IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 243 A SEMIOTIC EXPLORATION OF THE THEME OF LOVE IN SELECTED JOHNNY DRILLE SONGS Raifu Olanrewaju FARINDE, PhD; Afolabi Innocemt Ariremako, PhD & Oluwaseun James BAMISAYE Department of English and Literary Studies Federal University Oye Ekiti raifu.farinde@fuoye.edu.ng; bamisayeseun72@gmail.com DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25001.77923 Abstract Semiotics of love involves the decoding of the signs, symbols and other meaning structures that humans have used to express love to others. Hence, this study analyses the semiotic exploration of the themes of love in selected Johnny Drille songs. The aim of this study is to identify the dominant signs; examine the meaning of the dominant signs used to portray love in the selected Johnny Drille songs; discuss the influence of these signs on the characters in the music videos as well as project how these may apply in the Nigerian society. The data of this study is in form of screenshots from seven (3) Johnny Drille's music videos and lyrics downloaded from Youtube. The three (3) music videos and their release dates are 'Wait for Me (2015)'', Count on You (2019)' and 'Loving is Harder (2021)'. This study made use of descriptive qualitative method to analyse the data. The study uses Ronald Barthes theory which is the order of signification that involves the denotative, connotative meanings of signs and these signs are visual and verbal signs from the selected Johnny Drille music videos and lyrics. The study found that the denotation meaning of the theme of love in the music videos is revealed through the characters with their facial expressions, dressings, dialogues and material things and the connotation meaning of the theme of love in the music videos is displayed through the gestures, appearance and dialogue of the characters.. This study relates the concept of love shown by the characters in the music videos to real life. This study concluded that their expressions are not different from real life expression of love. The study recommends that more research should be done in semiotics of love especially in movies. Keywords: Semiotics, Semiotics of Love, Love and Johnny Drille IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 244 Introduction The term semiotics is derived from the Greek word ‘seme’ as in semiotikos, a sign’s interpreter. Semiotics is the systematic study of signs (Eagleton, 2008). Semiotics involves the study not only of what we refer to as sign in everyday speech but of anything which stands for something else. In a sense of semiotics, signs take the form of words, images, sounds, gestures and objects. Modern semioticians study signs not in isolation but as part of semiotic sign system. They study how meanings are created and how reality is represented (Chandler, 2007; Ariremako, Badmus-Lawal & Farinde, 2021). A sign is the link or relationship between a signified and the signifier. The signified is some entity or concept in the world while the signifier represents the signified. It is the relationship between the two that gives the sign meaning. The study of signs is the study of the construction and maintenance of reality (Chandler, 2014). Farinde (2011) opines that semiotics can be in conformity with signs and symbols which are all geared towards meaning. Signs are usually pervasive and they are common in all areas of life. Saussure and Peirce are considered as the pioneers of semiotics who established two major theoretical traditions of semiotics. Saussure (1915) introduces the analysis of language as a system of signs. He offers a dyadic or two part model of the sign which consists of a sign vehicle and its meaning. It is a signifier (the form made up of something physical such as sounds, letters, gestures, etc.) and signified that is the image or concept to which the signifier refers. Charles Pierce (1931) also states that semiotics is a science with the finding and theories and techniques to study anything that produced signs. He defines triangle theory or triangle meaning consisting of three elements; sign, object and interpretant. The sign is a thing that can be caught by human senses and representing another meaning. The object is the social context as references of signs, the interpretant is a sign user or a mental concept of one that using signs (Sebeok, 2001). In the same perspective, Ogunrinde , Ariremako and Amodu (2023:22) affirm that “ Music is an essential tool in the advertising world. Music is faster to get attention from an audience than other forms of advertisements, and that is because it stuck in the minds for a very long time than others”. Music and picture are extremely informative. See ( Dada and Ogunrinde,2020 and Ogunrinde and Ajenifari,2021). IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 245 Semiotics is the study of signs and signs system. Signs are the core blocks of semiotics. Sign systems are known as code which includes language, gestures, objects and music. In reality a sign cannot stand alone and the code must be understood in terms of cordial influences. Semiotics analyses mostly any part of communication field. A semiotic analysis usually examines how some particular text, words, images, movies, songs and any material used to construct what sort of meaning in communication (Littlejohn & Foss 2009). Merrell (2001) opines that any sign that is complete must have a representation, a semiotic object and an interpretant and each of these signs must enjoy the company of the other two. He divides the sign into three modes thus: an icon, an index and a symbol. Danesi (2004) maintains that Saussure proposed the dichotomy concept of sign called as signifier and signified which cannot be separated from each other. Saussure (1915) defines sign as the arbitrary relationship between signifier and signified which is called signification. Social semiotics is the deepening of the theory of semiotics. Social semiotics considers language and sign making widely and it is the key to the transformation of social structures. Social semiotics emphasizes how people make their mark in a context of interpersonal and institutional power relations to achieve specific goals. Social semiotics talk about language and the other ways of communication, especially visual signs working with each other to form a meaning (Engebrestsen & Kennedy, 2020). Semiotics of Love Semiotics of love refers to the study of signs and symbols used in the representation of love, romance, and relationships in various forms of media such as music, film, and literature. Humans have shown interest in the source and nature of love since the beginning of times. We have created special language, rituals, symbols, art forms, songs and courtship practices to be part of, celebrate and to admit its