It's that time of the year again! As I did in 2008 and 2009, the moment has arrived to discuss this year's nominees for Video of the Year at the Video Music Awards. But, before we begin, I have to make an announcement. For a couple years now, I've been trying to make this a regular series, investigating all of the nominees for Video of the Year in each year. I got a couple done before hitting a rough spot and never actually completing the series. I vowed last year to get the series started but, again, nothing. I've now come to the realization that it will never be finished and it's time to move on to a new project: Best Female Video. The reason I could never finish another entry is because the nominated videos often sucked all inspiration out of me. How could I spend 300 words writing about a video that was neither horrible or amazing? And what about in years where all five nominees are like that? Zzzzzzzz. But when I started looking around at the Best Female Video category, I realized that there was no way I could ever get bored by the nominees. I mean, look at them! Who wants to discuss videos from Queensryche, USA for Africa, U2 or Steve Winwood when I can be discussing Madonna, Janet, Cher, Beyoncé, Paula, Kate and Annie? I will continue this annual tradition in the coming years, but I won't be looking back at any past Video of the Year lineups. Sorry to the two people who may actually remember me doing this, but I guarantee the Best Female Video series will be even better.
Overall: 2009 was all about the star factor with five of the biggest names in music competing for the big prize. This year, we see two repeats but, overall, the nominees are a return to the early days of the category when the biggest stars weren't necessarily getting the big nomination. Lady GaGa, with two of the most talked about music videos in ages, and Eminem, the VMA's prodigal son, both got in rather expectedly, but the surprise nominees came at the hands of a British act just getting started in America and (former?) actor Jared Leto's rock band. Sometimes digging up unexpected videos can be good for the category but this year quite the opposite happened. When 'Telephone,' a video I've complained about all year for being a short film in music video clothing, is still the second best in the category, you know there's a problem. Florence and Mars are trying hard to be different and metaphorical, respectively--about what, I have no fucking clue--yet nothing comes through. Eminem once again gets in with another lazy, retread of his past videos and the less said about the B.o.B. video the better. Thank goodness for GaGa then, who manages to save this lineup from obscurity with 'Romance,' the video they'll remember her for in the coming years. With so many uninspiring nominees, you have to wonder how Rhianna's 'Rude Boy,' easily the most talked about non-GaGa music video, not only missed out here but in nearly every damn category minus a technical one. And, although I think the video's not very good, the Black Eyed Peas' massive 'Imma Be Rocking that Body' was completely shafted in every category, a surprise given how many of the nominated videos this year (Bad Romance, Telephone, Kings and Queens, Video Phone) have massive runtimes. And, if we lived in a perfect world, the year's double nominee would be Danish pop group Alphabeat and not GaGa. 'DJ (I Could Be Dancing)' and 'Hole in My Heart' both took obvious 90's inspirations and twisted them for this decade.
The best:
Lady GaGa 'Bad Romance' # # # # #
Just before GaGa became the queen of the entire world and everything she did was deemed other worldly, she came out with her clip for 'Bad Romance' and proved that she was more than just a passing phase. 'Poker Face' showed promise, even if it wasn't a very good video, and 'Paparazzi' reintroduced the epic music video, but 'Bad Romance' capitalized on her newly minted success and trumped every expectation people had of her. Five minutes may seem like a long time for a music video, but when you have as much going on as GaGa does here, it goes by far too quickly. But that's what is special about 'Bad Romance': she manages to tell a complete story visually without once stopping the music for a dialogue interlude. The opening birth scene where GaGa and her dancers emerge from the metaphorical womb, clawing and scratching their way out in spandex catsuits is astounding to look at. It's the perfect way to visualize the GaGa character's emergence into this world of prostitution and to let the audience know what to expect from the rest of the video. And never does 'Bad Romance' ever feel like anything but a Lady GaGa video; there's no homage to Madonna or Tarantino and you can hardly imagine Britney, Rihanna or Beyoncé doing this video with the same amount of impact. 'Bad Romance' is a textbook example of using the music video to move a pop persona forward and the fact that she does this with a fair amount of depth and beauty is all the more satisfying.
The rest, in order:
Lady GaGa featuring Beyoncé 'Telephone' # # # # #
And now we come to certainly the biggest video of the year, in terms of impact, hype, feeling and overall length. The premiere was an event in itself, the first time I remember that happening since the good ole days of TRL when the Backstreet Boys would stop by to premiere their latest shitty video. I liked the video at first, and still am generally a fan of it, but the flaws are even more glaringly obvious than they were six months ago. My biggest complaint about 'Telephone' is that it never quite feels like a music video. Sure, it's a video with music in it, but the song eventually comes second to all of the insanity going on around it. I've said it before and I'll say it again: 'Telephone' works as a short film, but as a music video, it's an epic fail. Music videos should promote the song, but can you honestly say you remember the song amid the numerous wardrobe choices, the prison yard make out session, B's Honey Bun and the "Let's Make a Sandwich" bit? What I do love about the video, though, is the way GaGa and B synthesize their own larger than life, batshit crazy personas with their homage to all things Tarantino. The video is complete and utter insanity, but when it works, it really works at highlighting what we love best about GaGa and B. 'Telephone' is hardly perfect yet something about it's madness is worth celebrating.
Florence + the Machine 'Dog Days Are Over' # # # # #
I will say this for Florence + the Machine: she certainly knows how to make a vivid impression. When you see her onscreen, red hair a-blazin' with that kabuki-inspired makeup over her eyes, you immediately marvel over this fascinating creature and really want to get to know her better. The 'Dog Days Are Over' video is certainly the very definition of "weird," but it often feels weird for weird sake rather than weird for a purpose. The only way I can describe what I mean is to use another example, last year's nominee 'Love Lockdown' by Kanye West. The bulk of the video comprises of these natives flinging arrows and tribal dancing to the song. What saves it from 'Dog Days Are Over' territory, however, is the fact that the opening and closing moments show Kanye West obviously in some kind of emotional distress, so it can be inferred that these natives are representative of him going insane. I'm not suggesting that 'Dog Days Are Over' needs a gimmick like 'Love Lockdown,' but, rather, any idea of when to pull back the "weirdness" and figure out what they are trying to say. The video doesn't need to make a groundbreaking point, it just needs to say something besides "Oh look at these blue people dancing!"
30 Seconds to Mars 'Kings and Queens' # # # # #
Maybe I'm completely missing the point, but what exactly is supposed to be happening in this video? I see minute after minute of footage of a group of young adults riding bikes through a deserted town, someone getting hit by a car, a horse stampeding down the street, the kid getting back up unharmed and everyone resuming biking. What? I give 30 Seconds to Mars for attempting to say something, anything with this video and for giving it the full-length treatment without sacrificing the song. Yet, I'm not exactly sure what they're trying to say is worth saying. Then again, I could only be sure of that if I was aware of their intentions.
