Category Archives: music video

Music Video of the Day: Save Me by Saint Motel (2020, cinematography by Mario Contini)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Along with their “official” videos, Saint Motel also frequently releases videos for alternate versions of their songs.  This is for the acoustic version of Save Me, which can be found on The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album.

This video description on YouTube offers up only one credit — which is “cinematography by Mario Contini.”  I know that A/J Jackson is usually credited for directing the group’s videos (and, of course, he’s the band’s lead singer as well) but since I don’t have any official listing for a director, I’m just going to leave that credit blank.

Mario Contini, according the imdb, has worked on several music videos, including ones by Lady Gaga, Post Malone, and Muse.  I like the look of this video.  The band certainly has a talent for finding good locations in which to be filmed performing.

Enjoy!

Music Video Of The Day: Kiss From A Rose (1994, dir by Joel Schumacher)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Rest in Peace, Joel Schumacher.

Despite what some sites on the internet would have you believe, this song was not written for a Batman film.  It was featured in 1995’s Batman Forever but it was not actually written for the movie.  Instead, the song was first written in 1987 and then it was first recorded and released in 1994.  When it was first released as a single, it didn’t get much attention and it quickly fell out of the charts.  Then it was featured during the end credits of Batman Forever and it was re-released and promoted with this Joel Schumacher-directed video and it became a huge hit.  This is one of those songs that will never die.  As long as there are weddings and funerals, this song will live.  As long as there are comedy shows that want to do over-the-top falling-in-love montages, this song will live forever.

I used to know a guy who would sing this song every Saturday night for karaoke and, every single time, he would start crying about halfway through the song.  When I asked him why the song always made him cry, he replied, “Showmanship.”  I’m not really sure what happened to him, as it’s been more than a while since I last went to any sort of karaoke night.  I hope he’s okay, wherever he is.  The world of karaoke can be very competitive and ruthless.  Someone should make a movie about it.  It would probably have a really good soundtrack.

Enjoy!

 

Music Video of the Day: Bleached Waves by ZOON (2020, dir by John Smith)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

It is a dream?  Is it a fantasy?  Is it a mirage?  Is it a vision of the future?  Perhaps it’s all four.

I just know that it’s atmospheric and, by this point, everyone should know how much I love atmosphere.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Take My Breath Away by Berlin (1986, directed by Marcello Anciano)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Take My Breath Away was written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock after the producers of Top Gun realized that they needed a romantic scene between Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis and that they would need something other than Danger Zone to play during it.  (Originally, the love scene wasn’t in the finished film but when test audiences said that they would like to see one, Cruise and McGillis were brought back to quickly shoot one.  McGillis had dyed her hair for another film, which is why the scene itself is shot in silhouette.)

The song was originally offered to The Motels but it was eventually recorded by Berlin.  (Terri Nunn, the lead singer of Berlin, was one of the contenders for the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars and would have been cast in the role if, for some reason, Carrie Fisher hadn’t worked out.)  Like most of the soundtrack-related music videos of the 80s, the video for Take My Breath Away is a mix of clips from the film and clips of the band performing.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Who’s Crying Now by Journey (1981, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Love them or hate them, Journey is band that just epitomized an era.  Who’s Crying Now, which was the first single off of their Escape album, was one of their biggest hits.  Until 2009, it was Journey’s top-charting hit in the UK.  (Interestingly, it was Don’t Stop Believin’ that dethroned Who’s Crying Now from that spot as the result of Don’t Stop Believin’ being featured on an episode of The X-Factor 28 years after it was initially released.)

As with most of Journey’s music videos, the video for Who’s Crying Now keeps thing simple with the band performing the song.  Journey wouldn’t try to do a conceptual video until 1983’s infamous video for Separate Ways.  We all know how that turned out.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Problem Child by AC↯DC (1976, directed by Russell Mulcahy)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Here’s the thing about AC/DC.

When it came to music videos, they’ve never needed to do anything fancy.  They’re not one of those bands that needs a bunch of bells and whistles to look impressive.  All they have to do is come out on stage and rock.  Their best music videos are usually very simple performance clips, like this one.

This video was filmed at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia.  If it looks rough, that’s because it was supposed to be a part of a large concert film but the film’s backers ran out of money before any major post-production work could be done.  The rough look, however, works for AC/DC.  They are a band that could handle looking rough.

Russell Mulchay, of course, went on to direct multiple videos for Duran Duran, along with Highlander.

Enjoy!