Paolo Nutini is a Scottish singer who also writes his own lyrics making the songs much more personal to his own experiences. 'Last Request' was his debut single and managed to get to number 5 in the UK singles chart in 2006. The song is basically about someone who has accepted their relationship is over but they still want one last night with them.
The video was released in the UK and the US, so it had to appeal to both audiences. This is done by showing celebrations on New Years Eve; something both countries can relate too. Also New Year gives connotations of fresh starts and moving on; this is ironic because the lyrics clearly show Paolo is unwilling to forget the events of the past year.
It starts with a close up of his face so he is singing directly to the audience and adding emotion through eye contact. The white background emphasises how he is feeling and as he is a new artist the focus on him acts as an introduction. There is a black out effect , almost like the person watching him (us the audience) is blinking- bringing us into the video. It also adds a slow pace to the video matching the instrumental.
The camera slowly zooms out to show Paolo is sitting in the middle of two couples kissing. This is an effective way to show how lonely he is and unable to connect to the people around him. The scene cuts to a bottle of champagne opening suggesting celebration and happiness. The blue lighting and mascaraed costumes of the party goers add sophistication. The fresh colour blue also juxtaposes the red colour of his shirt reinforcing his inability to join in.
By cutting to other people around his smiling and laughing in slow motion it makes the audience sympathise with Paolo. The shadows on his face link to sadness and depression even though New Years Eve is traditionally the opposite. The camera switches to show Paolo's point of view which is a clever way of letting the audience into the artists mind. He is focusing on happy couples around him; although the lyrics say 'sure I can accept were going no where, so one last time let's go there' I think the song is much more deeper than him wanting one last night of passion. Looking at happy couples around him hints that he wants back in a relationship with the women he misses, and by thinking of her on New Year could mean he wants to start a fresh with her.
A switch of location to the woods isolates him further, in the background people dancing are visible. Everyone around him, everywhere he goes people are celebrating and he can't escape from this. After ending up at a quiet bar, a black snooker ball in showed being potted. This is significant because it symbolises either the end a game or bad luck, either way it doesn't give much hope for the new year about the start. By sitting at the bar drinking on his own, Paolo is relating to the audience as most people can remember trying to 'drown their sorrows away.' For a while it looks as if he is forgetting but one last glace shows he is still searching for her.
The famous mirror trick is used again- something popular in music videos. He looks forward at himself alone and can see a couple embracing next to him. This suggests what he is now (lonely, heart broken) and what he was before and wants to be again- in love. The champagne at the end opening in slow motion signifies the start of the New Year and as an audience we hope to see Paolo joining in with everyone. However the video ends with a slow zoom out of him at bar on his own.
I think the video for 'Last Request' is simple, but for a debut its powerful because it shows Paolo as an ordinary person dealing with heartbreak without any glamorisation. As an audience we connect to him and like him because he is singing directly to the camera making the song feel personal. We also sympathise with the character he is trying to create but wonder if his lyrics are from experience.
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