Eminem 'Not Afraid' # # # # #
It seems almost futile to bitch about yet another Eminem video making its way onto the Video of the Year shortlist, yet I feel like something needs to be said in order for this madness to end. 'Not Afraid' is not anywhere near as embarrassing as his nomination for 'We Made You' last year, that's for sure. Still, there's not exactly anything worth celebrating in this video, certainly nothing worthy of Video of the Year status. I think people are starting to mistake Eminem as an artist who reveals pieces of himself in his music videos. He does do this in his music, don't get me wrong, but outside of 'Stan,' do any of his videos which are supposedly about him truly capture anything worth knowing about him? 'Not Afraid' certainly doesn't, as standing in a dank basement and throwing a chair angrily against a wall is the sort of the thing you'd expect from an Eminem video. The scenes with the mirrors and Eminem buzzing through the air like Superman might be an attempt at revelation, and I suppose that's what got people thinking 'Not Afraid' was about something, but it's handled so clumsily and nothing about it is truly original, interesting or even worth thinking about. Eminem, you're officially past your sell by date; wake me up when you're relevant again.
B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams 'Airplanes' # # # # #
OH GOD, MAKE THIS END, MAKE THIS END! Not only is the song one of the most horrible, cliché-ridden pieces of shit I've ever heard, the video is, also, lazy, uninspired and almost ugly to look at. First of all, can someone tell Hayley Williams that despite what other countless music videos have taught her, closing your eyes and rocking your head gently while singing "deep" lyrics the ones in that godawful chorus does not make you look emotive in any way? Secondly, putting an artist in dark room while strobe and neon lights dance around them in odd rhythms does not an interesting video make. I know this nomination is more for the inexplicable popularity of this song rather than the video itself, but did we honestly need to expand to six nominees to make room for it? This is not a video we're going to be remembering for many years to come. Hell, I'll be surprised if anyone remembers this by the end of the year.
Showing posts with label video of the year rundown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video of the year rundown. Show all posts
Friday, August 13, 2010
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
VMA Video of the Year Rundown: 2009
The 2009 MTV Video Music Award nominees were announced a week ago and, at J.D.'s insistence, I decided to bring back my old series to talk about this year's nominees. If you enjoyed this series previously, I apologize for the 10 month absence, but I got completely stuck on one of the profiles and eventually gave up on the whole damn thing. Hopefully, doing this post will motivate me to get back in the swing of things.
Overall: After the complete and utter embarrassment that was last year's nominees, MTV went back to picking them themselves and, needless to say, they did a much better job. By nominating four of the biggest stars in music today and one mega-successful up-and-comer, MTV brought the prestige back to the category. But, with that prestige comes three fantastic videos that are easy to get excited about. When some of the biggest stars in music are making the lamest and shittiest videos around, that's definitely something to cheer. Even if Lady GaGa's video isn't as successful in its mission as it thinks it is, you have to give it credit for trying, no matter how shameless it is (hey, it works for Kathy Griffin). As for omissions, I still need some catching up to do, but how about Lily Allen's scrumptious 'The Fear'? Oh, that's right, no one gives a shit about her in America (shame on you). Gnarls Barkley's 'Who's Gonna Save Your Soul?' is a fascinating experiment, although I probably need more time to digest it fully. Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me,' with its high school stereotypes, is not totally original, but you have to give Swift credit for having a total blast with it and that's all you need for a successful video sometimes. Of all the omissions, I'm still a little surprised that after racking up countless artistic noms, and being better videos than their nominated counterparts, Britney's 'Circus' and GaGa's 'Paparazzi' were passed over in favor of 'Womanizer' and 'Poker Face.' Maybe it's because they were bigger hits as songs?
The best:
Beyoncé 'Single Ladies [Put a Ring On It]' # # # # #
To put it simply, the video for Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies' is a phenomenon. Don't believe me? Check out the millions upon millions of (mostly bad) imitations and homages on YouTube ranging from Timberlake, Rudd and Samberg on SNL to Joe Jonas's from a couple of months ago and then tell me it doesn't qualify. And how often in this day and age when the music video is given less and less prominence in the public eye (and even on their one-time home MTV) does one ever get this huge? Very rarely. But this is just one reason we should be celebrating this video. The simplicity of the clip is staggering, making sure we focus only on the intricate yet breezy choreography, but I'm sure it was much harder to create than it appears. The main reason 'Single Ladies' will go down as a classic, however, is because it's the video that cemented Beyoncé as the diva of our times. Another lesser artist would have been afraid of the fact that there is nothing going on in this clip besides some dancing and the background periodically and spastically changing from black to white (there aren't even any pretty colors to distract the ADD generation), but not the insane diva that is Beyoncé. Oh no, she knew that armed with a leotard, a cyborg hand and a simple rotation of a forearm, she could captivate an audience. Beyoncé may be out of her damn mind half the time, but that's what makes her so interesting, why we are so fascinated by her celebrity and why 'Single Ladies' works as well as it does.
The rest, in order:
Kanye West 'Love Lockdown' # # # # #
At first I wanted to hate 'Love Lockdown' for its lack of immediate rewards, the seemingly random tribal dance that dominates the video and the fact that most of the little time Kanye actually spends on screen is spent re-doing that hunched over, "I'm crazy and/or in pain" pose that was captured so well in the 'Stronger' video. But then I sat down, thought about it for awhile and started to like it more and more. The clip is so eliptical that five different viewers could come up with five different explanations and all of them could make complete sense. Based on the way the shots of Kanye book end the tribal warriors in the middle, my guess is that the video shows the mental breakdown of the Kanye character, but I'm open to other interpretations. The song may not be classic Kanye, but the video is first rate.
Britney Spears 'Womanizer' # # # # #
'Circus' may be the better video, but 'Womanizer' is the one that put Britney back on the map after the disappointing Blackout videos. It's also the video that captures what makes Britney the pop superstar she is and why we're so fascinated by her ten years on. 'Womanizer' has everything we expect from a top-notch Britney video: hot dancing, a sexified Britney in sexy clothes, a good-looking male lead, a barely-there plot that may seem pointless but actually makes for a more coherent video. Most importantly, however, the video makes 'Womanizer that much better of a song. I mean, honestly, who was crazy about the song before the video came out? With a hook so repetitive it made 'Gimme More' look downright wordy, I certainly wasn't its biggest fan. But after the video's premiere, with Britney titilating the masses like no one else can in a sexy and modern style, the song became a can't miss for me. And, I would argue, isn't that the point of the music video?
Lady GaGa 'Poker Face' # # # # #
By dressing in outrageously eye-catching outfits, hoping to produce something as iconic as Britney's red leather jumpsuit or Christina's white 'Come On Over Baby' ensemble, hiring hunky, shirtless male models to lounge around her at all times while performing some well-done choreography, it feels like Lady GaGa is blantantly propositioning the gay audience to love her in all her over-the-top glory. But, unlike Britney and her vaguely similar 'Womanizer' video, The GaGa is trying a bit too hard and 'Poker Face' becomes another instance of style winning out over substance. Each individual set piece does what they need to do, but it all adds up to nothing more than visual gay porn. 'Paparazzi,' which integrates the GaGa's unique sense of style with a high concept clip, is the video that proves she may be more than just a flash in the pan.
