Author Archives: Valerie Troutman

Music Video of the Day: Beate-Christine by Björn (1969, dir. ???)

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

Enjoy!

ABBA retrospective:

  1. Bald Headed Woman by The Hep Stars (1966, dir. ???)
  2. Tangokavaljeren by Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  3. Vårkänslor (ja, de’ ä våren) by Agnetha & Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  4. Titta in i men lilla kajuta by Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  5. Nu Ska Vi Vara Snälla by Björn & Agnetha (1969, dir. ???)
  6. Finns Det Flickor by Björn & Sten Nilsson (1969, dir. ???)
  7. Nu Ska Vi Opp, Opp, Opp by Agnetha (1969, dir. ???)
  8. Det Kommer En Vår by Agnetha (1969, dir. ???)
  9. Att Älska I Vårens Tid by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  10. Min Soldat by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  11. Söderhavets Sång by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  12. Ring, Ring by ABBA (1973, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  13. Ring, Ring by ABBA (1973, dir. ???)
  14. Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough) by ABBA (1973, dir. ???)
  15. Waterloo by ABBA (1974, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  16. Hasta Mañana by ABBA (1974, dir. ???)
  17. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  18. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do by ABBA (1975, dir. ???)
  19. Bang-A-Boomerang by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  20. SOS by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  21. Mamma Mia by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  22. Knowing Me, Knowing You by ABBA (1976, dir. ???)

Music Video of the Day: Cosmic Slop by Funkadelic (1973, dir. ???)

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

Well, we can add Funkadelic to the list of groups that made groundbreaking music videos in 1970s. We’ve had numerous ones from ABBA doing all sorts of stuff. We had AC/DC taking what would otherwise be a simple stage performance and making it feeling intimate. We had Hall & Oates making the anti-video. We had Alice Cooper foreshadowing all kinds of things that would become staples of music videos, but most notably, the quick editing. Now we have Funkadelic, before becoming part of Parliament-Funkadelic, also doing location shooting and integrating the filmmaking into the song the way Elected by Alice Cooper did. Whereas that one called for a lot of quick cuts, this song lends itself to more laid back long takes. Also like Elected, they aren’t performing the song. You do see a couple of them with instruments, but it doesn’t seem into tie to the song you are hearing. The instruments are just there. The focus is on the trippy visuals. I can’t help but look at it and think: “Funkadelic Takes NYC”. I have to imagine this was fun to film.

Sit back and enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: I Got You Babe by Cher with Beavis and Butt-Head (1994, dir. Tamra Davis & Yvette Kaplan)

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

It sure is Groundhog Day. I won’t make the joke that I am sure you’ll hear all day.

As for this video, I had a different one planned originally. I was going to go with another duet that Cher did for a love song. Then I thought it would be worth checking to see if she had ever done a music video for this song before I started writing. Yep! This exists. Why does this exist? Apparently Cher did this for the album The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience. I think I may be traumatized for life now that I’ve heard Cher ask Butt-Head if he feels lucky. Why did she do this? I don’t know. Maybe it was for a comeback after the 1980s were over.

This was co-directed by Tamra Davis and Yvette Kaplan. Davis directed around 40 music videos. She’s also directed numerous films and episodes of TV Shows. Kaplan has mainly worked in animation. She’s done work on other things, but the majority was as a supervising director for the run of Beavis and Butt-Head. She also worked on the movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996).

Enjoy this bizarre trip down memory lane. I swear I didn’t pick this out in advance. It fell into my lap at the last minute.

Music Video of the Day: Magic by The Cars (1984, dir. Tim Pope)

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

According to my calendar, today is Imbolc that is celebrated by Pagans and Wiccans. I know that there is some sorta music video that does exist from 1979 for The Cars’ song Dangerous Type. All I can find are live performances. I could use the cover version that Letters To Cleo did for the movie The Craft (1996). I don’t want to. Especially not when there is this one called Magic, where Ric Ocasek walks on water. I’ve been itching to spotlight this music video.

I kind of wanna just say to simply sit back and enjoy, but there are a couple of things to point out:

  1. This is the obvious one. The song is about a relationship that makes you feel like you can walk on water, so they literally made it seem that Ocasek was walking on water. That’s at least what Songfacts tells me. It makes sense to me.
  2. To create the illusion of walking on water, they built a little platform for him to stand on in the pool that you can see in several shots. The platform collapsed the first time, and they had to adjust it to take his weight.
  3. This is best one. It was filmed at Paris Hilton’s family estate when she was little. I believe she would have been 2 or 3 at the time. She’s not in the video. According to Wikipedia, Kathy Hilton rented the band her house for the music video. The house would also be used a few years later for the movie Blind Date (1987).

I know one of the people is Uncle Sam and another is probably Jesus, but if you have a guess as to who the guy with the eyepatch is, then let me know. I would have thought Patch, of Patch Kayla from Days Of Our Lives. Unfortunately, their characters wouldn’t become a thing till 1986.

The video was produced by Beth Broday. She seems to have done about 20 music videos. A notable one being True Colors for Cyndi Lauper.

With that out of the way, sit back and enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Det Kommer En Vår by Agnetha (1969, dir. ???)

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

According to Google Translate, the title of this song is “There Will Be A Spring”. I guess that explains the water and flowers. I have no idea how that explains the super low-angle though. Maybe they were trying to show the sky? Your guess is as good as mine.

Unless I am forgetting one, there are two more pre-ABBA videos before I can finally get back on track.

Enjoy!

