Review: Norah Jones- “Chasing Pirates”

By: Alex Rivera

This video by Norah Jones was probably one of the cutest I’ve seen in a while. It starts off where she receives a message in a bottle (among numerous others as the video soon shows) and she then grabs a treasure map and starts to plan her voyage.

The video also has numerous allusions to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies- the infamous black flag of the Black Pearl with the skull and crossbones, the spinning ballast to lift a rather large anchor, and wide sails. In the end, Jones “sails” her apartment building through the city streets. Although obviously unrealistic, anything can happen in a music video.

The video does a great job in relating to the song title and its lyrics, from the pirate “ship” to the clothes that the artist wears. Unlike other videos, it’s very clear to see the storyline that follows this song- a girl “chasing pirates” for treasure. It sets the viewer apart from reality, taking them to a little world where apartment buildings sail through an ocean of tenants and sails are placed on top of chimneys. But, as simple as the video is, it blatantly shows the viewer the story and nothing more. Then again, nothing else is really needed.