Analysis of "Superstition" by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

Superstition by Stevie Ray Vaughan

During the video, thought beats are retained by the visuals in the shots. The roadies assemble the drum kit and set up the stage to match the tempo of the music. Also, the band struts towards the stage in time to the beat of the song. As with most videos of this nature, the band is playing in synch to the music and the camera movements match the pace of the song.

The narrative is as such. Stevie is woken by a black cat, which he throws his boot at but misses, smashing the mirror. The band heads to the venue on Friday the 13th and Stevie gathers bad luck on his way, including stepping on a crack and walking under the ladder in front of the door. Roadies begin to set up the equipment as the band play on stage. The black cat is revealed to have followed Stevie, and begins to cause a series of ‘accidents’ that befall the band. It knocks over a cup of coffee that spills over a lead. The bassist walks over to turn his amp up, steps on the lead and is electrocuted. The cat then reaches to grab a lever so it can jump over it, and the lever causes the keyboard player to fall down a trap door. Finally, as a roadie is using a pulley to raise the stage lights above the drummer, the cat leaps at the roadie and the light falls, crushing the drummer. Although Stevie Ray Vaughan broke the mirror and gained all the bad luck, he is the only one to survive. As he leaves and the song finishes, we hear clapping and the cat is called back to its owner… Stevie Wonder!

For performance shots, the band is seen practicing for their gig on the night even while the roadies set up. As the band members are caught in accidents, the other members keep playing. Stevie even keeps on playing right until the song finishes even though he is the only one left on stage.

The star image is seen only a few times in the video. Stevie’s face close up is seen at the start of the video. We then see a high angle shot of the band walking in a row, Stevie in the centre. Shots of the band members are seen throughout the video during their specific sections of the song. The main focus appears on Stevie during his solos and when he sings. There is a close up of Stevie Ray Vaughan grinning at the end of the song, and the camera zooms in on Stevie Wonder at the end of the video.

The visuals relate to the song pretty well. The song itself is about bad luck and various superstitions. Symbols of these superstitions are seen throughout the video, such as the broken mirror, cracks on the pavement, the date is Friday 13^th, Stevie walks under the ladder, there’s a horseshoe above his bedroom door, and a black cat is the one causing all the havoc. When Stevie sings “Writing’s on the wall” the camera pans across the sign above the door of the venue. When he sings “Ladder’s ‘bout to fall”, we see the ladder in front of the door. When he sings the line “Devil’s on his way” we see the shadow of the cat that does look like the shadow of a devil with horns.