Eminem 'We Made You' # # # # #
I can't decide which of these is more embarrassing: the fact that Eminem has received his sixth (6!) Video of the Year nomination, which is two more than Madonna has and three more than Michael Jackson, for a video that is, more or less, a trite rehashing of the same video he has made three times before or the fact that MTV lazily decided to nominate their prodigal son yet again over so many other worthy videos out there. It's not the subject of 'We Made You' (vacuous celebrites only famous because we want to hear about them) that upsets me, rather, it's the celebrities Eminem decides to skewer. They are either so obvious (Kim Kardashian) or so three years ago (hasn't Jessica Simpson been through enough?) that I'm surprised he didn't rap about how stupid Paris Hilton is or Britney's breakdown. And the video is often just as headscratchingly ignorant and misguided. Not only are the vignettes amateurish beyond belief with their junior high-level humor, but they often don't make any sense at all. What the hell does Star Trek and Rain Man have to do with the public's fascination with celebrities? This kind of video may have been okay back in 2002 when Eminem was the biggest rapper in the world, but in 2009, it just looks like a desperate excursion from a 30-something white rapper hoping at all costs to remain relevant in a musical landscape that seems to have moved on.
[Previous installments: 1984 1999 2003]
Overall: After the complete and utter embarrassment that was last year's nominees, MTV went back to picking them themselves and, needless to say, they did a much better job. By nominating four of the biggest stars in music today and one mega-successful up-and-comer, MTV brought the prestige back to the category. But, with that prestige comes three fantastic videos that are easy to get excited about. When some of the biggest stars in music are making the lamest and shittiest videos around, that's definitely something to cheer. Even if Lady GaGa's video isn't as successful in its mission as it thinks it is, you have to give it credit for trying, no matter how shameless it is (hey, it works for Kathy Griffin). As for omissions, I still need some catching up to do, but how about Lily Allen's scrumptious 'The Fear'? Oh, that's right, no one gives a shit about her in America (shame on you). Gnarls Barkley's 'Who's Gonna Save Your Soul?' is a fascinating experiment, although I probably need more time to digest it fully. Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me,' with its high school stereotypes, is not totally original, but you have to give Swift credit for having a total blast with it and that's all you need for a successful video sometimes. Of all the omissions, I'm still a little surprised that after racking up countless artistic noms, and being better videos than their nominated counterparts, Britney's 'Circus' and GaGa's 'Paparazzi' were passed over in favor of 'Womanizer' and 'Poker Face.' Maybe it's because they were bigger hits as songs?
The best:
Beyoncé 'Single Ladies [Put a Ring On It]' # # # # #
To put it simply, the video for Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies' is a phenomenon. Don't believe me? Check out the millions upon millions of (mostly bad) imitations and homages on YouTube ranging from Timberlake, Rudd and Samberg on SNL to Joe Jonas's from a couple of months ago and then tell me it doesn't qualify. And how often in this day and age when the music video is given less and less prominence in the public eye (and even on their one-time home MTV) does one ever get this huge? Very rarely. But this is just one reason we should be celebrating this video. The simplicity of the clip is staggering, making sure we focus only on the intricate yet breezy choreography, but I'm sure it was much harder to create than it appears. The main reason 'Single Ladies' will go down as a classic, however, is because it's the video that cemented Beyoncé as the diva of our times. Another lesser artist would have been afraid of the fact that there is nothing going on in this clip besides some dancing and the background periodically and spastically changing from black to white (there aren't even any pretty colors to distract the ADD generation), but not the insane diva that is Beyoncé. Oh no, she knew that armed with a leotard, a cyborg hand and a simple rotation of a forearm, she could captivate an audience. Beyoncé may be out of her damn mind half the time, but that's what makes her so interesting, why we are so fascinated by her celebrity and why 'Single Ladies' works as well as it does.
The rest, in order:
Kanye West 'Love Lockdown' # # # # #
At first I wanted to hate 'Love Lockdown' for its lack of immediate rewards, the seemingly random tribal dance that dominates the video and the fact that most of the little time Kanye actually spends on screen is spent re-doing that hunched over, "I'm crazy and/or in pain" pose that was captured so well in the 'Stronger' video. But then I sat down, thought about it for awhile and started to like it more and more. The clip is so eliptical that five different viewers could come up with five different explanations and all of them could make complete sense. Based on the way the shots of Kanye book end the tribal warriors in the middle, my guess is that the video shows the mental breakdown of the Kanye character, but I'm open to other interpretations. The song may not be classic Kanye, but the video is first rate.
Britney Spears 'Womanizer' # # # # #
'Circus' may be the better video, but 'Womanizer' is the one that put Britney back on the map after the disappointing Blackout videos. It's also the video that captures what makes Britney the pop superstar she is and why we're so fascinated by her ten years on. 'Womanizer' has everything we expect from a top-notch Britney video: hot dancing, a sexified Britney in sexy clothes, a good-looking male lead, a barely-there plot that may seem pointless but actually makes for a more coherent video. Most importantly, however, the video makes 'Womanizer that much better of a song. I mean, honestly, who was crazy about the song before the video came out? With a hook so repetitive it made 'Gimme More' look downright wordy, I certainly wasn't its biggest fan. But after the video's premiere, with Britney titilating the masses like no one else can in a sexy and modern style, the song became a can't miss for me. And, I would argue, isn't that the point of the music video?
Lady GaGa 'Poker Face' # # # # #
By dressing in outrageously eye-catching outfits, hoping to produce something as iconic as Britney's red leather jumpsuit or Christina's white 'Come On Over Baby' ensemble, hiring hunky, shirtless male models to lounge around her at all times while performing some well-done choreography, it feels like Lady GaGa is blantantly propositioning the gay audience to love her in all her over-the-top glory. But, unlike Britney and her vaguely similar 'Womanizer' video, The GaGa is trying a bit too hard and 'Poker Face' becomes another instance of style winning out over substance. Each individual set piece does what they need to do, but it all adds up to nothing more than visual gay porn. 'Paparazzi,' which integrates the GaGa's unique sense of style with a high concept clip, is the video that proves she may be more than just a flash in the pan.
Eminem 'We Made You' # # # # #
I can't decide which of these is more embarrassing: the fact that Eminem has received his sixth (6!) Video of the Year nomination, which is two more than Madonna has and three more than Michael Jackson, for a video that is, more or less, a trite rehashing of the same video he has made three times before or the fact that MTV lazily decided to nominate their prodigal son yet again over so many other worthy videos out there. It's not the subject of 'We Made You' (vacuous celebrites only famous because we want to hear about them) that upsets me, rather, it's the celebrities Eminem decides to skewer. They are either so obvious (Kim Kardashian) or so three years ago (hasn't Jessica Simpson been through enough?) that I'm surprised he didn't rap about how stupid Paris Hilton is or Britney's breakdown. And the video is often just as headscratchingly ignorant and misguided. Not only are the vignettes amateurish beyond belief with their junior high-level humor, but they often don't make any sense at all. What the hell does Star Trek and Rain Man have to do with the public's fascination with celebrities? This kind of video may have been okay back in 2002 when Eminem was the biggest rapper in the world, but in 2009, it just looks like a desperate excursion from a 30-something white rapper hoping at all costs to remain relevant in a musical landscape that seems to have moved on.
[Previous installments: 1984 1999 2003]
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
VMA Video of the Year Rundown: 2003
My new series in which I go through the nominees for the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year in each and every year. Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments!
