me. If anything I love the band even more.