Semiotic Analysis of the Opening Sequence of "The Sopranos"

Semiotics is the study of signs and their meaning in society and it can be applied toward television and popular culture. The core elements of semiotics are the signifier and the signified. The signifier is the visible image and the signified is the idea conveyed by the image. The opening sequence of The Sopranos combines signifiers of the city, class, and violence to convey the power that the main character holds.

The city is an important symbol/signifier in this opening sequence that conveys the power the main character, Tony Soprano, holds. At the beginning of the opening sequence, Tony makes his way from New York City to New Jersey. The reason we can tell he is driving through NYC is that we see him passing the skyline of the city, and they specifically show the Twin Towers and the Statue of Liberty. We then see him drive into NJ as he pays the toll booth that says “New Jersey Turnpike.” The way Tony angrily snatches the toll ticket shows that he is bothered by the fact that he has to pay for it. Tony’s anger towards having to pay the poll seems like he was bothered by the fact he was in New York, and that he just wants to go back to his home in New Jersey. As he drives through New Jersey, we see the poor infrastructure, the bridges, and the many factories he passes by. Tony passes by a meat market and a pizza restaurant, which are signifiers that are displayed through the popular foods people commonly eat in in New Jersey. The symbols that identify New York City and New Jersey show the significant importance of where the main character’s home is.

Class is also an important symbol in the opening sequence. As Tony travels from the city into the suburbs, we see that there are no longer any tall buildings and there are mostly houses. The way we can identify that Tony enters the suburbs is when we see two lanes on the road transition into one lane. This signifier is the painted lane and how it transitions into one, the signified is that from this symbol we can tell that Tony is entering into a smaller town, commonly known as a suburb. Small towns or suburbs usually have one road, and there aren’t as many lanes as the city typically does. The signifier of a suburb is signified as an area where most middle-class to upper-class families live.

Most families move to the suburbs to raise families and to put their children into quality schools. Towards the end of the opening sequence, Tony is now driving through some wooded areas and we seem him pull up into a gated driveway that leads to a mansion. The signifier is the mansion which is signified for upper-class families who are able to spend their money on a luxurious home. When we see Tony driving at the beginning of the opening sequence, we see that he is wearing gold rings and a bracelet. These signifiers of the gold jewelry, are signified as a man who is wealthy and can afford expensive things in life. We also see him smoking a cigar as he is driving, cigars are signified towards people who are successful and have money. In media, we typically see people who are living luxuriously, smoking cigars, to show the success and power they hold. The mansion, the suburbs, his gold jewelry, and cigar symbolizes upper-class and power.

Lastly, violence is an important signifier, we can see this through the choice of the song “Woke Up This Morning” by the Alabama 3, that is used throughout the opening sequence. The lyrics, “when you woke up this morning, you got yourself a gun” repeats quite frequently through the song. This line symbolizes violence and we could infer from this that the main character, Tony, is a violent man. At the beginning of the song the lyric “mama said you’d be the chosen one,” which we could infer he was born to believe he had this special kind of power within him. The lyric “you’re one in a million you’ve got to burn to shine,” we could infer that the main character was brought to believe that in order to succeed you have to go through many obstacles. As well as, you have to be willing to work for it to become successful in life.

Another signifer in the opening sequence that symbolizes violence, was when Tony passes by a cemetery in New Jersey. A cemetery is commonly known to be connected to death. We can infer that with the signifer of a cemetery, that the signified is violence, and the reason for showing a cemetery is that people will die in this television show. At the end of the opening sequence, they display the title of the show and the “R” in Sopranos is shaped like a gun. Even the title of the television show has a signifier of violence, the gun is signified as violence and that guns will be frequently used throughout the show. The song that plays throughout the opening sequence, the cemetery, and the gun in the title of the show, tells us that the main character, Tony, is brought up to believe that using violence will make you powerful and successful in life.

The signifiers and the signified of the opening sequence of The Sopranos tell us what the show will be about. The symbols of the city, class, and violence can explain to us the power that the main character, Tony Soprano, holds. It seems that from all these symbols Tony has some kind of supreme power in New Jersey. As Tony is in traffic, goes through toll booths from New York to New Jersey we see a man in transit. In the beginning, we see Tony driving by the poor infrastructure of many buildings, but towards the end, we see a nice neighborhood that Tony, and other upper-class class people, live in.

They seem to insulate themselves from the horrible reality that they created for most Americans. He may have all this power, but the land he rules is in decay. When Tony drives around the city for most of the opening sequence and then pulls into his driveway, this seems to symbolize how you don't know a violent man could be your next door neighbor for all you know, that this kind of person can be hidden in plain sight. As Tony is in traffic, goes through toll booths from New York to New Jersey we see a man in transit. His lit cigar, ringed fingers, and glaring eyes in the rearview mirror give off pieces of who he is. The snippets of the city and the pieces of Tony are all put together to tell us that power is about staying in motion.