Overall: You have to give props to the nominating committee for some of their ballsy choices: a country legend's beautiful swan song, a former boybander stalking his ex-girlfriend and a female rapper (I know, this shouldn't be so shocking, but they hadn't even nominated Missy before). The work from these three is so genius that I'm tempted to forgive them for lazily nominating Eminem yet again and Fiddy for a throwaway of a rap video, cliched even by the genre's standards. I'm really surprised that the most critically acclaimed video of the year- Christina Aguilera's haunting "Beautiful"- not only didn't land a nomination here, but also lost out on nominations across the board to the fun, but less interesting, "Dirrty." Too much controversy, maybe? And since MTV was in such a funky, free-loving mood with their nominees, I'm equally surprised that they didn't go with Coldplay's Memento-like "The Scientist," with it's impressive special effects and headscratching narrative that goes in reverse.
The Best of the Nominees:
Missy Elliott "Work It" # # # # #
Directed by Missy Elliott and Dave Meyers
To those of us who enjoy hip hop music but hate most of the nameless, overworked crap that's being released everyday (and, somehow, burning up the Top 40 charts), the return of Missy Elliott every year or two is often considered on par with the resurrection of Jesus. Not only is her music hot, but her music videos are often on the cutting edge and always offer something that we haven't seen before. Atoning for missing not only "Get Ur Freak On," but also "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" and "One Minute Man," MTV handed their Best Video prize to "Work It," her most interesting and out-there video we've seen from her yet. The video begins with the image of hundreds of flies covering Missy and the turntable next to her, possibly suggesting the decay of the old Missy and the start of something new from her (coincidentally, she had just lost a bunch of weight before this video). This is contrasted with a shot of a deserted, decaying playground (the hip hop landscape without Missy, perhaps?) and Missy entering in the only way she can- on her back, gliding across the ground. Bold statements, but she more than proves that she can back these up with this video and her confident, breezy rapping on "Work It." On first glance, the video doesn't seem to be anything particularly noteworthy, but in the context of hip hop videos of today (like, for example, the sordid other nominees in this category) it's a complete breath of fresh air. Like Eminem and Outkast, Missy shows that all hip hop videos don't have to be as "cool" as Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'" or Juvenile's "Back That Thang Up," with their numerous scantily-clad women, Cristal drinking and so much bling the viewer is nearly blinded- they can be silly, jokey and have a good time without resorting to sex. "Work It" doesn't take itself too seriously and that's why it's so brilliant (and one of the best choices MTV has ever made for their top prize).
(Watch here)
The Rest (in order):
Johnny Cash "Hurt" # # # # #
Directed by Mark Romanek
It was a nearly impossible task to choose between Missy and Johnny Cash, since both videos suited their respective songs in completely different ways. Missy won out, but Cash's "Hurt" is nothing to be poo-pooed on. In these four short minutes, I feel like I understand Cash better than from the two hours I spent Walk the Line. Combining images of Cash today with random stock footage from Cash's past produces a chilling effect that obviously inspired the brilliant finale to La Vie en Rose. We get the sense of this is what he was and this is what he's become: has he made the right choices and should we be applauding this man? The editing of the video is gorgeous, with the images building up next to the loud pounding of the piano and then slowing down when he goes back into the verse. It's done with such taste and a mastery of technique that it never feels like an overload, just an intricate symphony of images. No matter how you look at it, "Hurt" is a touching swan song for the immortal "Man in Black." The nomination for Cash is a complete surprise, a welcome throwback to the early days of the VMA's when MTV went for Herbie Hancock and Godley & Creme over the sillier teenie bopper and hair metal stuff, and proof that MTV still has a couple of surprises in their hat.
(Watch here)
Justin Timberlake "Cry Me a River" # # # # #
Directed by Francis Lawrence
The saying "Revenge is a dish best served cold," opens up both Kill Bill movies, but I think it also applies to Justin Timberlake's solo breakthrough song and video. Obviously aimed at Timberlake's ex at the time, Britney Spears, both the song and the video take potshot after potshot at her, deriding her for her infidelity and claiming that she was never "there" for JT while he was as attentive as could be. No one will ever know what really happened there, but the revenge JT gets in the "Cry Me a River" video is proof enough that something happened that really set him off. The ups and downs JT rides throughout the video is mesmerizing. At first, he seems emotionally detached from the whole situation and wholly intent on making her pay. No emotions show on his face when he throws that stone into the glass doors and enters the house. Later, when he's making out with the random chick on his ex's bed, nothing seems more important than this "fuck you" factor he's going for; he's not even paying attention to the girl, he's staring straight into the camera, right through to his ex. When his ex comes back and JT follows her throughout the house, smelling her hair and reaching out to touch her, he wants to reconnect, remembering how good things used to be, and it's incredibly hard for him to resist this natural impulse. Before he give in though, he leaves with the image of him making out with the random chick on a loop- the final nail in the coffin of their relationship. "Cry Me a River" is so textured and gorgeous that the only reason it's not rated a complete 5 out of 5 is for that awkward middle section between the break-in and the make out; what exactly is the point of the weird, special effects dancing that takes place during this 30 seconds? It screams filler to me and makes me wish that Francis Lawrence had done something a little more imaginative to fill in this time.
(Watch here)
Eminem "Lose Yourself" # # # # #
Directed by Phillip Atwell, Paul Rosenburg and Eminem
There's no doubt in my mind concerning the brilliance of "Lose Yourself" the song: along with Missy's "Work It" and Outkast's "Ms. Jackson," it's the most brilliant rap/hip hop song of the decade. But we're talking videos here and the video for "Lose Yourself" is the antithesis of all of Eminem's earlier videos (no matter how dated they look now). This video is sluggish, trite and nearly unwatchable. Basically, "Lose Yourself" is nearly 80% clips from 8 Mile with a couple of awkward shots with Eminem rapping directly into the camera and a strange shot of Eminem returning home to Hailey (I presume that's her anyways) that fits only one line in the song. I will give the video that the clips of Eminem throwing up into the toilet from 8 Mile are appropriately placed in context with the song and, when Eminem raps about Mekhi Pfeiffer, there's a shot of Mekhi Pfeiffer to get the message across. Other than that, there's absolutely nothing innovative about this video that warranted a Best Video nomination (his fourth of five consecutive nominations) other than the fact that the song is amazingly epic (and amazingly important).
(Watch here)
50 Cent "In Da Club" # # # # #
Directed by Phillip Atwell
The video for 50 Cent's breakthrough song "In Da Club" thinks it's saying something positive about Fiddy's ascension to fame, by training him, so to speak, for his eminent superstardom, but it actually comes across as quite the opposite. The training sequences suggest to me that any talentless hack can be sent to Eminem's "boot camp" and, in just a few lessons and cardio sessions, become a top rapper. As if this sequence isn't misguided enough, the rest of video is consists of Fiddy, quite literally, in da club doing all of the horrible rap video cliches that I praised Missy Elliott for avoiding in "Work It." I understand MTV's inclination to nominate this newcomer who seemingly came out of nowhere with this massive hit (and it's actually not that bad of a song, just nowhere near as impressive or groundbreaking as we thought in 2003), but that doesn't mean Fiddy deserved to be anywhere this shortlist.
(Watch here)
Overall: You have to give props to the nominating committee for some of their ballsy choices: a country legend's beautiful swan song, a former boybander stalking his ex-girlfriend and a female rapper (I know, this shouldn't be so shocking, but they hadn't even nominated Missy before). The work from these three is so genius that I'm tempted to forgive them for lazily nominating Eminem yet again and Fiddy for a throwaway of a rap video, cliched even by the genre's standards. I'm really surprised that the most critically acclaimed video of the year- Christina Aguilera's haunting "Beautiful"- not only didn't land a nomination here, but also lost out on nominations across the board to the fun, but less interesting, "Dirrty." Too much controversy, maybe? And since MTV was in such a funky, free-loving mood with their nominees, I'm equally surprised that they didn't go with Coldplay's Memento-like "The Scientist," with it's impressive special effects and headscratching narrative that goes in reverse.
The Best of the Nominees:
Missy Elliott "Work It" # # # # #
Directed by Missy Elliott and Dave Meyers
To those of us who enjoy hip hop music but hate most of the nameless, overworked crap that's being released everyday (and, somehow, burning up the Top 40 charts), the return of Missy Elliott every year or two is often considered on par with the resurrection of Jesus. Not only is her music hot, but her music videos are often on the cutting edge and always offer something that we haven't seen before. Atoning for missing not only "Get Ur Freak On," but also "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" and "One Minute Man," MTV handed their Best Video prize to "Work It," her most interesting and out-there video we've seen from her yet. The video begins with the image of hundreds of flies covering Missy and the turntable next to her, possibly suggesting the decay of the old Missy and the start of something new from her (coincidentally, she had just lost a bunch of weight before this video). This is contrasted with a shot of a deserted, decaying playground (the hip hop landscape without Missy, perhaps?) and Missy entering in the only way she can- on her back, gliding across the ground. Bold statements, but she more than proves that she can back these up with this video and her confident, breezy rapping on "Work It." On first glance, the video doesn't seem to be anything particularly noteworthy, but in the context of hip hop videos of today (like, for example, the sordid other nominees in this category) it's a complete breath of fresh air. Like Eminem and Outkast, Missy shows that all hip hop videos don't have to be as "cool" as Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'" or Juvenile's "Back That Thang Up," with their numerous scantily-clad women, Cristal drinking and so much bling the viewer is nearly blinded- they can be silly, jokey and have a good time without resorting to sex. "Work It" doesn't take itself too seriously and that's why it's so brilliant (and one of the best choices MTV has ever made for their top prize).
(Watch here)
The Rest (in order):
Johnny Cash "Hurt" # # # # #
Directed by Mark Romanek
It was a nearly impossible task to choose between Missy and Johnny Cash, since both videos suited their respective songs in completely different ways. Missy won out, but Cash's "Hurt" is nothing to be poo-pooed on. In these four short minutes, I feel like I understand Cash better than from the two hours I spent Walk the Line. Combining images of Cash today with random stock footage from Cash's past produces a chilling effect that obviously inspired the brilliant finale to La Vie en Rose. We get the sense of this is what he was and this is what he's become: has he made the right choices and should we be applauding this man? The editing of the video is gorgeous, with the images building up next to the loud pounding of the piano and then slowing down when he goes back into the verse. It's done with such taste and a mastery of technique that it never feels like an overload, just an intricate symphony of images. No matter how you look at it, "Hurt" is a touching swan song for the immortal "Man in Black." The nomination for Cash is a complete surprise, a welcome throwback to the early days of the VMA's when MTV went for Herbie Hancock and Godley & Creme over the sillier teenie bopper and hair metal stuff, and proof that MTV still has a couple of surprises in their hat.
(Watch here)
Justin Timberlake "Cry Me a River" # # # # #
Directed by Francis Lawrence
The saying "Revenge is a dish best served cold," opens up both Kill Bill movies, but I think it also applies to Justin Timberlake's solo breakthrough song and video. Obviously aimed at Timberlake's ex at the time, Britney Spears, both the song and the video take potshot after potshot at her, deriding her for her infidelity and claiming that she was never "there" for JT while he was as attentive as could be. No one will ever know what really happened there, but the revenge JT gets in the "Cry Me a River" video is proof enough that something happened that really set him off. The ups and downs JT rides throughout the video is mesmerizing. At first, he seems emotionally detached from the whole situation and wholly intent on making her pay. No emotions show on his face when he throws that stone into the glass doors and enters the house. Later, when he's making out with the random chick on his ex's bed, nothing seems more important than this "fuck you" factor he's going for; he's not even paying attention to the girl, he's staring straight into the camera, right through to his ex. When his ex comes back and JT follows her throughout the house, smelling her hair and reaching out to touch her, he wants to reconnect, remembering how good things used to be, and it's incredibly hard for him to resist this natural impulse. Before he give in though, he leaves with the image of him making out with the random chick on a loop- the final nail in the coffin of their relationship. "Cry Me a River" is so textured and gorgeous that the only reason it's not rated a complete 5 out of 5 is for that awkward middle section between the break-in and the make out; what exactly is the point of the weird, special effects dancing that takes place during this 30 seconds? It screams filler to me and makes me wish that Francis Lawrence had done something a little more imaginative to fill in this time.
(Watch here)
Eminem "Lose Yourself" # # # # #
Directed by Phillip Atwell, Paul Rosenburg and Eminem
There's no doubt in my mind concerning the brilliance of "Lose Yourself" the song: along with Missy's "Work It" and Outkast's "Ms. Jackson," it's the most brilliant rap/hip hop song of the decade. But we're talking videos here and the video for "Lose Yourself" is the antithesis of all of Eminem's earlier videos (no matter how dated they look now). This video is sluggish, trite and nearly unwatchable. Basically, "Lose Yourself" is nearly 80% clips from 8 Mile with a couple of awkward shots with Eminem rapping directly into the camera and a strange shot of Eminem returning home to Hailey (I presume that's her anyways) that fits only one line in the song. I will give the video that the clips of Eminem throwing up into the toilet from 8 Mile are appropriately placed in context with the song and, when Eminem raps about Mekhi Pfeiffer, there's a shot of Mekhi Pfeiffer to get the message across. Other than that, there's absolutely nothing innovative about this video that warranted a Best Video nomination (his fourth of five consecutive nominations) other than the fact that the song is amazingly epic (and amazingly important).
(Watch here)
50 Cent "In Da Club" # # # # #
Directed by Phillip Atwell
The video for 50 Cent's breakthrough song "In Da Club" thinks it's saying something positive about Fiddy's ascension to fame, by training him, so to speak, for his eminent superstardom, but it actually comes across as quite the opposite. The training sequences suggest to me that any talentless hack can be sent to Eminem's "boot camp" and, in just a few lessons and cardio sessions, become a top rapper. As if this sequence isn't misguided enough, the rest of video is consists of Fiddy, quite literally, in da club doing all of the horrible rap video cliches that I praised Missy Elliott for avoiding in "Work It." I understand MTV's inclination to nominate this newcomer who seemingly came out of nowhere with this massive hit (and it's actually not that bad of a song, just nowhere near as impressive or groundbreaking as we thought in 2003), but that doesn't mean Fiddy deserved to be anywhere this shortlist.
(Watch here)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
VMA Video of the Year Rundown: 1999
My new series in which I go through the nominees for the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year in each and every year. Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments!