emotional effect over us and its capability to change the fate of people throughout the world. Love is experienced in the same way all over the world and it has created different translations that are not the same in context and it maintains a basic IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 246 emotional feeling for everyone. Decoding those translations is the major interest in semiotics of love, which is an approach in understanding love through the signs, symbols and other meaning bearing structures that humans have used to show it to others. How we have written about love, how we have portrayed it in music and visual images, how we have symbolized it, how we have ritualized it and how we have philosophized about it prepare the semiotic data for understanding its whole meaning and function in people’s life. The major approach used here is based on the conception that we change our affections into sign structures (words, symbols) and sign based constructions (texts, rituals) which then make us to think upon them knowingly rather than just intuitively. Love is twisted together physically and emotionally with sex. The two create a semiotic opposition which is an innate ability of all human conceptual systems. Another semiotic way to understand the meaning of love in human life is to determine the language used to describe, explain it and how it communicates romantic practices and traditions. People make use of metaphors to portray love and metaphor is a revelation of the unconscious cultural beliefs and events that people all over the world deem very significant. People make use of words such as sweet, attractive, passionate and enchanting and so on, to show the effects of love. The meaning of love can be determined not only in terms of how we have encoded its senses in words, portrayed it in paintings but also in how we have symbolized it across the ages (Danesi, 2019). Love The meaning of love is very wide. The Oxford English Dictionary defines love as “a feeling of affection and sexual desire for someone or person”. This concept of love is connected to one of the types of love from the ancient Greek term which is Eros. The term Eros means the type of love that forms a blazing, strong desire for something or person and this refers to sexual attraction (Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, http://www.iep.utm.edu/love/). This concept of love differentiates the form of love ‘Eros’ from other concept of love. Eros gives special attention to love between man and woman on the basis of feelings of attraction and desire. This is also similar to the concept of a romantic love which is a motivational state in line with the feelings of attraction and the desire to find faithfulness with one partner (Gonzaga, 2006). Eros and romantic love have the same meaning which is attraction. The attraction by an individual IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 247 toward another individual is on the basis of feelings of love and concern in being together in a relationship. The 18th century witnessed a psychological lens being applied to the study of love. Sternberg (1986) posits that love was conceptualized as an intricate interplay of various factors, including intimacy, passion, and commitment. This theoretical model has exerted substantial influence on contemporary psychology, significantly enhancing our comprehension of the dynamics inherent in romantic relationships. In the 20th century, love became the subject of scrutiny from cultural and social perspectives. According to Illouz (1997), love was reconceptualized as a cultural construct, intrinsically linked to the values, beliefs, and norms of specific societies. She contends that modern love is characterized by an incessant pursuit of authenticity and self-fulfillment, progressively entangled within the realm of consumer culture and the market economy. Romantic love is the main focus in this study. It is common in our daily life and is found in many songs and literary works. Biography of Johnny Drille John Ighodaro was born in July 1990 and is famously known as Johnny Drille. He is a talented singer, songwriter, record producer and song engineer. The Benin born artiste came to the limelight after being signed under Mavin Records coupled with releasing his official debut songs ‘Wait for Me’ in 2015. The single was a hit and made Johnny Drille the favourite of lovers of Alternative music in Nigeria. A contestant at the sixth edition of project fame west Africa, Jonny Drille released his debut album on the 3rd of September 2021. Johnny Drille was born to Edo’s parents, Mr and Mrs Ighodaro in the ancient city of Benin. He and his four siblings were raised there by their parents. The Ighodaros were a Christian family so Johhny Drille grew up with deep faith and love in God. His father, who is a pastor worked as a school principal before retirement. He attended church regularly and played an active role in the choir. As a chorister, he learned what it took to make good music from composing the music lyrics to performing in the crowd. Gifted with great vocals, Johnny Drille decided early on in life that he wanted to pursue a music career. He became IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 248 fascinated with the guitar and taught himself how to play the instrument. While he was still in the university, he composed songs and recorded them with the help of his friend who was a sound producer. Johnny Drille attended top public schools in Benin for his elementary and secondary school education. He studied at the University of Benin and graduated with a degree in English and Literature. In 2013, Johnny Drille auditioned for the sixth season of project fame West Africa. He impressed the judges at the regional levels with his performance so that he was given a spot in the house. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it to the finals of the show. In 2015, Jonny Drille did a cover of the song ‘Awww’ by Dija which went viral catching the attention of top music executive, Don Jazzy. Don Jazzy reached out to Johnny Drille and they began working together to fine tune his sound. As a result, he dropped his official debut single ‘Wait for Me’ in 2015. Shortly after, he teamed up with his female colleague Niniola to record the song “Start All Over’ in 2016. In 2017, he dropped the chart topping song, Romeo and Juliet which helped Johnny Drille’s fame spread to other countries. The single which is a love song won him many fans and became the favourite song of lovebirds in the country. Johnny Drille collaborated with Simi to record the single, Hallelujah which experienced similar success to Romeo and Juliet. The Song was released in 2018. After several months of hard work, he released his debut album ‘Before we fall asleep’ on the 3rd of September 2021. Though it has been only few weeks since its release, the album has been a commercial success, receiving massive airplay on radio stations and TV stations in the country and amassing thousands of streams online. Johnny Drille has also earned nominations at notable music awards in the country recognizing the great work he puts into his craft (www.thecityceleb.com). The study made use of selected Johnny Drille songs because his lyrics are often poetic and rich in metaphorical language, providing ample opportunities for analysing the semiotic dimensions of love in his music. Johnny Drille genre of music is folk and alternate rock and most of his songs are based on the themes of love which is our focus in this study. Aim and Objectives The aim of this study is to carry out a semiotic analysis of the theme of love in selected Johnny Drille songs. The specific objectives are to: IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 249 i. identify the dominant semiotic signs used to portray love in selected Johnny Drille songs. ii. examine the meaning of the dominant semiotic signs used to portray love in selected Johnny Drille songs; and iii. discuss the possible influence of these signs on the characters in the music videos and project how these may apply in the Nigerian society. Research Methodology To analyse this study, qualitative descriptive approach was used. The data was collected through several organised steps. Firstly, downloading research data sources from YouTube. Secondly, observing data sources and marking semiotics signs for further analysis. Thirdly, examining the semiotic signs that have been collected for analysis with related theory, namely Roland Barthes semiotic theory. The data were taken in images, sentences, statements and ideas form. This study analysed the pictures in the selected Johnny Drille’s music video explaining denotation and connotation of the pictures. Data and Source of Data In this study, the data are visual (song/lyrics) and verbal signs (music video) found in the selected Johnny Drille music videos. This study took a few steps to collect the data. The researchers downloaded the music videos of the selected Johnny Drille song from YouTube as the source of data. Secondly, the researchers watched and screenshot the scenes with the themes of love. The primary data are selected Johnny Drille music videos and they are “Count on you (2019)”, “Loving is Harder (2021)” and “Wait for me (2015)”. Theoretical Framework This study uses Roland Barthes (1977) semiotic theory. Roland Barthes’s semiotic theory is a development of de Saussure’s semiotic theory, by emphasizing the interaction between the content and the individual and the cultural involvement of its users. The theory proposed is known as the “order of signification” which contains denotations, connotations and myth IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 250 which makes Barthes’s theory different from Saussure theory. According to Barthes (1977), the sign interpretation process focuses on how the object is a system structure of the sign contained in the communication process. Signification theory goes through two important processes, to create denotative meanings and connotations or myths. The signification of the first stage is the relationship between the signifier and the signification in the sign of external reality or denotation. Connotation is the second stage of significance related to subjective values and creates myths. Denotation is interpreted as a literal or written meaning. Through denotative visual images people can interpret what they perceive with the senses without relating it to particular culture or ideology. Roland Barthes states that the denoted message bears the analogical properties and it is primary to the connotation in the process of signification (Bouzida, 2014). In other word, denotation is the first level and basic sign that explains the relationship between the sign and its relevance to reality which produces an explicit, direct and definite meaning. Roland Barthes (1977) avers that connotation being itself as a system that comprises signifier, signified and as the process which unites the former to the latter and he used this to describe the signs work. It describes the interaction that occurs when the sign meets the feelings or emotion of their users and the values of their culture (Fiske, 1990). Connotation is an interaction that occurs when the sign is associated with the user’s feelings or culture. The meaning can be subjective or inter subjective. Therefore, the level of connotation in its meaning is broader than of denotation. In finding out the meaning of connotations in a sign, we first look for deeper information about the sign that is related. Which means the meaning of connotation is a subjective meaning that may be different for each person. Since the connotative meaning can be found in linguistic or visual representations, this meaning will create a certain message from the representation. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 251 Data Presentation and Data Analysis This study analyses the data using the order of signification theory from Roland Barthes which consists of denotation and connotation meaning. The analysis focuses on visual and verbal signs that reflect the theme of love in the selected songs. The data is taken from sources in the form of music videos downloaded from YouTube which is then analysed to find some kind of research conclusion. The analysis and findings rely on the initial concept and research objectives. Figure 1 Semiotic Analysis of the signs of love in the music video “Count on You” by Johnny Drille. NO Visual Signs Verbal signs 1. I can’t wait to have you. 2. I wanna wake up next to you. 3 You have my attention oh my love. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 252 4 I plan to give you more and more 5 All my life I have waited to feel how I do now. Yeah yeah. 6 Nobody thought we will ever come this far. 7 I know I can count on you. My baby will be my best friend too. 8 I can be the perfect one for you. 9 I want to be with nobody else but you. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 253 Denotation Meaning (Signifier) In the first picture, the male character is in a room inside a house with colourful curtails, a bed, bed lamps and a picture frame. This shows that he is inside his bedroom because of the background in the scene. We could see in the scene that he is in a kneeling position and holding something like a ring in his hands. His facial expression looks like someone that is nervous of something. In the picture, the clothes on his body are a black singlet and a black trouser with a visible ear ring and a neck chain. A tattoo is also seen on his muscular right arm and this indicates that he is a well fitted man. In the second picture, a male and a female character is shown on a white bed. The scene shows the male character on a bed staring at the female character sleeping. The facial expression of the male character indicates that he is happy staring at the sleeping female character. We could see in the scene that the female character is sleeping with a blanket which indicates that she felt safe and comfortable in the bedroom. The female character is put on a blue night gown. In the third picture, the male and female characters are in an open place with different clothes. The male character put on a shirt and the female character is on a beautiful and colourful dress. We could see that it is dark with bright light in their background and this indicate that it is night time in the scene. Also at their background, there is a big red foam carved in the shape of love sign with red balloons decoration and there is a writing on it which says “Will you marry Me”. The male character is on his knees holding a ring in front of the female character. We could see that the female character is surprise, amazed and happy from her facial expression. In the fourth picture, the male character lifted up the female character in excitement and they are in the same background as the fourth picture but there are few changes. We could see some men playing the violin at their background which indicate that musical performance is on-going at the place. The facial expression of the female character shows that she is also excited and we could see a ring on her finger. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 254 In the fifth picture, we could see two pairs of diamond ring in a dark background on something like a shiny place which indicate how that the diamond is precious, important and costly. In the sixth picture, the male character put on suit and the female character put on a wedding gown and they are both on a beach. The male character is waiting patiently for the female character and also the female character is approaching the man. The male character is nervous from his facial expression. In the seventh picture, there are tears rolling down the eyes of the female character and this indicates that she is crying. The tears also indicate that she is happy to see the male character and she has been longing for the day to come. In the eighth picture, the male and female characters face each other and there is a priest between them holding a ring. Their background is decorated with beautiful and colourful flowers and both characters are excited from their facial expressions. In the ninth picture, the male and female characters are showed to be holding each other hands while facing themselves. This indicates that there are having a couple’s dance and their background is well decorated with colourful clothing materials and artificial flowers. Some men are also playing the violin so as to entertain both characters. The characters facial expression shows that they are happy and fulfilled. Connotation Meaning (Signified) In the first picture, the male character is in love with someone because he is holding a ring in his hands and a ring is symbol of love and marriage. He is very nervous and he is also practicing on how he will propose to his lover thereby going on a knee in his bedroom. The male character appearance and bedroom shows that he is wealthy and can take good care of his lover. In this scene, the artist sang the lyrics “I can’t wait to have you” which shows he is deeply in love and he willing to get married to his lover. These events also happen in reality whereby a man will be nervous if his lover will accept his proposal for marriage or not. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 255 In the second picture, the male character stares at the woman on his bed and it shows he is reflecting on how he is deeply in love with the female character. He also wished that the woman will wake up right next to him every day for the rest of their lives if the woman would get married to him. The artist sang about this in the lyrics when he said “I wanna wake up right next to you”. In reality it is the wish of every man to wake up right next to his wife on bed every morning. In the third picture, the male character planned a surprise marriage proposal for his lover. He wanted to make the proposal a memorable one so as to prompt his lover to accept his marriage proposal. He organised musical bands to play at the proposal and the venue was also well decorated which shows how the male character is deeply in love with his lover. He asked his lover to marry him and hoping she would say yes to the marriage proposal. In this scene, the artist sang the lyrics “you have my attention oh my love” and this shows that the character is willing to go the extra mile to show that he would like to spend the rest of her life with her. In reality, we humans also plan memorable proposals for our lovers so as for them to accept our marriage proposals. It could be in public or anywhere that our lover will love to be. In the fourth picture, this shows that the female character was very impressed and convinced that she was going to spend the rest of her life with the male character thereby accepting his marriage proposal. They are both filled with great joy realising that they will soon get married and they would become husband and wife and probably with amazing children. All the marriage proposal preparation of the male character was very successful and this gave him so much joy. The artist sang about it in this scene where he sang the lyrics “I plan to give you more and more”. He realized that she has accepted the marriage proposal and he promised to give her all good things of life. In reality, when our lover accept our marriage proposal we tend to be joyous because we are assured our lover will become our spouse. In the fifth picture, the ring is the sign of love and marriage right from ancient times. Lovers love to buy an expensive ring to seal their union if IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 256 they can afford it. The male character bought an expensive diamond ring for his lover to appreciate the love she showed to him. In this scene, the artist sang in his lyrics where he said “all my life I have waited to feel how I do now”. This showed that he is a fulfilled man and his dream of marrying his lover and giving his lover an expensive diamond ring has come to past. In reality, humans love to give their lover an expensive ring if they can afford it in order to show appreciation and care. In the sixth picture, the man became nervous on their wedding day and that the day of their wedding has finally arrived. He waited patiently for his beautiful bride in her lovely wedding dress to arrive which shows he had been expecting