While searching for a video for the song, I found the Third Hour TV version. I've never heard of these kids before, but the video they made for this song is hilarious. It compliments the song well and even throws a few jabs of its own, but doesn't try to go too far out on a limb itself. I laughed through the whole thing, and even played it a couple more times.
The song: This song is about Doom. The main character has a voice implant that's a weapon. Walk without rhythm, and you won't attract the sandworms. Etc. The song is neat and rhythmic, but I wouldn't have fallen in love with it like I have.
The video: Thriller by Michael Jackson was important to the music industry and to music videos, but it's more like a movie novella than a music video. Weapon of Choice is an incredible video that has little to do with the song, but makes the song an incredible statement about travel and trying to break free from the monotony.
Christopher Walken plays "the business traveler". There is little more mind-numbing than business travel. You're flying to the same airport, driving the same rental car to the same hotel in the same business district, with the same fast food restaurants around you. It is practically impossible to keep it from feeling soul-crushing. Then the traveler starts dancing to the song.
Apparently, Spike Jonez and the film crew shut down an LA Marriott at 3AM to film this video, and it shows. Walken himself created much of the dance moves (he got a coreography credit), and he did practically every move in the video despite being about 57 (you can catch a stand-in on some of the roughest stunts).
And then he jumps off the balcony around 2:54. Jonez and Walken had to go to a wire harness company that specialized in green screen flying, and then they digitized the lobby of the hotel to stick Walken back into it. However, Walken really is bouncing from wall to wall in the green screen room at 2-3 stories up, and that sheer look of amazement and joy wasn't made up.
In the end, the traveller has to end the trip into the fantasy world, and return to his chair.
Walken loved doing this video so much that he considers it a highlight of his career, and tried to turn down his paycheck (his agent finally said "I need to get paid"...). Walken even went on the MTV Music Awards that year to accept the coreography award the video won.
No, not really, she actually hates it. This is one of my "creepy songs" that came about because I received the video free on iTunes. I thought the video is very artistic, and the song is neat too. Even if Wesley makes me turn it off if she's there to listen to it.
Prelude and First verse:The song starts with The Hero singing at the bar, flashing back to The Hero selling 3 of 4 gold coins to Mr Big (Mr. Big wants all 4). The Lady is walking around the bar, until she comes up to the Hero and whispers in his ear. Orbison's second verse: The camera is pointed out the window to the party in the street, then pulls back to a romantic moment in the bedroom, and steam dripping onto the dresser mirror.
a Petty's third verse: set up next verse
a Orbison's fourth verse: the Lady pulls a knife on The Hero and wants the fourth coin.
a Fifth verse: the Hero is back at the bar, drinking a whiskey. He tosses the fourth coin to the bartender ("to pay for the mess"), and drives his motorcycle off into the sunset.
Song Ending: The bartender goes up to The Hero's room. The door is shut, and the bloody knife is sticking out of the door.
Fade out to the Hero driving into the sunset.
The Video: One YouTube commenter hits the nail on the head: it's a 90s video that looks like an 80s video, pretending to be a 70s video. It is an incredible fusion of funk and techno to go along with the song. It also doesn't hurt any that Lady Miss Kerr has the Diana Rigg style catsuit thing going on....
The video: Someone tripped on acid while looking at an inkblot test. It's the only explanation.
The video takes images of Ceelo and Danger Mouse (the two people in Gnarls Barkley), as well as the anamorphic mouse character representing Danger Mouse, and mix them in with ink blot madness. It's the perfect mix of imagery to go with the song's message that living the way that his heros were is crazy.
The Video: The video for Red Solo Cup takes everything silly and stupid about the song, and puts it in video form. It's a cliche presentation of that one party in college that everyone says rocked, but no one quite remembers the details about. At least those of us over 30 don't have to worry about cell phone videos of our indiscressions....
Amazon Associates Links for Clancy's Tavern: MP3
The Video: An incredible video rescues a middle-shelf song. The video features Jason Priestley and Jennifer Connelly as the two lovers in the song. They picked two incredibly attractive, skilled actors who had an outstanding chemistry with each other. They sell a sensuous, romantic, sexy relationship while staying PG to PG-13.
The song: It's a 90s Rod Stewart pop song. I love singing along with The Temptations, and it's really nice. I like it enough for it to be in my list of favorites. Sometimes you stick with the music you grow up with....
The video: Now this is where it gets gonzo. The trend of mixing animation and live action was in full swing (Paula Abdul and MC Stray Cat, anyone?), and Rod both turned the knob to 11 and made fun of nearly everyone in the industry. He manages to make fun of Sinead O'Connor, Madonna, Vanilla Ice, and even makes a jab at Elton John's Eisenhower hat phase, all while keeping a catchy beat going.
It's not great, and I'm not even certain it's good, but it's certainly fun and an experience.
The Song: Rollin' and Tumblin' is a stable of Eric Clapton's blues songlist. It's a classic, and every time he comes to it, he makes it special. The MTV Unplugged version here is a great and fun rocker. Clapton and the band had run through the songs to record the first time, and several takes weren't that good (the audience was too loud, the band was too tight, etc.). The band and crew went on break, but Clapton stayed out. Supposedly the audience talked Clapton into starting another song, and he got the band back out to run through Rollin and Tumblin again, jam style. The recording crew (audio and visual) had to run to get back into position to record, and they actually missed the first little bit of the song (the record catches Clapton's "Did you get that?" at the end of the song).
Why the video is better: Mr. Tamborine Man.
Ray Cooper is a percussionist most famous for playing and touring with Elton John, but he has played with Eric Clapton quite often, and Clapton tapped him for the Unplugged sessions as well. As you watch the Rollin and Tumblin video progress, you can see Mr. Cooper get more and more energetic and flamboyant with his tamborine, until the audience catches him and starts cheering around 3:15. Clapton at first doesn't really notice, but around 3:40 Clapton sees it (you can hear the little "Cought you" when he stops playing the guitar).
It's not quite a tamborine solo, but it's the best tamborine feature I've ever seen.
BTW, I'm using DailyMotion here instead of YouTube because the video quality is a LOT better...