ABBA retrospective:

  1. Bald Headed Woman by The Hep Stars (1966, dir. ???)
  2. Tangokavaljeren by Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  3. Vårkänslor (ja, de’ ä våren) by Agnetha & Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  4. Titta in i men lilla kajuta by Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  5. Nu Ska Vi Vara Snälla by Björn & Agnetha (1969, dir. ???)
  6. Finns Det Flickor by Björn & Sten Nilsson (1969, dir. ???)
  7. Nu Ska Vi Opp, Opp, Opp by Agnetha (1969, dir. ???)
  8. Att Älska I Vårens Tid by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  9. Min Soldat by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  10. Söderhavets Sång by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  11. Ring, Ring by ABBA (1973, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  12. Ring, Ring by ABBA (1973, dir. ???)
  13. Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough) by ABBA (1973, dir. ???)
  14. Waterloo by ABBA (1974, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  15. Hasta Mañana by ABBA (1974, dir. ???)
  16. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  17. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do by ABBA (1975, dir. ???)
  18. Bang-A-Boomerang by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  19. SOS by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  20. Mamma Mia by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  21. Knowing Me, Knowing You by ABBA (1976, dir. ???)

Music Video of the Day: Nu Ska Vi Opp, Opp, Opp by Agnetha (1969, dir. ???)

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

This time we have Agnetha joining the Swedish Air Force I guess. To my knowledge, Agentha today is afraid of such travel, which has been one of the big stumbling blocks to an ABBA reunion. That makes it a little weird to watch this video.

Enjoy!

ABBA retrospective:

  1. Bald Headed Woman by The Hep Stars (1966, dir. ???)
  2. Tangokavaljeren by Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  3. Vårkänslor (ja, de’ ä våren) by Agnetha & Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  4. Titta in i men lilla kajuta by Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  5. Nu Ska Vi Vara Snälla by Björn & Agnetha (1969, dir. ???)
  6. Finns Det Flickor by Björn & Sten Nilsson (1969, dir. ???)
  7. Att Älska I Vårens Tid by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  8. Min Soldat by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  9. Söderhavets Sång by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  10. Ring, Ring by ABBA (1973, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  11. Ring, Ring by ABBA (1973, dir. ???)
  12. Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough) by ABBA (1973, dir. ???)
  13. Waterloo by ABBA (1974, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  14. Hasta Mañana by ABBA (1974, dir. ???)
  15. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  16. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do by ABBA (1975, dir. ???)
  17. Bang-A-Boomerang by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  18. SOS by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  19. Mamma Mia by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  20. Knowing Me, Knowing You by ABBA (1976, dir. ???)

Music Video of the Day: Söderhavets Sång by Frida (1970, dir. ???)

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

There’s still a couple of pre-ABBA videos to knock off. This time Frida appears to have traveled to Hawaii to rehearse for the sailboat version of Knowing Me, Knowing You.

I love how one of the comments on this video says, “that was wierd”. No, it doesn’t truly get weird till you see Frida boxing with herself. That, and when you find out that One Night In Bangkok was written by Benny and Björn, along with Tim Rice.

Enjoy!

ABBA retrospective:

  1. Bald Headed Woman by The Hep Stars (1966, dir. ???)
  2. Tangokavaljeren by Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  3. Vårkänslor (ja, de’ ä våren) by Agnetha & Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  4. Titta in i men lilla kajuta by Björn (1969, dir. ???)
  5. Nu Ska Vi Vara Snälla by Björn & Agnetha (1969, dir. ???)
  6. Finns Det Flickor by Björn & Sten Nilsson (1969, dir. ???)
  7. Att Älska I Vårens Tid by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  8. Min Soldat by Frida (1970, dir. ???)
  9. Ring, Ring by ABBA (1973, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  10. Ring, Ring by ABBA (1973, dir. ???)
  11. Love Isn’t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough) by ABBA (1973, dir. ???)
  12. Waterloo by ABBA (1974, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  13. Hasta Mañana by ABBA (1974, dir. ???)
  14. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  15. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do by ABBA (1975, dir. ???)
  16. Bang-A-Boomerang by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  17. SOS by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  18. Mamma Mia by ABBA (1975, dir. Lasse Hallström)
  19. Knowing Me, Knowing You by ABBA (1976, dir. ???)

Music Video of the Day: Stuck With You by Huey Lewis & The News (1986, dir. Edd Griles)

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

I did Friday Night by The Darkness yesterday, so here’s the music video that I have no doubt they had in mind when making Friday Night.

If you recognize the director, then it is probably from Cyndi Lauper videos like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

If you recognize the woman who gets stranded with Huey, then you probably know her because she is married to Pierce Brosnan. That’s Keely Shaye Brosnan or Keely Shaye Smith depending on how she gets credited on something. She was also a correspondent on Unsolved Mysteries back in the 1990s.

If you recognize the name Susan R. Feldott, the production manager, then you must have been in the business.

If you recognize the shark, then these posts are useless. Yes, Edd Griles also directed the video for If This Is It by Huey Lewis & The News. That’s the music video where a Sand Shark goes after a family at the end. They were obviously making fun of that here.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Friday Night by The Darkness (200x, dir. ???)

Posted on by Valerie Troutman

I was sick most of yesterday. I needed a video at the last minute. Nothing fails to cheer me up like The Darkness. This one picks up after the video for I Believe In A Thing Called Love when their ZZ Top spaceship crash lands on every island of woman from every exploitation movie ever made–complete with a giant skull to reference Iron Maiden. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the shark is a reference to the one that stranded Huey Lewis on an island in the video for Stuck With You.

Enjoy!