this lovely moment all his life. In this scene, the artist sang the lyrics “nobody thought we would ever come this far” this showed that he wanted this moments all his life and people were expecting them to break up. Humans dream of getting married to whom they truly love and admire and they may get nervous on their wedding day especially the men because of the responsibility he is about to face. In the seventh picture, the female character is crying which is what we humans call tears of joy. Her dream of getting married to her man has finally come to pass which she would remember and adore for the rest of her life. She would have encountered major setback in their relationship but they are getting married at the end which is a thing of joy for her. In this scene, the artist sang in his lyrics “I know I can count on you. My baby will be my best friend too”. This shows that she trusted her lover would finally get married to her and they would live a happy marriage life. In reality, it is also the joy of every woman to get married to her dream man despite the challenges they may have faced in their marriage. In the eighth picture, the priest joins them together in holy matrimony and they are officially husband and wife in a colourful wedding ceremony. The characters wishes have been fulfilled and they are filled with joy in their heart. In this scene, the artist sang in his lyrics “ I can be the perfect one for you”. This showed that they promised to be the best partner for each other thereby loving each other till death. In reality, humans love church wedding especially the Christians where the priests or pastors will join IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 257 them together as husband and wife and they are expected to love each other till death part them. In the ninth picture, the characters had their couples dance with music playing in the background so as for them to enjoy themselves. This shows that they are deeply in love with each other and they are ready to spend the rest of their lives with each other. In this scene, the artist sang in his lyrics “I want to be with nobody else but you”. This shows that they are willing to become husband and wife. In reality, humans wish to spend the rest of their lives with people they truly love. Figure 2 Semiotic Analysis of the signs of love in “Loving is Harder” music video by Johnny Drille NO Visual signs Verbal signs 1. I go dey for you no matter the weather (I will be there for you in all situations) 2. I’m scared sometimes but then I trust you IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 258 3. You will never hurt me 4. Oh my God. This my baby make me go manya (crazy) 5. Oh my lord. Oh my baby set me on fire 6. When you call, I don’t leave you waiting for long so why don’t you show the same attitude 7. I know my mama no like ya (my mum don’t like you) IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 259 8. But my girl no bother I like ya ba bad (my girl is not worried I like her bad) 9. I go dey for you no matter the weather (I will be there for you in all situations) 10 All I want is you Denotation Meaning (Signifier) In the first picture, the male and female characters are shown in an open space like a backyard of a house. The backyard is filled with different flowers to beautify it. The male character is on a denim jacket and a cream trouser with a pair of sneakers and the female character is on a short top and trouser. The male is sitting on a chair and looking away from the female character while the female character is standing afar looking at the male character. Their facial expression and their postures show that they are not happy with each other and they have some issues in their relationship. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 260 In the second picture, the male and female characters are sitting on a bed in a room which shows that they are in their bedroom. The male character is on a singlet while the female character is half naked whereby we could see her naked back where she used the blanket to cover her waist. Both characters are not facing each other and their facial expression also shows that they just had a fight and clearly they are not happy. In the third picture, the male and female characters are shown in an open place and in their background; they are rail roads and a bridge. The male character is looking directly down beside the female character while the female character faces the male character. Their facial expression and body language in this scene shows that they are arguing about something. In the fourth picture, both characters are shown sleeping on a grass which shows they are outdoor. The female character sleeps on the chest of the male character. The male character is on a black t shirt and trouser while the female character put on a crop top and an orange trouser and their body language shows they are working things out in their relationship. In the fifth picture, the female character is shown looking away beside a window in a house. She is on a crop top and her necklace is also visible. There is a blood stain on her chest and also the stain could be seen on her hand and her facial expression is that of a depressed person. In the sixth picture, both characters are shown sitting on the floor of a room and they are beside the window of the room. Their facial expression shows that the female character is hurt and sad while the male character is also sad and confused. In the seventh picture, both characters are shown and the male character gently holds the neck of the female character with her eyes closed. This shows that they regretted their actions towards each other and are willing to work things out in their relationship. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 261 In the eighth picture, both characters are shown placing their heads on each other’s head and their facial expression shows that they are happy and satisfied with each other. The sun set and the clouds are visible in their background which shows they are in an open place. In the ninth picture, both characters are shown in an open place holding each other’s arms while looking directly into each other’s eyes. They facial expression shows happiness and that are in love with each other. In the tenth picture, both characters are shown holding each other’s hands. They both stared into each other’s eyes happily. There is a big tree beside them and it was surrounded by grasses and some rocks and the rest of the town could be seen afar which shows that they are on a hill. Their facial expression shows that they are so in love with each other. Connotation Meaning (Signified) In the first picture, the characters are shown to be in love but they have some issues in their relationship and they are willing to work things out with each other thereby giving themselves some space as seen in the scene. The artist said in the lyrics “I go dey for you no matter the weather” (I will be there for you in all situations). This shows that the character is so much in love and would do everything possible for their love to remain strong. In reality, humans also face different issues in their love life and they would do everything possible to sustain their love towards each other. In the second picture, both characters sat on the bed and they are not fully clothed which shows that they slept on the same bed overnight and they also made love. They also didn’t face each other and their facial expression indicated that there are some issues going on in their relationship. Being together on the same bed means that they are ready to solve any issues they are facing in their love life. In the lyrics, the artist said “I’m scared sometimes but then I trust you”. This shows that the character is scared to lose his lover but he is rest assured that she would never leave him. In IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 262 reality, humans love to be close to the person they love even if they have issues that is why we see couples still sleep on the same bed even after a fight. In the third picture, the female character could be seen involving in a serious argument with her lover while the male character looked on just to avoid any form of violence. This shows that the male character is deeply in love and would not want to harm his lover despite their challenges in their relationship and this will also calm his lover is there is no response. The artist sang in his lyrics “You will never hurt me”. This shows that even if his lover argue a lot he is certain she would never hurt him because he knows that she also loves him. In reality, woman are known to argue a lot in a relationship but if the man is calm and patience, they would not be any form of violence in the relationship. Love will be the order of the day in such relationship. In the fourth picture, both characters are shown to be relaxing whereby the female character rested on the chest of the male character. A male and female would not sleep on each other’s chest if they are not connected and not in love so this shows that they are deeply in love with each other and they both felt safe around each other. The artist sang in his lyrics “oh my God, this my baby make me go manya (my baby is driving me crazy)”. This shows that he is crazily in love and would not want to lose his lover. In reality, humans show care and affection to their lovers by having physical contacts with each other so as to feel the warmth of themselves. In the fifth picture, the female character is shown to be in pain by showing stains of blood on her chest and hands. This shows that she is heartbroken by the challenges she is facing in her relationship thereby making her unhappy and depressed but she is still in love with her man. The artist sang in his lyrics “oh my lord. Oh my baby set me on fire”. This shows that there are both heartbroken but they still love each other deeply. In reality, people get their heartbroken by their lovers but it does not indicate that they cannot still reconcile and love each other. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 263 In the sixth picture, both characters are shown to be on the floor beside each other which shows that they are not willing to let go of each other despite the issues in their relationship. They are definitely not happy with themselves that is why both characters are on the floor reflecting on how they can make things right with each other. The artist sang in his lyrics “When you call, I don’t leave you waiting for so long so why don’t you show me the same attitude”. This shows that the lovers are blaming each other on how the other lover has failed to reciprocate the love shown. In reality, humans also blame each other when they have issues in their love life thereby reflecting on how they could have made things work among themselves. In the seventh picture, both characters are shown to be deeply in love with each other as they have found reason to reconcile. The scene shows that both characters have forgiven each other and they are ready to start afresh in their relationship. The artist sang in his lyrics “I know my mama no like ya (I know my mum don’t like you)”. This shows that despite his mum do not like his woman he is willing to love and care for his woman. In reality, lovers who have broken up can also reconcile with each other so as to get back together. Humans give love another chance in their love life. In the eighth picture, both characters are shown being close to each other while feeling the warmth of each other. This shows that they are very attracted to each other and would not want anything to come between them in their love life. Their body language shows that they want to be committed to each other. The artist sang in his lyrics “But my girl no bother, I like y aba bad (my girl is not worried I like her bad)”. This shows that the he still loves her so much despite her being a bad girl. In reality, some people love their partners so much despite their flaws and are not willing to let go of them which may or may not have some consequences. In the ninth picture, both characters are shown holding each other arms. This shows that they are comfortable with each other and they are deeply in love. In the scene, both characters maintained eye contact which can also signal love between two individuals. The artist sang in his lyrics “I go dey for you no matter the weather” (I will be with you in all situations). This IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 264 indicates that he would never leave his lover because he is so in love with her. In reality, lovers express love to each other in various ways like kissing, holding hands, caring for each other etc. In the tenth picture, the character faces each other in an open place which is very quiet and filled with nature. In the scene, it can be concluded that the characters are confessing their love for each other and their body language shows that they want to spend the rest of their lives with each other. The artist said in his lyrics “All I want is you”. This shows that he will do anything possible to never let go of his lover and he is willing to spend eternity with his lover. This artist used these sweet words to impress and to show how much he is in love. In reality, humans confess their feelings to the ones they love by taking them to a lovely place and they also use sweet words to impress their lovers. Figure 3 Semiotic Analysis of the signs of love in “Wait for Me” music video by Johnny Drille NO VISUAL SIGNS VERBAL SIGNS 1. You are my praise and I will run to the finish line 2. I go dey pray for you every day my love (I will pray for you every day) IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 265 3. You hold my love 4. Darling promise will you be mine? 5. As I’m leaving you behind, I’m gonna miss your smile 6. I no go leave you run. I no go bounce your call (I won’t leave you and I will return your calls) 7. You will be always on my mind 8. I will be so far away, promise you will wait for me IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 266 9. My love I think of you tonight cos I no dey by your side (my love I’m thinking of love tonight because I’m not beside you) 10. I go see you soon. Make you wait for me my dear (I will see you soon so wait for me my dear). Denotation Meaning (Signifier) In the first picture, the male and the female character are shown to be an open place. Their background is filled with different kind of trees. The female character is on a crop top and jeans while the male character is on a long sleeve t shirt and a trouser and they are casual wears which shows both character just met. The male character is carrying a big carton that is meant for the female character which shows he is helping the female character. In the second picture, both characters are shown walking together on a street in an open place filled with nature and few houses at their background. Their facial expression shows that they are happy and they enjoy each other’s company. In the third picture, both characters are sited on a chair with a decorated table in a room. The room is decorated with various kinds of artificial flowers and this shows they are in a restaurant. The male character put on a shirt with a tie and a trouser while the female character put on a beautiful gown and a lovely necklace. Both characters are holding a glass of wine making a cheer. Their facial expression shows that they are excited. In the fourth picture, both hands of the characters are shown and a ring is visible on one of the fingers of the female character. The ring on one of her IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 267 fingers is a promise ring as a sign of love to the female character by the male character. In the fifth picture, both characters are shown hugging each other and a bus is visible beside them. The male character is on a military uniform and he is carrying a bag which shows that he is about going away from the female character. The facial expression of the female character showed that she is sad and in tears. In the sixth picture, the male character is shown writing a letter and he is also on his military uniform. This shows that he wants to communicate with the female character. In the seventh picture, the female character is shown siting on a 3 sitter chair in a room. In the scene, she is shown to be reading a letter with so much excited in her face. In the eighth picture, a new character is shown who is an elderly man and he is sitting beside the female character on a 3 sitter chair in a room. The female character is wrapped in a wrapper and her facial expression shows that she is sick. The elderly man is shown to be holding a mug cup with tea which is meant for the female character and his facial expression shows that he is very sad. In the ninth picture, the male character is shown outside of a house sitting on the floor. The male character is shown to be hurt, in sorrow and sadness from his facial expression. The elderly man is standing behind him to console him. This shows that he has received a bad news concerning the female character. In the tenth picture, both characters are shown in an open place filled with grasses. The male character is standing in a manner of waiting for someone why the female character is hugs him from behind. In this scene, the female IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 268 character is on a white dress and the male character is on a denim jacket and a trouser. Connotation Meaning (Signified) In the first picture, the male character helps the female character to carry her big cartoon this is a sign of love shown to others. The male character is portrayed as being a perfect gentleman and a caring person by assisting the female character in carrying her load. This scene also shows that the male character has fallen in love with the female character thereby showing care and compassion towards her. The artist also said in his lyrics “You are my praise and I will run to the finish line”. The artist used sweet words here to show how deeply in love he is with his lover. In reality humans tends to show care and compassion to the people they love. They show it sometime in order to impress their loved ones. In the second picture, both characters are shown walking together on an empty road with excitement on their faces. This shows that they felt safe and are comfortable with each other. No one will want to walk with someone they are not comfortable with on an empty road. This scene helps to portray how the characters are deeply in love. The artist sang the lyrics “I will pray for you every day”. Definitely anyone will want to pray for their loved ones and this shows that he is in love. In reality, people will do anything possible to show care for their lovers or loved ones which can also be in form of a prayer to a supreme authority so as to protect or do amazing things for their loved ones. In the third picture, both characters are sited in a restaurant nicely dressed which shows that they are on a date. Lovers usually go on a date to have a special moment with each other and also to express their love so as for it to be a memorable day of their lives. This indicates that they are deeply in love with each other. The artist sang the lyrics “you hold my love”. This shows that he would do anything to prove his love for her. In reality, lovers go on dates to express to share a special moment with each other. Dates are considered to be a special day for lovers. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 269 In the fourth picture, the male character gave the female character a promise ring as a sign that he would never leave her even if he’s far away from her and that they would eventually get married. This shows that the male character is sincere and has a genuine love for the female character. The artist sang in his lyrics “Darling promise you will be miner”. He gave her the ring as a promise of love and also to ward off possible suitors because she is taken and soon to get married. In reality, lovers tends to give each other promise ring as a sign of their commitment to their relationship and to assure their partner of marriage. In the fifth picture, the male character is shown to be going on a journey and from his uniform we could see that he is a military personnel and duty calls. They hug each other which show that they will surely miss each other because of the love they have for each other. The artist sang the lyrics “As I’m leaving you behind, I’m gonna miss your smile”. This shows that he will surely miss his lover and he would not want to stay too long so as see her lover again. In reality, people also leave their loved ones behind due to unavoidable circumstances like their job and the likes. Leaving a loved one behind takes a lot of courage and they would surely miss them. In the sixth picture, the male character writes a letter to his lover because he misses her and he would want to do anything possible to hear from his lover. He also knows that his lover will be waiting patiently to hear from him which shows that their love is genuine and he want to make their love stronger because of the distance between them. The artist sang the lyrics “I won’t leave you and I will return your calls”. This shows that he is committed to their relationship and he will surely reach out to her lover to make their strong firmer. In reality, distance can be a barrier in a relationship between lovers but through constant communication, this barrier can be broken and this will make their love strong. In the seventh picture, the female character received the letter from the far away male character with lots of excitement in her face. This shows that she has been expecting the letter from her lover and she received it with so much fulfilment and assurance in her heart. This indicates that their relationship is on the right tract and booming stronger despite the distance. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 270 The artist sang the lyrics “You will be always on my mind”. He wrote the letter to her to show that he misses her and that she is always on his mind. This shows the level of love he has for her. In reality, loved ones will expect feedback from their lovers that are far away so as to feel loved by them. In the eighth picture, the female character is shown to be sick because she was wrapped up in a wrapper and her dad was also shown beside her taking care of her while her lover is far away. This shows the level of love a father and a child shares. It is the duty of every responsible father to show love to their children in all situations. The artist sang the lyrics “I will be so far away, promise you will wait for me”. This shows that he knows he would not be there for her at all times because he is far away but he is assuring her that he would surely come back for her. In reality, humans will need some sort of help when faced with challenges and when their lovers are not on ground, it is the duty of families to show love to them in time of needs. In the ninth picture, the male character is shown to be in great sorrow when he heard of the demise of his lover. He felt disappointed in his self because he was not there for her when she needed him the most but he could not help the situation. This shows that he is deeply in love with her and he regretted leaving her behind. The artist sang the lyrics “My love I’m thinking of you tonight because I’m not by your side”. This shows that despite the death of his lover, her thought is still on his mind and he could not imagine life without her. In reality, sometimes humans loses their loved ones to death which could cause a great sour in their heart and will take a lot of time to heal because of the love they shared. In the tenth picture, the male character is shown in an open place feeling the presence of his lover because we could see his lover in a white dress hugging the male character. In Africa which Nigeria is part of, a dead person’s ghost is usually portrayed to be in a white cloth especially in movies and music videos. This shows that the male character feels he is not alone and that his lover is still waiting patiently for him wherever she may be. The artist sang the lyrics “I will see you soon so wait for me my dear”. This shows that he is sure that his dead lover is still waiting for her in the IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 271 afterlife because she is in love with him and she has promised to wait for him wherever she may be. In reality, humans also believe in life after death and that they would surely see their loved ones after death. They also believe that their dead loved ones will watch over them because of the love they shared when they were alive. Conclusion The semiotic signs found in the music videos are the visual and verbal signs. The first music video “Count on You” is about a man who is in a romantic relationship with a beautiful woman. He loves the woman and he proposed to her to marry him which she accepted. The second music video “Loving is harder” is about two lovers in a romantic relationship who are facing issues in their relationship but they were able to resolve it because of the love they have for each other. The third music video “Wait for me” is about a military man who falls in love with a civilian woman. He left the woman for military service and told his lover to wait for him that he will surely be back for her. His lover died before he came back and he is still rest assured that his lover is still waiting for him in another realm. The meaning of the semiotic signs found in the music videos through Roland Barthes theory is denotation meaning and connotation meaning. The denotation meaning of the theme of love in the music videos is displayed through the characters with their facial expressions, dressings, dialogues and material things. They used this to portray the concept of love. The connotation meaning of the theme of love in the music videos is about the gestures, appearance and dialogue of the characters. The gestures displayed by the characters shows that they are in love with the way they hug, hold hands, and stare into each other’s eyes as well as settlement of their dispute. The choice of clothing for the characters like wearing of suit for the male character and wearing of a beautiful gown for the female character when on a date or wedding ceremony and so on shows the concept of love. The words spoken by the artist in the lyrics like using of metaphors and sweet words to express love embodies the concept of love. This study relates the concept of love shown by the characters in the music videos to real life. This study concluded that their expressions are not different from real life expression of love. This study recommends that more research should be done on semiotics of love especially in movies. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 9. No. 4. (2023) ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya 272 References Ariremako A. Badmus-Lawal, K. & Farinde, R.O. (2021) “Communicative Needs in Second and Foreign Language Learning: A Critical Perspective”. 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