Seeing as how today is David Lynch’s birthday, it just seems appropriate that today’s music video of the day should come from Twin Peaks. Julee Cruise played the singer at the Roadhouse during the first season of Lynch’s legendary show and her voice perfectly captured and, in many ways, helped to create the show’s mysterious and dream-like atmosphere. (The Roadhouse, of course, became a much more menacing location when the series was revived for Showtime. I mean, even “The Nine Inch Nails” ended up playing there.)
This video features a compilation of clips from the show. Some of the clips were directed by David Lynch while some weren’t, so it’s a bit difficult to determine who should be credited as director for this video. Regardless, this video still captures the unique power of Lynch’s vision.
Enjoy!
Don’t let yourself be hurt this time Don’t let yourself be hurt this time
Then I saw your face Then I saw your smile
The sky is still blue The clouds come and go Yet something is different Are we falling in love?
Don’t let yourself be hurt this time Don’t let yourself be hurt this time
Then your kiss so soft Then your touch so warm
The stars still shine bright The mountains still high Yet something is different Are we falling in love?
In this music video, the clean-cut members of O-Town sing about having a collective wet dream about a dominatrix super model. The song is directed to the person who they wish was in their collective wet dream which …. yeah, that’s not creepy at all, guys. According to the lyrics, this person is a combination of Madonna, Beyoncé, Angelina Jolie, Tyra Banks, Halle Berry, Cindy Crawford, Janet Jackson, Salma Hayek, and Jennifer Lopez. Apparently, in between performances, the members of O-Town spent all of their time masturbating on posters of their favorite celebs and then singing songs about it. O-Town was creepy af.
Of course, O-Town was a fairly creepy enterprise from the start. The band was put together by the notorious Lou Pearlman, who was responsible for a lot of boy bands. He was also apparently a crook who defrauded the musicians he managed and who later served time in prison for all sorts of financial crimes. He also just looked like a creepy fellow. I can say that because O-Town was actually a part of the first ever season of Making the Band. Though the show was technically about the band, most episodes centered on Pearlman gloating about how much money he was going to make off of O-Town. I don’t really remember a whole lot about the show, beyond Pearlman being scary. I do know there was one episode where the band’s choreographer threw a fit because the members of the band weren’t doing the steps correctly. O-Town apparently didn’t have that much say about their music or their image.
Liquid Dreams finds the members of the band making out with water people. Since the song is about a wet dream, I guess that means that …. well, never mind.
Enjoy!
Posters of love surrounding me Lost in a world of fantasy Every night she comes to me And gives me all the love I need
Now this hot girl (hot) She’s not your average girl She’s a morphorotic dream from a magazine And she’s so fine (dang), designed to blow your mind She’s a dominatrix supermodel beauty queen (oh)
I dreamed about a girl who’s a mix of Destiny’s Child Just a little touch of Madonna’s wild style With Janet Jackson’s smile Throw in a body like Jennifer’s You’ve got the star of my liquid dream (my liquid dreams)
Angelina Jolie’s lips to kiss in the dark Underneath Cindy C’s beauty mark When it comes to the test well Tyra’s the best And Salma Hayek brings the rest (oh-oh)
Now this hot girl (hot) She’s not your average girl She’s a morphorotic dream from a magazine And she’s so fine (dang) designed to blow your mind She’s a dominatrix supermodel beauty queen (oh)
I dreamed about a girl who’s a mix of Destiny’s Child (oh, Destiny’s Child) Just a little touch of Madonna’s wild style With Janet Jackson’s smile (Janet Jackson’s smile) Throw in a body like Jennifer’s (oh, ooh) You’ve got the star of my liquid dreams (my liquid dreams) (My liquid dreams)
Seem everything she’s got the sweetest personality (Like Halle B) Halle B My mama thinks I’m lazy, my friends all think I’m crazy But in my mind, girl I leave the world, oh (World behind every night I dream)
Liquid dreams, my (she’s my) liquid dreams She’s my liquid dreams Waterfalls and streams, these liquid dreams (Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I dreamed about a girl who’s a mix of Destiny’s Child (I dreamed, I dreamed) Just a little touch of Madonna’s wild style With Janet Jackson’s smile (Janet Jackson’s smile, ooh yeah) Throw in a body like Jennifer’s (she’s my) You’ve got the star of my liquid dream (my liquid dreams) (My liquid dreams)
I dreamed about a girl who’s a mix of Destiny’s Child (be my liquid dreams) Just a little touch Madonna’s wild style (be my liquid dreams) With Janet Jackson’s smile (oh) Throw in a body like Jennifer’s (Jennifer’s) You’ve got the star of my liquid dreams (You got it, you got it, you got my liquid dreams)
I dreamed about a girl who’s a mix of Destiny’s Child Just a little touch of Madonna’s wild style With Janet Jackson’s smile Throw in a body like Jennifer’s You’ve got the star of my liquid dreams (My liquid dreams)
It came out in 2000 and it was a film about the cutthroat world of karaoke competitions. If you don’t remember it, that’s okay. It’s not like it’s some sort of lost classic or something. I saw it a few years ago and my main impression was that whoever made it was so fascinated by the world of karaoke that he never considered that not everyone else would be.