Overall: The reason I chose this year as my next episode in the series is because 1999 is probably the most important year in my development as both a music lover and a pre-teen. 1999 was the first year I started getting really hooked on MTV through the burgeoning beacon of early 2000's teenagedom known as TRL and you can see that influence start to trickle in on the VMA's through the nominations of Korn and the Backstreet Boys. I remember most of these videos from their first run on the channel and it was quite interesting to look back and see how well they held up in time. I must say that my memory was all over the place with this one: Korn and Ricky Martin's respective videos fared slightly worse, BSB and Lauryn Hill were about the same and Will Smith's was actually better than I remembered. Overall, I must say that 1999 was one weak-ass year. Except for the winner Lauryn Hill and possibly Korn, the rest of the videos are quite disposable. Even if on the whole the year was quite mediocre, what were the nominators smoking not to nominate Britney Spears' widely discussed and publicized debut video "...Baby One More Time" (which actually looks better as time passes with that beautiful choreography) or either of TLC's eligible videos from the year: the best song of the year (then and now) "No Scrubs" and the better video "Unpretty" (which scarred me for life with the image of the silicon boob popping out on that plate in the hospital scene).
The Best of the Nominees:
Lauryn Hill "Doo Wop (That Thing)" # # # # #
Directed by Big TV! (Andy Delaney and Monty Whitbloom)
The fact that MTV went for Hill over the special effects heavy "Freak on a Leash" or the inexplicably popular "I Want It That Way" probably has more to do with MTV trying to look respectable after her recent Grammy wins than because they felt it was truly the best music video of the year. Nevertheless, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" remains the freshest video nearly a decade later and the only nominee in this weak ass year that actually adds something to the song. By using a split screen and showing Lauryn Hill singing the same song in two very different time periods (the 60's and "modern" day), I think it's trying to reflect on both the duplicity of both the song and the singer herself. "Doo Wop" borrows from 60's soul and combines it with modern hip-hop to astonishing results with Hill proving yet again that she has the chops to carry off each genre without a hitch; the video does nothing more than exploit this heavily potent combination and does it absolutely beautifully.
(Watch here)
The Rest (in order):
Korn "Freak on a Leash" # # # # #
Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Davis
Back in the day, I actually thought this was an interesting video, even if the music genre was way out of my taste range (then and now). When I decided to do 1999 as my next installment of this series, I was positive that this would be the video of the year, the one that just completely blows everything else out of the water. But then I watched the video again for the first time in many years and I would be lying if I didn't say I was a tad bit disappointed. Individually, all the elements of "Freak on a Leash" are wonderous: the animated opening is visually compelling, using its crude animating style to highlight Korn's crude style of music and the magic bullet special effects are extremely well-made. Together, however, it becomes just one big mish-mash of visuals that leaving me feeling rather meh. Not nearly as yawnworthy as many of the nominees in all of the categories, but not exactly the masterpiece I remembered from years ago.
(Watch here)
Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee "Wild Wild West" # # # # #
Directed by Paul Hunter
The scope of "Wild Wild West" is nothing to shake a stick at and I wish that more music videos would try to integrate a plot of some sort, no matter how silly or ludicrous, into the video. That being said, this video kind of cheats in that respect since it's basically using the sets and costumes from the movie it's based on and completely condensing the two hour movie into six minutes (which, I must say, basically erases any need to see that shitty movie...yowza, it's bad). Although there's no real sense of danger for Will Smith (or Salma Hayek, for that matter, although I myself would be paralyzed with fear if those tarantaluas were on me) and any video that has cameos from both Steve Wonder and Carlton is just completely shameless in its intents to rope an audience in, "Wild Wild West" is a completely fun time that, like the movie did so epically awful, is only meant to entertain you and that's fine.
(Watch here)
Ricky Martin "Livin' La Vida Loca" # # # # #
Directed by Wayne Isham
I can't exactly blame the VMA's for nominating Ricky Martin's English-language debut "Livin' La Vida Loca" because not only did it launch a Latin craze that brought us Enrique, Marc Anthony and a pre-J. Lo Jennifer Lopez but it also suckered me into thinking that this video was the real deal. As an 11 year old, I thought that this video was fun and carefree and the song, with its blazing brass, sultry delivery, unapologetic frankness about sex, was unlike anything I had ever heard before (I must say that I was quite sheltered in elementary school). Looking back now, the song is still pretty catchy and not quite as embarrassing as you'd expect, but that video is the complete epitome of cornball. There's not one stereotype about Latin music or Latin men in general that director Wayne Isham doesn't hit on: Is Ricky a good lover? Check. Is Ricky a bandleader a la Ricky Ricardo? Check. Is there a bunch of Latinos doing crazy salsa moves and looking quite slick? Check. Fine, if not respectable during its time, but lets just leave "Livin' La Vida Loca" in '99 and never mention it again, okay?
(Watch here)
Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way" # # # # #
Directed by Wayne Isham
Except for possibly "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and "Larger Than Life," it can be argued that the Backstreet Boys never really contributed anything substantial to the music video artform. Borrowing from the Take That "Back For Good"-style of standing around, doing generic "boy band" poses and a couple of small choreographed routines, the Backstreet Boys' videos were often throwaways that were only used to capitalize on the frenzy surrounding them on MTV (and, most importantly, TRL). I can see why the VMA's went for this back in 1999-- the song was an enormous success on the channel and the album it came from, Milennium, was the first album to sell one million copies in its first week-- but today it's just inexcusable that this complete waste of a video took one of the Video of the Year spots. In "I Want It That Way," the Boys literally stand around and do nothing for the entire 3 and a 1/2 minutes. There's a couple of poses and ten seconds of the lamest choreography, but mostly it's them standing in front of an airplane, standing in front of a crowd of rabid fans and walking along the airport terminal. And it doesn't even have the shamelessness of the rain sequence in "Quit Playing Games," the amazing pop song in "As Long As You Love Me" or the bright colors of "All I Have to Give" (sorry, that's the only positive I can come up for that video). "I Want It That Way" is a complete and utter waste of time that's so bad I can't believe someone actually got paid to think of this concept and direct this piece of trash.
(Watch here)
Overall: The reason I chose this year as my next episode in the series is because 1999 is probably the most important year in my development as both a music lover and a pre-teen. 1999 was the first year I started getting really hooked on MTV through the burgeoning beacon of early 2000's teenagedom known as TRL and you can see that influence start to trickle in on the VMA's through the nominations of Korn and the Backstreet Boys. I remember most of these videos from their first run on the channel and it was quite interesting to look back and see how well they held up in time. I must say that my memory was all over the place with this one: Korn and Ricky Martin's respective videos fared slightly worse, BSB and Lauryn Hill were about the same and Will Smith's was actually better than I remembered. Overall, I must say that 1999 was one weak-ass year. Except for the winner Lauryn Hill and possibly Korn, the rest of the videos are quite disposable. Even if on the whole the year was quite mediocre, what were the nominators smoking not to nominate Britney Spears' widely discussed and publicized debut video "...Baby One More Time" (which actually looks better as time passes with that beautiful choreography) or either of TLC's eligible videos from the year: the best song of the year (then and now) "No Scrubs" and the better video "Unpretty" (which scarred me for life with the image of the silicon boob popping out on that plate in the hospital scene).
