Broken Roses: Analysis on Jar of Hearts
The complication of love and loving has no solution. Love lives by no rules, it has no inhibitions and cannot be captive by instructions, directions, or requirements; it is a complete leap of faith in which one becomes hopeless, vulnerable, or intensely affectionate. The result of love has many outcomes, love can mean stability and security, or it can be unstable and frightening. Christina Perri writes about an ex-lover who has hurt her in the past, but wants a second chance to rekindle their relationship. Christina Perri’s lyrics in “Jar of Hearts” confront her ex-lover about his actions in their relationship and how she is not going to giving him a second chance after his deceit. This song is a representation of a love lost and a heart restored. The music video, directed by Jay Martin, shows the male character engaging in multiple intimate relationships with many different women, which eventually leads him to lose them all one by one, including Perri. Many symbolic elements complement the theme of this video. For example, the smoke/fog and the lighting help set an intense powerful tone for the song and video. Rose petals become a constant symbol. In the Perri’s “Jar of Hearts” video, the rose petals symbolize love falling apart resulting in the death of love and the rebirth of hopeful love.
The black rose petals represent Christina Perri not loving her ex-lover anymore. The color black correlates with death and finality and red roses represent love and romance, so black roses must signify the death-or finality of love. In the beginning of the video, Perri is sitting on a stoop with black rose petals in her hands, while more black rose petals fall from the sky. She sings “No I can’t take one more step towards you, cause all that’s waiting is regret,” suggesting that she is doesn’t want to allow herself to get close or become vulnerable to the ex-lover. Then she drops the petals from out her hands singing, “Don’t you know I’m not your ghost anymore. You lost the
The black rose petals represent Christina Perri not loving her ex-lover anymore. The color black correlates with death and finality and red roses represent love and romance, so black roses must signify the death-or finality of love. In the beginning of the video, Perri is sitting on a stoop with black rose petals in her hands, while more black rose petals fall from the sky. She sings “No I can’t take one more step towards you, cause all that’s waiting is regret,” suggesting that she is doesn’t want to allow herself to get close or become vulnerable to the ex-lover. Then she drops the petals from out her hands singing, “Don’t you know I’m not your ghost anymore. You lost the
Cited: Perri, Christina. “Jar of Hearts.”Lovestrong. WMG, 2010. Music video. Youtube. 13 June 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v_4O44sfjM