Anyway, when the movie came out, the main thing that everyone knew about it was that it featured a scene where Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis sang a song together. That song was a cover of Smokey Robinson’s Cruisin‘ and even though the movie was never a big hit, the song was on the radio all through 2000 and 2001. Some people thought it was weird that they were singing a somewhat romantic song when they were playing father and daughter. Well, maybe so. But let me tell you something about karaoke — you go with whatever song you can sing. My sisters and I used to sing karaoke all the time. We would embarrass the Hell out of my mom and we once had a DJ yell at us because one of us very dramatically dropped the microphone on the stage after we finished our song. (Yes, it was me.) Now, my sisters all have good singing voice. Me, I can barely carry a tune. I can dance but I can’t sing. However, I did discover that I could sing backup on Love Shack so every time my sisters and I hit karaoke night at Grandpa Tony’s, the first thing that we would do would be find some guy drunk enough to sing Love Shack while Erin and I provided backup. As long as I got to yell “Rusted!” after Erin said, “Tin roof!,” I was happy. Grandpa Tony’s, by the way, was a nice little restaurant that was near the airport. It was owned by an ex-boxer who always came out to flirt with mom. They had the best chips and queso and, every Friday night, there would be a lot of drunk pilots and flight attendants singing Love Shack along with us. Unfortunately, the place has since closed down.
Where as I? Oh yeah, today’s music video of the day is Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis covering Crusin. Enjoy!
Baby, let’s cruise away from here Don’t be confused, the way is clear And if you want it, you got it forever This is not a one-night stand, baby, yeah So, let the music take your mind Ooh, just release and you will find
You gonna fly away, glad you’re goin’ my way I love it when we’re cruisin’ together The music is played for love, cruisin’ is made for love I love it when we’re cruisin’ together
Baby, tonight belongs to us Everything’s right, do what you must And inch by inch we get closer and closer To every little part of each other Let the music take your mind Just release and you will find, baby
You gonna fly away, glad you’re goin’ my way I love it when we’re cruising together The music is played for love, cruisin’ is made for love I love it when we’re cruisin’ together
Cruise with me, baby Cruise with me, baby
Cruise Ooh, ooh, baby, yeah Oh, baby Oh, oh, ah, baby So good to cruise with you, baby So good to cruise with you, baby Ooh, yeah, you and me, baby
Oh, baby, let’s cruise Let’s flow, let’s glide Ooh, let’s open up, and go inside And if you want, it you got it forever I can just stay there inside you And love you, baby, oh… Let the music take your mind Just release and you will find, baby
You gonna fly away, glad you’re goin’ my way I love it when we’re cruising together The music is played for love, cruisin’ is made for love I love it when we’re cruisin’ together
You gonna fly away, glad you’re goin’ my way I love it when we’re cruising together The music is played for love, cruisin’ is made for love I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it…
Through the Shattered Lens has already shared the original video for Blondie’s Atomic, the one that was released in the late 70s and which featured the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in a small role. This second music video is for the live version of the song. It was filmed in 1999, while the band was performing at New York’s Town Hall. The entire show was filmed by VH-1.
What can I say? I just like this song. It’s a song that makes me want to dance. It’s also a song that makes me appreciate my hair. “Your hair is beautiful” is a simple lyric but it’s also one that perfectly captures a very certain feeling, that feeling that this night is going to be greatest night of all. Of course, the song itself is often interpreted as being about the end of the world. If the world was ending, wouldn’t you want your hair to be beautiful?
(For the record, Debbie Harry says that “Atomic” was simply a way of describing something as being powerful, that the lyrics were just some words that sounded good to her, and that there really isn’t any sort of deep meaning to the majority of the song. I would argue that the fact that Atomic is about nothing makes it about everything. I would also argue that it’s occasionally fun to make pseudo-profound pronouncements and see if anyone takes them seriously.)
Enjoy!
Uh huh make me tonight Tonight make it right Uh huh make me tonight Tonight Tonight Oh uh huh make it magnificent Tonight Right Oh your hair is beautiful Oh tonight Atomic Tonight make it magnificent Tonight Make me tonight Your hair is beautiful Oh tonight Atomic Atomic Oh
Today is John Carpenter’s birthday, which is a bit of an unofficial holiday around these parts! So, I figured what better way to celebrate than by starting off the day with a video that pays homage to the master and which contains references to many of Carpenter’s classic films, including Christine and Halloween?
There is no better way! I mean, it’s about everyone’s favorite director and …. this is key …. you can dance to it!
Hey, it’s the song where they keep yelling, “TIME!” over and over again.
That’s how I best know this song. It’s one that I’ve heard in a few movies and in a few commercials and I always assumed that it was just like three minutes and that “TIME!” was the chorus. Then, last year, I decided to track it down on YouTube and I discovered that it’s actually a 15 minute song and it takes them a while to get to the “TIME!” part.
The 60s were apparently a good time for extended jams about the nature of the universe but I can imagine legions of hippies yelling, “GET TO THE TIME PART!” whenever this song was performed. I also have to admit that, listen to this song, I found myself thinking about my friend Suzi who was determined to put on a production of Hair in Denton. Everyone she hit up for money asked her if her version was involve much nudity, as Denton was seen as being a fairly conservative town and there was also some question about whether or not community actors would be willing to get naked for free.
“It’s not about the nudity, man!” she would reply, “It’s not about the nudity.” I have to admit that, for a few years afterwards, I would randomly bust out that line for no particular reason. Any conversation can be made suddenly awkward by suddenly shouting either “It’s not about the nudity, man!” or “TIME!”
That all being said, it’s a good song so here’s an early music video that was shot for German television.
Enjoy!
Time has come today Young hearts can go their way Can’t put it off another day I don’t care what others say They say we don’t listen anyway Time has come today (Hey)
Oh The rules have changed today (Hey) I have no place to stay (Hey) I’m thinking about the subway (Hey) My love has flown away (Hey) My tears have come and gone (Hey) Oh my Lord, I have to roam (Hey) I have no home (Hey) I have no home (Hey)
Now the time has come (Time) There’s no place to run (Time) I might get burned up by the sun (Time) But I had my fun (Time) I’ve been loved and put aside (Time) I’ve been crushed by the tumbling tide (Time) And my soul has been psychedelicized (Time)
Now the time has come (Time) There are things to realize (Time) Time has come today (Time) Time has come today (Time)
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Time
Oh Now the time has come (Time) There’s no place to run (Time) I might get burned up by the sun (Time) But I had my fun (Time) I’ve been loved and put aside (Time) I’ve been crushed by tumbling tide (Time) And my soul has been psychedelicized (Time)
Now the time has come (Time) There are things to realize (Time) Time has come today (Time) Time has come today (Time)
I can relate to the title of this song, as I think almost everyone can. The love of the title doesn’t just have to refer to romantic love. It can also just mean being loved as in being appreciated or admired or praised or …. well, really whatever you mean for it to mean. There’s all sorts of love out there. Everyone wants to be loved and sometimes, that mean exhausting yourself trying to see every movie released in one year in just two weeks. Not that I’m speaking from personal experience, of course…. heh heh….
Watching this video, I found myself a bit upset with myself for having never learned how to play the violin. It’s a neat little instrument and there’s no way you can’t look transcendent while playing it. Oh well. We’ll chalk that up as missed opportunity, I guess. To be honest, I have a feeling I’d end up putting out someone’s eye with that big bow that they use so I guess it’s for the best that I never learned.