The Best of the Nominees:
Lauryn Hill "Doo Wop (That Thing)" # # # # #
Directed by Big TV! (Andy Delaney and Monty Whitbloom)
The fact that MTV went for Hill over the special effects heavy "Freak on a Leash" or the inexplicably popular "I Want It That Way" probably has more to do with MTV trying to look respectable after her recent Grammy wins than because they felt it was truly the best music video of the year. Nevertheless, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" remains the freshest video nearly a decade later and the only nominee in this weak ass year that actually adds something to the song. By using a split screen and showing Lauryn Hill singing the same song in two very different time periods (the 60's and "modern" day), I think it's trying to reflect on both the duplicity of both the song and the singer herself. "Doo Wop" borrows from 60's soul and combines it with modern hip-hop to astonishing results with Hill proving yet again that she has the chops to carry off each genre without a hitch; the video does nothing more than exploit this heavily potent combination and does it absolutely beautifully.
(Watch here)
The Rest (in order):
Korn "Freak on a Leash" # # # # #
Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Davis
Back in the day, I actually thought this was an interesting video, even if the music genre was way out of my taste range (then and now). When I decided to do 1999 as my next installment of this series, I was positive that this would be the video of the year, the one that just completely blows everything else out of the water. But then I watched the video again for the first time in many years and I would be lying if I didn't say I was a tad bit disappointed. Individually, all the elements of "Freak on a Leash" are wonderous: the animated opening is visually compelling, using its crude animating style to highlight Korn's crude style of music and the magic bullet special effects are extremely well-made. Together, however, it becomes just one big mish-mash of visuals that leaving me feeling rather meh. Not nearly as yawnworthy as many of the nominees in all of the categories, but not exactly the masterpiece I remembered from years ago.
(Watch here)
Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee "Wild Wild West" # # # # #
Directed by Paul Hunter
The scope of "Wild Wild West" is nothing to shake a stick at and I wish that more music videos would try to integrate a plot of some sort, no matter how silly or ludicrous, into the video. That being said, this video kind of cheats in that respect since it's basically using the sets and costumes from the movie it's based on and completely condensing the two hour movie into six minutes (which, I must say, basically erases any need to see that shitty movie...yowza, it's bad). Although there's no real sense of danger for Will Smith (or Salma Hayek, for that matter, although I myself would be paralyzed with fear if those tarantaluas were on me) and any video that has cameos from both Steve Wonder and Carlton is just completely shameless in its intents to rope an audience in, "Wild Wild West" is a completely fun time that, like the movie did so epically awful, is only meant to entertain you and that's fine.
(Watch here)
Ricky Martin "Livin' La Vida Loca" # # # # #
Directed by Wayne Isham
I can't exactly blame the VMA's for nominating Ricky Martin's English-language debut "Livin' La Vida Loca" because not only did it launch a Latin craze that brought us Enrique, Marc Anthony and a pre-J. Lo Jennifer Lopez but it also suckered me into thinking that this video was the real deal. As an 11 year old, I thought that this video was fun and carefree and the song, with its blazing brass, sultry delivery, unapologetic frankness about sex, was unlike anything I had ever heard before (I must say that I was quite sheltered in elementary school). Looking back now, the song is still pretty catchy and not quite as embarrassing as you'd expect, but that video is the complete epitome of cornball. There's not one stereotype about Latin music or Latin men in general that director Wayne Isham doesn't hit on: Is Ricky a good lover? Check. Is Ricky a bandleader a la Ricky Ricardo? Check. Is there a bunch of Latinos doing crazy salsa moves and looking quite slick? Check. Fine, if not respectable during its time, but lets just leave "Livin' La Vida Loca" in '99 and never mention it again, okay?
(Watch here)
Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way" # # # # #
Directed by Wayne Isham
Except for possibly "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and "Larger Than Life," it can be argued that the Backstreet Boys never really contributed anything substantial to the music video artform. Borrowing from the Take That "Back For Good"-style of standing around, doing generic "boy band" poses and a couple of small choreographed routines, the Backstreet Boys' videos were often throwaways that were only used to capitalize on the frenzy surrounding them on MTV (and, most importantly, TRL). I can see why the VMA's went for this back in 1999-- the song was an enormous success on the channel and the album it came from, Milennium, was the first album to sell one million copies in its first week-- but today it's just inexcusable that this complete waste of a video took one of the Video of the Year spots. In "I Want It That Way," the Boys literally stand around and do nothing for the entire 3 and a 1/2 minutes. There's a couple of poses and ten seconds of the lamest choreography, but mostly it's them standing in front of an airplane, standing in front of a crowd of rabid fans and walking along the airport terminal. And it doesn't even have the shamelessness of the rain sequence in "Quit Playing Games," the amazing pop song in "As Long As You Love Me" or the bright colors of "All I Have to Give" (sorry, that's the only positive I can come up for that video). "I Want It That Way" is a complete and utter waste of time that's so bad I can't believe someone actually got paid to think of this concept and direct this piece of trash.
(Watch here)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
VMA Video of the Year Rundown: 1984
My new series in which I go through the nominees for the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year in each and every year. Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments!
Overall: Generally, with the first year of any awards show, the nominators try to pick nominees that will make a statement and pave the way for future ceremonies. From the five nominees here, you can see the VMA going for the types it will love the most in future years: the innovator ("Rockit"), the epic ("Thriller"), the comic relief ("You Might Think"), the deadly serious ("Every Breath You Take") and the bouncy breakthrough ("Girls Just Want to Have Fun"). My only source of puzzlement is the choice of winner; "You Might Think" is decent enough and would be an acceptable winner in most other years, but not in a year with both "Rockit" and "Thriller." If you need an Oscar equivalent, the win for The Cars would be the same as if the slightly above-average Dark Victory had beaten both Gone With the Wind and Stagecoach in 1939.
The Best of the Nominees:
Herbie Hancock "Rockit" # # # # #
Directed by Godley & Creme
One of the many great things about the early days of MTV is that, through interesting and innovative music videos that they chose to show, they brought attention to songs that their teenage audience never would have sought on their own and actually made them cool. Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" is one of those videos and, somewhat surprisingly, its still an exciting and visionary video that shames many modern videos' lack of originality. "Rockit" is disturbing and scary in the same way that Metropolis' way too ahead of its time vision of a futuristic utopia gone wrong creeps me out but it also manages to effectively combine the surrealism and commercialis of the early scenes of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The success of this video and its nomination here was visual proof that in such a short time, the music video was starting to bloom into something more mature than ever thought possible.
(Watch here)
The Rest (in order):
Michael Jackson "Thriller" # # # # #
Directed by John Landis
Is "Thriller" the greatest music video ever made? Three years ago, I probably would have enthusiastically said yes; now, I'm not so sure. I will give it that, along with "Rockit," "Thriller" pushed the music video forward ten years and made it acceptable as an artform (much like The Birth of a Nation proved that movies could be more than Keystone Cops shorts). But what do you say about the music video in which the music comes in second to the story? There has to be some kind of balance, otherwise we're just watching an above average short film with a couple of musical breaks. I would argue that "Billie Jean," although smaller in scale, is the better video since it is both iconic (the dancing, the light up squares) and music-focused. Still, these are minor squibbles for such an innovative and technically superior video as "Thriller" was compared to most of its competition of the time- and that dance sequence looks just as fresh 24 years later as it did back then (even after the countless imitations we've been subjected to over the years).
(Watch here)
Cyndi Lauper "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" # # # # #
Directed by Edd Griles
I've gone back and forth on this video so many times that I'm not even sure what I think anymore. Technically, the video is nothing special and I suspect that even by 1984 standards people had seen this type of video more than once. What "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" has on its side is the one-woman show that is Cyndi Lauper and an infinite amount of personality. The early shot of Cyndi she-bopping along the street with her crazy red hair and bouncy dress is almost like a battle cry for Girl Power. Combined with Madonna's own emergence in the very same year, Lauper's achievement with both this video and the eventual nomination proved that the women of the MTV generation were ready to be heard. Interestingly enough, this was the only female Video of the Year nominee until Madonna's "Like a Prayer" in 1989 (and there wouldn't be a winner until a year after that with Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U").
(Watch here)
The Police "Every Breath You Take" # # # # #
Directed by Godley & Creme
I love the choice to shoot this music video in black and white and parts of the video-- most notably, the shot where Sting looks directly into the camera-- play really well into the creepy stalker aspects of the song (which most people probably didn't realize until they saw this video). Looking at it now, however, I just wish there was more to excited about. The clip is deceptively simple; the directors, Godley & Creme, are magicians at using the black and white cinematography to cover up the fact that absolutely nothing happens in this video. The most movement we get is the aforementioned turn towards the camera by Sting, which is actually kind of annoying since the switch between lights is a touch too obvious. "Every Breath You Take" is on its way to becoming a great video; it just needed a tad bit more thought about its intentions.
(Watch here)
The Cars "You Might Think" # # # # #
Directed by Alex Weil
It would be easy to make fun of the special effects in this video since, by 2008's standard, they are pretty laughable and too cartoonish to be taken seriously. I wasn't so much negatively affected by that (it was 1984 for Christ's sake- the computer as we know it was just starting to take form) as I was by the fact that, overall, the video is just kinda lame. The same one joke keeps getting repeated over and over again (Oh, look, Ric Ocasek just popped up in her tube of lipstick! Now, he's in her prom photo! That's hilarious!) and each time we're supposed to pretend like it's a whole new gag. And tell me I wasn't the only one who wanted to slap the girl in this video. I realize that the video is hokey by nature, but her reactions (or, should I say, overreactions) were mindless and completely took me out of the song and video. With a chance to honor two of the most important videos of the early 80's, it's so MTV to go with the one that probably felt outdated just a couple of years later.
(Watch here)
Overall: Generally, with the first year of any awards show, the nominators try to pick nominees that will make a statement and pave the way for future ceremonies. From the five nominees here, you can see the VMA going for the types it will love the most in future years: the innovator ("Rockit"), the epic ("Thriller"), the comic relief ("You Might Think"), the deadly serious ("Every Breath You Take") and the bouncy breakthrough ("Girls Just Want to Have Fun"). My only source of puzzlement is the choice of winner; "You Might Think" is decent enough and would be an acceptable winner in most other years, but not in a year with both "Rockit" and "Thriller." If you need an Oscar equivalent, the win for The Cars would be the same as if the slightly above-average Dark Victory had beaten both Gone With the Wind and Stagecoach in 1939.
The Best of the Nominees:
Herbie Hancock "Rockit" # # # # #
Directed by Godley & Creme
One of the many great things about the early days of MTV is that, through interesting and innovative music videos that they chose to show, they brought attention to songs that their teenage audience never would have sought on their own and actually made them cool. Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" is one of those videos and, somewhat surprisingly, its still an exciting and visionary video that shames many modern videos' lack of originality. "Rockit" is disturbing and scary in the same way that Metropolis' way too ahead of its time vision of a futuristic utopia gone wrong creeps me out but it also manages to effectively combine the surrealism and commercialis of the early scenes of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The success of this video and its nomination here was visual proof that in such a short time, the music video was starting to bloom into something more mature than ever thought possible.
(Watch here)
The Rest (in order):
Michael Jackson "Thriller" # # # # #
Directed by John Landis
Is "Thriller" the greatest music video ever made? Three years ago, I probably would have enthusiastically said yes; now, I'm not so sure. I will give it that, along with "Rockit," "Thriller" pushed the music video forward ten years and made it acceptable as an artform (much like The Birth of a Nation proved that movies could be more than Keystone Cops shorts). But what do you say about the music video in which the music comes in second to the story? There has to be some kind of balance, otherwise we're just watching an above average short film with a couple of musical breaks. I would argue that "Billie Jean," although smaller in scale, is the better video since it is both iconic (the dancing, the light up squares) and music-focused. Still, these are minor squibbles for such an innovative and technically superior video as "Thriller" was compared to most of its competition of the time- and that dance sequence looks just as fresh 24 years later as it did back then (even after the countless imitations we've been subjected to over the years).
(Watch here)
Cyndi Lauper "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" # # # # #
Directed by Edd Griles
I've gone back and forth on this video so many times that I'm not even sure what I think anymore. Technically, the video is nothing special and I suspect that even by 1984 standards people had seen this type of video more than once. What "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" has on its side is the one-woman show that is Cyndi Lauper and an infinite amount of personality. The early shot of Cyndi she-bopping along the street with her crazy red hair and bouncy dress is almost like a battle cry for Girl Power. Combined with Madonna's own emergence in the very same year, Lauper's achievement with both this video and the eventual nomination proved that the women of the MTV generation were ready to be heard. Interestingly enough, this was the only female Video of the Year nominee until Madonna's "Like a Prayer" in 1989 (and there wouldn't be a winner until a year after that with Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U").
(Watch here)
The Police "Every Breath You Take" # # # # #
Directed by Godley & Creme
I love the choice to shoot this music video in black and white and parts of the video-- most notably, the shot where Sting looks directly into the camera-- play really well into the creepy stalker aspects of the song (which most people probably didn't realize until they saw this video). Looking at it now, however, I just wish there was more to excited about. The clip is deceptively simple; the directors, Godley & Creme, are magicians at using the black and white cinematography to cover up the fact that absolutely nothing happens in this video. The most movement we get is the aforementioned turn towards the camera by Sting, which is actually kind of annoying since the switch between lights is a touch too obvious. "Every Breath You Take" is on its way to becoming a great video; it just needed a tad bit more thought about its intentions.
(Watch here)
The Cars "You Might Think" # # # # #
Directed by Alex Weil
It would be easy to make fun of the special effects in this video since, by 2008's standard, they are pretty laughable and too cartoonish to be taken seriously. I wasn't so much negatively affected by that (it was 1984 for Christ's sake- the computer as we know it was just starting to take form) as I was by the fact that, overall, the video is just kinda lame. The same one joke keeps getting repeated over and over again (Oh, look, Ric Ocasek just popped up in her tube of lipstick! Now, he's in her prom photo! That's hilarious!) and each time we're supposed to pretend like it's a whole new gag. And tell me I wasn't the only one who wanted to slap the girl in this video. I realize that the video is hokey by nature, but her reactions (or, should I say, overreactions) were mindless and completely took me out of the song and video. With a chance to honor two of the most important videos of the early 80's, it's so MTV to go with the one that probably felt outdated just a couple of years later.
(Watch here)
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