James’ lyrics of his 1989 hit “Sit Down” begin by lamenting the feelings of loneliness and sadness when life is hard, but his music video focuses much more on the point of the latter half of the song: reaching out to those who feel similarly with a comforting touch. 

The music video for “Sit Down” is done very plainly. James’ goal is clearly not to attract viewers with the flashy lights, and funky dance moves so common to the era. Instead, he dresses in plain clothes, singing in front of a white backdrop. Coupled with the smooth tones of the drums and electric guitar in the background, the video gives off a comfortable, amiable feel. Watching it, James’ viewers are invited to relax and de-stress from the troubles he describes in his lyrics. In fact, his invitation to sit down, articulated so frequently in the chorus, is only made more blatant by the constant shots of a wide variety of chairs. Whenever James or any of his band members is featured sitting down, they don’t look particularly happy or sad, but rather laid-back and relaxed, as the song encourages its listeners to be. However, James makes no effort to distance himself from his suffering listeners, including himself in a line of worried men looking as though they really need to “sit down.” Staring directly at the camera, he invites everyone to join him, essentially establishing a more intimate link with his audience, a usually appealing technique to draw in hesitant viewers. And there are scant methods more entrancing than the use of fluffy animals to draw out cheer from any normal human being. Watching a happy dog -tail-wagging, tongue flailing- attempting to sit down every time James belts it out in the chorus, the urge to adoringly sigh about the animal’s cuteness is almost irresistible. And if that was ineffective, James tops off his animal employment by cuddling with a sheep, whose curly coat of wool just oozes comfort and tranquility. 

Contrasting with the more popular videos of the eighties that feature pop beats and hip costumes, “Sit Down” invites its listeners to do just that: sit down, relax, and just enjoy the song, free from life’s worries. The down-to-earth quality of the video and calmness of the singer encourages viewers to let go, while James does the same with his lyrics. He has no intention of drawing in viewers with flashy techniques, he just wants them to “sit down.”