Good song, though. You can dance to it. You can laugh to it. You can cry to it. This song came out in 1979 and, as we all know, the 70s were the best!
Enjoy!
I want your love I want your love I want your love I want your love
Do you feel like you ever want To try my love and see how well it fits? Baby, can’t you see when you look at me I can’t kick this feelin’ when it hits
All alone in my bed at night I grab my pillow and squeeze it tight I think of you and I dream of you all of the time What am I gonna do?
I want your love I want your love I want your love I want your love
I want your love I want your love I want your love I want your love
Sometime, don’t you feel like you Never really had a love that’s real? Well, here I am and who’s to say A better love you won’t find today
Just one chance and I will show you love Like no other, two steps above On your ladder I’ll be a peg I want your lovin’, please don’t make me beg
I want your love I want your love I want your love I want your love
I want your love I want your love I want your love I want your love
I want your love I need your love I’ll share my dreams and make you see I’m really there, your love I need
I want your love I need your love Just like the birds need sky above I’ll share my dreams and make you see I’m really there, your love I need
I want your love I want your love I want your love I want your love
I want your love I want your love I want your love I want your love
Yes, everyone, I am still in a 70s-type of mood. I imagine this will be the case for the rest of January. Once February comes around, I’ll probably be in a Canadian mood so get ready for a lot of songs off of the Degrassi soundtrack.
Anyway, this video is for Jive Talkin’, which was I guess one of the Bee Gees’s earliest disco songs. (Apparently, they were originally a non-disco band, which I just can’t imagine what that was like. Yes, I know that it would be very easy for me to listen to their non-disco music. That’s not the point. The 70s are all about disco and dancing. The 70s didn’t need any folk rock.) Jive Talkin’ is one of those songs that feels like it should have been written for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack but it actually came out two years before that film appeared in theaters. That said, it does appear in Saturday Night Fever. Unfortunately, the song did not appear in Stayin’ Alive. That’s a shame since that film was all about jive and I think Frank Stallone could have done wonders with it.
Enjoy!
It’s just your jive talkin’ You’re telling me lies, yeah Jive talkin’ You wear a disguise Jive talkin’ So misunderstood, yeah Jive talkin’ You really no good
Oh, my child You’ll never know Just what you mean to me Oh, my child You got so much You’re gonna take away my energy
With all your jive talkin’ You’re telling me lies, yeah Good lovin’ Still gets in my eyes Nobody believes what you say It’s just your jive talkin’ That gets in the way
Oh my love You’re so good Treating me so cruel There you go With your fancy lies Leavin’ me lookin’ Like a dumbstruck fool With all your
Jive talkin’ You’re telling me lies, yeah Jive talkin’ You wear a disguise Jive talkin’ So misunderstood, yeah Jive talkin’ You just ain’t no good
Love talkin’ Is all very fine, yeah Jive talkin’ Just isn’t a crime And if there’s somebody You’ll love till you die Then all that jive talkin’ Just gets in your eye
Jive talkin’ You’re telling me lies, yeah Good lovin’ Still gets in my eyes Nobody believes what you say It’s just your jive talkin’ That gets in the way
Love talkin’ Is all very fine, yeah Jive talkin’, just isn’t a crime And if there’s somebody You’ll love till you die Then all that jive talkin’ Just gets in your eye, yeah yeah
Even if you don’t know all the lyrics or you don’t know the name of the song or even the band, you do know that, in the 70s, someone was a picker, grinner, a smoker, and a midnight toker. Someone got their loving on the run.
I once took a creative writing class with an older student who claimed that he once met the Steve Miller Band in a bar. He said they were a cool group of guys, even in their older years. I’m not sure if he was telling the truth (it was creative writing, after all) but it was still a good story.
Why was this song not used in The Dark Knight, I ask you. We all know that Heath Ledger could sing. Imagine him singing this while holding up a mirror to the face of Aaron Eckhart. Or, if Heath didn’t want to sing it, Eric Roberts was in that film as well. Who wouldn’t want to watch Eric Roberts cover this song? Missed opportunities.
Enjoy!
Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah Some call me the gangster of love Some people call me Maurice ‘Cause I speak of the pompatus of love a
People talk about me baby Say I’m doin’ you wrong, doin’ you wrong Well, don’t you worry, baby, don’t worry ‘Cause I’m right here, right here, right here, right here at home
‘Cause I’m a picker I’m a grinner I’m a lover And I’m a sinner I play my music in the sun I’m a joker I’m a smoker I’m a midnight toker I sure don’t want to hurt no one I’m a picker I’m a grinner I’m a lover And I’m a sinner I play my music in the sun I’m a joker I’m a smoker I’m a midnight toker I get my lovin’ on the run Ooh, whoo, ooh, whoo
You’re the cutest thing that I ever did see I really love your peaches Wanna shake your tree Lovey dovey, lovey dovey, lovey dovey all the time Ooh wee baby, I’ll sure show you a good time
‘Cause I’m a picker I’m a grinner I’m a lover And I’m a sinner I play my music in the sun I’m a joker I’m a smoker I’m a midnight toker I get my lovin’ on the run I’m a picker I’m a grinner I’m a lover And I’m a sinner I play my music in the sun I’m a joker I’m a smoker I’m a midnight toker I sure don’t want to hurt no one
Ooh, whoo, ooh, whoo
People keep talkin’ about me baby Say I’m doin’ you wrong Well don’t you worry, don’t worry, no don’t worry mama ‘Cause I’m right here at home You’re the cutest thing I ever did see I really love your peaches Wanna shake your tree Lovey dovey, lovey dovey, lovey dovey all the time Come on baby now, I’ll show you a good time
Paper Lace was a British band. None of them were from Chicago. None of the had ever been to Chicago. Certainly none of them had a father who was a cop in Chicago or a mother who cried and prayed the night that Chicago died.
In fact …. CHICAGO DIDN”T EVEN DIE!
Well, it came close once. There was that whole fire that was caused Mrs. O’Leary’s cow. I’ll be honest, though. I think the cow was innocent. I think Mrs. O’Leary just forgot to turn off the stove and she was too embarrassed to admit it. So, the cow got blamed.
But that’s not what this song is about. The song is about a huge gunfight between the police and the members of Al Capone’s gang. However, the Chicago police never got into a gunfight with the Chicago Outfit, largely because Capone owned the cops.
I would also point out that, according to a friend of mine from the area, Chicago doesn’t even have an east side!
So, maybe the song isn’t historically accurate. Listen, I’m from Dallas. I know what it’s like when people assume that they know everything that they need to know about your city. I know how annoying it is. I can’t tell you how many movies I’ve seen that supposedly take place in North Texas but which have big mountains in the background or people exploring caves. There are no mountains in North Texas! There is no east side in Chicago.
But, on the plus side, The Night Chicago Died has a killer bass line and you can sing along with it. That’s always a good thing. Plus, the drummer looks like he might have been a magician in his spare time.
Enjoy!
My daddy was a cop on the east side of Chicago Back in the U.S.A. back in the bad old days
In the heat of a summer night In the land of the dollar bill When the town of Chicago died And they talk about it still When a man named Al Capone Tried to make that town his own And he called his gang to war With the forces of the law
I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died Brother what a night it really was Brother what a fight it really was Glory be! I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died Brother what a night the people saw Brother what a fight the people saw Yes indeed!
And the sound of the battle rang Through the streets of the old east side ‘Til the last of the hoodlum gang Had surrendered up or died There was shouting in the street And the sound of running feet And I asked someone who said “‘Bout a hundred cops are dead!”
I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died Brother what a night it really was Brother what a fight it really was Glory be! I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died Brother what a night the people saw Brother what a fight the people saw Yes indeed!
And ther was no sound at all But the clock upon the wall Then the door burst open wide And my daddy stepped inside And he kissed my mama’s face And he brushed her tears away
The night Chicago died Na-na na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na The night Chicago died Brother what a night the people saw Brother what a fight the people saw Yes indeed!
The night Chicago died Na-na na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na The night Chicago died Brother what a night it really was Brother what a fight it really was Glory be!
The night Chicago died Na-na na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na The night Chicago died Brother what a night the people saw Brother what a fight the people saw Yes indeed!
Through the Shattered Lens