“Clap clap….”
Gwen Stefani goes back to high school and, let’s be honest, I think she’s the only 50-something out there who could pull this off. I’m guessing that she’s some sort of spirit of eternal youth and freedom in this video which, again, is probably something that only Gwen could have pulled off.
It’s a fun video. We need more fun in the world.
Enjoy!
Any time that we have a new music video from The Chemical Brothers is a time to celebrate. From the video’s YouTube description, here’s what Tom Rowlands has to say about the song: “The Darkness That You Fear is a hopeful piece of music. When we found the combination of the different voices worked set to the flow of the music it made us feel optimistic, like it was something we wanted to share.”
And here’s what director Ruffmercy had to say about the song (also taken from the video’s YouTube description): ““When I first heard the song I immediately connected with the theme and the overall positive vibe. New government rules for relaxing lockdown had been announced and combined with the sun shining, it left me feeling positive about the forthcoming summer. It also triggered a strong sense of nostalgia that led to me going back to look for visual inspiration from the period in time when I first discovered The Chemical Brothers in the mid ’90’s. The video combines archive rave footage from the mid to late 90’s with hand painted Super 8 film textures and hand drawn animation. I love using colour to create chaos and evoke emotions and this was the perfect project to do that.”
What’s left to say other than: “Enjoy!”
This video is from back in the day and I mean way back in the day. Believe it or not, there was a time when U2 was a pretty rocking band. It may be hard to believe it now that the band is often used as a punchline and Bono is better known for his messianic tendencies than his abilities as a singer but in the 80s and, for much of the 90s, U2 was one of the best and, dare I say it, most interesting bands around.
If you doubt me, watch this performance clip which also served as the video for their song Bad. Regardless of how people feel about them in the aftermath of the Songs of Innocence debacle, there was a time when U2 rocked.
Enjoy!
Back in the 70s, Hollywood finally figured out that a good soundtrack was a good way to convince people to come see your movie.
In the 80s, Hollywood figured out that a good music video was an even more effective way to draw in audiences than a good soundtrack.
The video for What A Feeling is entirely made up of scenes from Flashdance. It probably wasn’t difficult to put it together and it probably played a huge role in the film becoming a hit and this song eventually wining an Oscar. It was a lesson that Flashdance producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer would remember when they went on to produce other feature-length music videos, like Top Gun, Days of Thunder, and Dangerous Minds.
Enjoy!
Back in the day, when I first heard this song, I liked it but I also felt it was presumptuous to brag about about “statues crumble for me” when you’ve only had one big hit. Eventually, though, I smartened up and I realized that the song’s upbeat sound was hiding the fact that this is actually a very downbeat song about someone who just wishes that he could fly away from all of the world’s troubles. Statues crumble for me was a reference to Ozymandias. Who knows how long I’ve loved you was an homage to the Beatles. Almost all of the lyrics that sounded like they were bragging were actually referring to something else.
“My mother God rest her soul,” is a reference to the song “Along Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan. At least at the time that Fly was recorded, all of the mothers of the members of the band were still alive. In fact, they all appear at the end of this video.
This video was directed by McG, who later went on to direct several feature films. You know that famous recording of Christian Bale yelling at a cinematographer on the set of Terminator: Salvation? McG was the director who had to listen to all of that.
Enjoy!
I don’t know if there’s any abuse that can really compare to being forced to listen to Silverchair but some may disagree, The group’s lead singer, Daniel Johns, for instance, said that this song was an answer to all of their critics. Go ahead and abuse me, the song says, I’m still going to play my music. Johns also once said, in answer to the band’s many critics, that, “every song I’ve heard sounds like another song I’ve heard.” That’s certainly true if you’re listening to Silverchair.
This song was the band’s second biggest hit in the U.S. Much of that popularity may have had something to do with this video, which is a pretty good video regardless of what you think about the band’s sound. It was directed by Nick Egan, who also did videos for Duran Duran, Oasis, Alanis Morissette, and many others.
Enjoy!
Shock G, RIP.
This music video may start in a high run by a fascist society but luckily, there’s no band that better represents youthful rebellion than … Chicago?
One of the interesting things about this video is that the production design was done by Larry Paull, who was also largely responsible for the futuristic look of Blade Runner. This video does appear that it could be taking place in the Blade Runner/Alien cinematic universe.
Enjoy!
This is the music video where Rick Springfield sets a landline phone on fire. That’s one way to keep your girl from talking to strangers. Even though the video suggests that Springfield is saying that you shouldn’t talk to strangers because you never know who they could actually be and you might be putting yourself in dangers, Springfield has admitted that the song’s message was less altruistic. Instead, it was a message to his girlfriend (and later wife), telling her not to talk to strangers while he was away because he was worried that she would end up cheating on him.
As Springfield explained to Variety, “Back then, I was scared that she was screwing around because I was doing the same thing.” Jesse’s girl could probably tell you something about that.
This video was directed by Paul Justman, who also did videos for The Cars and the J. Geils Band.
Enjoy!
Yes, that was a real number. It was not, as some people have reported, Mojo Nixon’s private number. Instead, it was a number that was connected to house in San Diego where people could call and leave reports of having sighted Elvis or really anything else they wanted to say to Mojo. According to the comments left for this video on YouTube, Mojo often changed the message on the machine.
It’s been a while since we’ve had any Elvis sightings. I don’t know how many people remember this but when I was a kid, there were people who seriously believed that Elvis had faked his death and was living in Florida. There were even pictures that people claimed to have taken of him. The funny thing is that, in all of these pictures, Elvis still had his sideburns and was usually wearing a white jump suit. Elvis faked his death but wasn’t willing to get a haircut or buy any new clothes.
If Elvis is still alive, he’s 86 years old now.
Enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens 