THE RETURN - THE TOP TEN!!!!
Again, nothing to do with a music video. Seriously, why did I ever think Cameron Diaz was attractive???
This is it. The milestone. This is the best thing I’ve written and compiled for my blog, and I’m certainly proud of all the time I spent putting it together. The next trick is getting people to read it. So tell your friends about this witty guy who like to spread his gospel. Only not about God, but about the things that interest me. Not that God doesn’t interest me. I like him just fine. Usually.
Though most of these choices may appear to be obvious, you on the other hand are obviously not thinking hard enough. They’re obvious because they’re THE BEST. My top choice is simply undisputed. I would LOVE someone to argue otherwise. It’d make my fucking week. On the other hand, there’s five more fingers; some of these may be things you’ve not seen. You, sir or madame, have been denied greatness. The greatness that is...the top ten music videos of all time.
10. Fatboy Slim - Weapon Of Choice (2001)
dir. Spike Jonze
Walken - How’s YOUR...dancing skills? MINE...are the BEST. There’s just no...MOVES...like I do MOVES. Rich...fragrant...it’s terrific, really...and the SONG...it’s catchy. Did you SEE...me in sleepy HOLLOW. That was a real stinker.
That’s how I’d write dialogue for Christopher Walken if he were doing commentary for the video. Which I believe he does on Spike’s DVD, but I haven’t listened. Believe me, it’s a lot funnier if you go back and read it like he would. I’ll wait...
SEE???
I love Spike’s hotel lobby set here, his camera movement, his dark (yet not grim nor gothic) lighting, and his lovely use of wuxia flying. But it’s that weird Walken that sells the whole thing. He really is a fine dancer. Y’know what would be cool? If he could be in a good film again. Catch Me If You Can was, like, four years ago? Get with the program, Walken. Click ain’t cuttin’ it.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 2:14 - THIS move.
BONUS TIDBIT - Maybe Walken’s next good film will be next summer’s remake/Broadway musical adaptation of Hairspray.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs
9. Busta Rhymes - Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See (1997)
dir. Hype Williams
I love, love, LOVE this fucking video. I have since I was a much younger lad. Hype Williams is infatuated with black lights and what it does to certain colors. So you end up getting crazy voodoo men in a very African video. Elephants! Also included is a nod to John Landis’ excellent Coming To America, which the choreographed African dance is absolutely inspired by. This was the moment that Hype and Busta (who had collaborated on only one video prior) hit their stride. It contains the great elements of all future and past videos slammed up into one. Busta in costumes. The backwards tracking camera as Busta comes for you. The fish eye lens use. The freaky colors. The psycho-rap images. This was hip-hop at its very, very best.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 1:50 - Scary zulu warriors!!!!!!!!! Gah!!
BONUS TIDBIT - I got nothin’ this time. I can’t think of a single thing to say. Instead, enjoy Busta as a woman...
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmKhYK-ocNw
8. Fatboy Slim - Praise You (2001)
dir. Richard Couffey (aka. Spike Jonze)
You knew it had to be here. Spike’s faux director name was merely the beginning of this attempted ruse which ended up fooling many. That’s Spike as Richard Couffey, the leader of the Torrance community dance troupe. Was he on some kind of high after stealing the show in Three Kings? He’s fucking hilarious in there, and I’m sure he knew it. Whatever gave him the impulse to star in this, I thank him for it. He spazzes out and hams it up big time, and it's fucking funny. The song takes a very far backseat to the ridiculous event that you’re viewing, and I love that about it. Because the song isn’t anything special. It’s repetitive and mildly catchy. But when you hear the song now, you can’t help but think of the video. That’s a true sign of greatness. It’s still just as amusing as it was when MTV played the living fuck out of it back in 2001.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 2:24 - The cop turns it off...they turn it back on and finish. Just great.
BONUS TIDBIT - It’s worth tracking down (or buying Spike’s DVD) Spike’s behind the scenes mockumentary Torrance Rising that leads from rehearsal all the way to winning the award for best video at the MTV Music Awards, which is equally as funny, if not more so, than the video itself. It also makes the actual video shine in an even greater light. Seek it out.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULVQOneeZE
7. Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy (1997)
dir. Chris Cunningham
A living, breathing nightmare. This is not only the scariest video you’ll ever see, but it’s the scariest video you’ll ever WANT to see. It’s the perfect video for such a demented sounding tune. Cunningham cements himself here as the flashier David Lynch of music video/short film directing; things will not make sense, yet you don’t mind because you’re so invited visually. Two years before Windowlicker, and yet again Richard D. James’ face appears absolutely everywhere. Only this time NOT on sexy ladies. Earlier it was children. It is CREEPY to have little people with such menacing, happy faces painted on...vandalizing! And then just when you think that it hasn’t gotten strange enough, something hatches from a cocoon. It isn’t pretty. He also messes with a Max Hedrom-ish digital face, and a very gloomy London. I seriously disturbed people one year at a Halloween party by putting this on. You should do the same.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 4:21 - WAKE UP GRANDMA!!!! GRANDPA’S HAVING A STROKE!!!!! Every time this happens, I’m not sure whether to laugh or be terrified. I try to find a middle ground. Join me?
BONUS TIDBIT - Note that the cocoon-birthed goblin closely resembles that lanky alien/human hybrid from Alien Ressurection. Why? He designed both. Cunningham has been working on some mystery film for the past six years. Rumor has it that my dream has come true and he’s crafting the horror/cyberpunk adaptation Neuromancer from William Gibson. Others seem to believe that the project is officially dead, along with every other film Cunningham has been attached to helm. Time will tell. Just imagine THESE bastards in Silent Hill...
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cFlaWxWDhI
6. Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Out) (1996)
dir. Johnathon Glazer
This might belong higher. Seeing this for the first time is like witnessing human birth. Yet not as disgusting. More of just that beautiful part. A mix of slow motion imagery with normal speed portions, set in a trailer park. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, although many have tried to emulate what was done here. Every black and white shot here is perfectly lit, shot with elegance, and edited together...well, just divinely. One of my favorite songs of all time, too. No matter what anybody says, Radiohead was just as interesting doing their alternative rock as they are doing their experimental material now, especially going back to listen to it after you’ve heard what they’ve become. No other band has metamorphosed like this before, and this is a timeless portrait landmark of 90s alternative music, sonic wise and visually.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 1:42 - One of the prettiest things I’ve ever seen.
BONUS TIDBIT - Glazer has directed two films -- the awesome Sexy Beast, and the strange Birth. He currently has nothing in completed yet, a few projects in the works, but he did do a video for Massive Attack earlier this year for "Live With Me," which can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LgrGHWSy6k .
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrZTNhW44-o
5. Junior Senior - Move Your Feet (2002)
dir. Shynola
Can I say this is THE dance song of 2002? Was this the same year as Timberlake? Fuck it, this IS the dance song of 2002! A duo from Sweden comprised of a big straight guy and a little gay guy! Why on earth didn’t this just EXPLODE when it came out??? I do remember seeing the video get some play on one of the MTV channels quite frequently, and it’s one of those videos that you have to tell people about. The brilliance of putting the low key beat to 8-bit Nintendo-like graphics is off the charts! God, this is one of the catchiest tunes I’ve ever heard!
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 2:35 - In a drunk haze, things get very phallic. Animated money shot!!!!
BONUS TIDBIT - Their second album, "Hey Hey My My Yo Yo," has yet to see a release in the US. I’ve not heard it, so I’ve got no comment on that. I’m searching for it now. Uh, legally...of course...WOW...it's excellent!
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F07YUCCLdYo
4. The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up (1997)
dir. Jonas Akerlund
This thing aired once on MTV, after midnight. To my knowledge, it has only aired again during their most controversial video countdown. It is, far and away, the darkest and most vulgar four minutes you will ever spend watching a music video. Screw any slide-a-credit-card-down-an-ass-crack or riding-a-car-around-and-causing-chaos thing anyone will have you believe is scandalous. THIS is scandalous. And that surprise ending is just as twisty as any mystery film you can find. No matter how many movies use this song as a fight scene tempo setter or a club mood setter, I think of this. And it makes me sick and happy at the same time. Just like the song.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - Are you kidding me? What else could it possibly be?
BONUS TIDBIT - This didn’t make the top spot in MTV’s countdown, surprisingly enough. That honor went to Bjork’s "Pagan Poetry." Look for that in the honorable mentions post.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oYJfcZeB9c
3. Tupac feat. Dr.Dre - California Love (1996)
dir. Hype Williams
This post-apocalyptic ode to The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome was a benchmark in my development. It was the first time I discovered "the rap video," and it was the first rap song I truly loved. Beautiful, black women, partyin’, George Clinton, low ridin’ with the gangsta lean, and they’ve all never been topped. The production values for the mid-90s are absolutely incredible.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 5:00 - Let’s ride, y’all!
BONUS TIDBIT - Tupac is dead, people. They’re somehow taking his words from other songs and painstakingly, digitally meshing them together through a coalition of the best underground rap artists and the cheapest technical labor possible, to create entirely new rhymes and songs. Either that, or they’re recycling verses from songs and nobody’s figured it out yet. I mean, really...with that many songs, would you REALLY know? That’s my conspiracy theory. Who shot him? The ghost of JFK. Clap clap, homie! The best Kennedy joke? Ask not what your country can do for you, but what...OH GOD, MY BRAINS! Kidding, of course. Oprah killed him. Bitch hates rap.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWOsbGP5Ox4
2. Portishead - Only You (1998)
dir. Chris Cunningham
One last Cunningham. This is easily his lightest fare, even though the song may be a bit creepy. That’s Portishead for you, though; they walk a fine line between gorgeous and haunting. This video wins so many points with me for being so technically dazzling. He filmed people in water obviously, and digitally put them in a dark alley. But there’s not a single bubble. There’s nothing that ruins the magic one bit. The editing to the beat scratching is just...fantastic. It’s also the coolest lighting you will ever see in any video. I can’t think of anything better. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 2:33 - The floating scarf is my favorite bit.
BONUS TIDBIT - Portishead will have a new album out next year. Sometime. It will be their first since 1997. It’s my most anticipated album of 2007. Check out this sweet single cover for this song:
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWsPJPEXJJw
It was simply far too tough for me to pick between my two very favorites to decide who is the victor. Some would call it a cop out, but I argue that it's impossible to decide between these two. I think you'll agree once you see them. Both are extremely different videos that bring up vastly differed feelings, and both for two very different types of artist. And so...the top pick(s):
1. Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
dir. John Landis
How could it possibly be anything different? After seeing John Landis’ classic horror-comedy An American Werewolf In London, Jackson immediately contacted Landis to see if he would be interested in filming a clip for his creepy dance song. Landis agreed, and what came from the collaboration was the birth of dance video choreography (by Jackson and Michael Peters). Landis took his own film as inspiration, along with George A. Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead to create something original. Nobody had ever seen anything like this, and it will never be topped. Never. Not in any lifetime. Everybody’s in perfect synch, and everyone can dance almost as well as Michael can. They enlisted wizard Rick Baker, hot off of mind-blowing effects work from Werewolf In London and David Chronenberg’s Videodrome, to handle the makeup and creature duties. He came up with a transformation scene that was a trimmed version of what was done with Werewolf In London, which is to this day the best werewolf sequence of all time. Jackson endured excruciating, primitive contact technology to give him those hollow zombie eyes, and the creepy yellow eyes (the same thing Kiefer Sutherland had to deal with during The Lost Boys) and a long sit in the make-up chair every day. The result is simply magical. Would the song even be as memorable without this video to back in up? Would we even remember the song today? I’m not knocking the song at all, it’s a terrific record. I just believe that this video is the most important music video of all time. It proved that it wasn’t just an excuse to show your band playing. It wasn’t just a promotional tool. It’s a short film musical. 13 minutes of perfection.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 1:48 - Michael’s dialogue about being different has an...odd interpretation today.
Have you checked the children?
BONUS TIDBIT - This is the only instance I’m aware of where the video aired in movie theaters before it aired on MTV. Speaking of MTV, this actually lost out on video of the year to The Cars’ "You Might Think." Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either. Of course this was the same year that they awarded David Bowie’s "China Girl," which is possibly Bowie’s worst tune, and easily his worst video, so perhaps they were doing a little too much nose candy. Landis also directed the awesome dance sequence from Coming To America, as I mentioned earlier. Classic movie, too.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4-IlviV8Ao
Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?
AND...
1. Johnny Cash - Hurt (2002)
dir. Mark Romanek
I well up if I sit down and watch this. The song hurts enough to listen to, and the video seals the deal. It’s a beautiful portrait of a tortured, weathered musical genius in his final moments. It’s shot and edited together in immaculate fashion, with Cash performing at his museum -- reminiscing, crying – and filled with shots from the video archives. No other video has ever touched me emotionally. Simply beautiful. Sad, haunting, and moving. Romanek easily made the perfect music video.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - The whole fucking thing. The final montage at 3:05 always gives me that nose burn. And by that final shot, the closing of the piano, and a goodbye to everyone, I lose it.
BONUS TIDBIT - Cash’s final on screen appearance before his death last year. Trent Reznor and Rage Against The Machine's Zach DeLa Rocha were recording tracks for Zach's solo debut, and they were the first people Mark sent the video too. They both cried.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO9dbmJ_2zU
Much thanks go to Google image search, Youtube’s extensive library, IMDB, and MVDBASE.com for all of the production detail on these videos. And thanks to YOU for reading. Be sure to come back, I’ve got lots more in store. And be sure to leave comments as to what I obviously forgot, and what I shouldn’t have included that made the cut. Opinions are like berries, they taste good. Is that how that goes?
-M
Again, nothing to do with a music video. Seriously, why did I ever think Cameron Diaz was attractive???
This is it. The milestone. This is the best thing I’ve written and compiled for my blog, and I’m certainly proud of all the time I spent putting it together. The next trick is getting people to read it. So tell your friends about this witty guy who like to spread his gospel. Only not about God, but about the things that interest me. Not that God doesn’t interest me. I like him just fine. Usually.
Though most of these choices may appear to be obvious, you on the other hand are obviously not thinking hard enough. They’re obvious because they’re THE BEST. My top choice is simply undisputed. I would LOVE someone to argue otherwise. It’d make my fucking week. On the other hand, there’s five more fingers; some of these may be things you’ve not seen. You, sir or madame, have been denied greatness. The greatness that is...the top ten music videos of all time.
10. Fatboy Slim - Weapon Of Choice (2001)
dir. Spike Jonze
Walken - How’s YOUR...dancing skills? MINE...are the BEST. There’s just no...MOVES...like I do MOVES. Rich...fragrant...it’s terrific, really...and the SONG...it’s catchy. Did you SEE...me in sleepy HOLLOW. That was a real stinker.
That’s how I’d write dialogue for Christopher Walken if he were doing commentary for the video. Which I believe he does on Spike’s DVD, but I haven’t listened. Believe me, it’s a lot funnier if you go back and read it like he would. I’ll wait...
SEE???
I love Spike’s hotel lobby set here, his camera movement, his dark (yet not grim nor gothic) lighting, and his lovely use of wuxia flying. But it’s that weird Walken that sells the whole thing. He really is a fine dancer. Y’know what would be cool? If he could be in a good film again. Catch Me If You Can was, like, four years ago? Get with the program, Walken. Click ain’t cuttin’ it.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 2:14 - THIS move.
BONUS TIDBIT - Maybe Walken’s next good film will be next summer’s remake/Broadway musical adaptation of Hairspray.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs
9. Busta Rhymes - Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See (1997)
dir. Hype Williams
I love, love, LOVE this fucking video. I have since I was a much younger lad. Hype Williams is infatuated with black lights and what it does to certain colors. So you end up getting crazy voodoo men in a very African video. Elephants! Also included is a nod to John Landis’ excellent Coming To America, which the choreographed African dance is absolutely inspired by. This was the moment that Hype and Busta (who had collaborated on only one video prior) hit their stride. It contains the great elements of all future and past videos slammed up into one. Busta in costumes. The backwards tracking camera as Busta comes for you. The fish eye lens use. The freaky colors. The psycho-rap images. This was hip-hop at its very, very best.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 1:50 - Scary zulu warriors!!!!!!!!! Gah!!
BONUS TIDBIT - I got nothin’ this time. I can’t think of a single thing to say. Instead, enjoy Busta as a woman...
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmKhYK-ocNw
8. Fatboy Slim - Praise You (2001)
dir. Richard Couffey (aka. Spike Jonze)
You knew it had to be here. Spike’s faux director name was merely the beginning of this attempted ruse which ended up fooling many. That’s Spike as Richard Couffey, the leader of the Torrance community dance troupe. Was he on some kind of high after stealing the show in Three Kings? He’s fucking hilarious in there, and I’m sure he knew it. Whatever gave him the impulse to star in this, I thank him for it. He spazzes out and hams it up big time, and it's fucking funny. The song takes a very far backseat to the ridiculous event that you’re viewing, and I love that about it. Because the song isn’t anything special. It’s repetitive and mildly catchy. But when you hear the song now, you can’t help but think of the video. That’s a true sign of greatness. It’s still just as amusing as it was when MTV played the living fuck out of it back in 2001.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 2:24 - The cop turns it off...they turn it back on and finish. Just great.
BONUS TIDBIT - It’s worth tracking down (or buying Spike’s DVD) Spike’s behind the scenes mockumentary Torrance Rising that leads from rehearsal all the way to winning the award for best video at the MTV Music Awards, which is equally as funny, if not more so, than the video itself. It also makes the actual video shine in an even greater light. Seek it out.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULVQOneeZE
7. Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy (1997)
dir. Chris Cunningham
A living, breathing nightmare. This is not only the scariest video you’ll ever see, but it’s the scariest video you’ll ever WANT to see. It’s the perfect video for such a demented sounding tune. Cunningham cements himself here as the flashier David Lynch of music video/short film directing; things will not make sense, yet you don’t mind because you’re so invited visually. Two years before Windowlicker, and yet again Richard D. James’ face appears absolutely everywhere. Only this time NOT on sexy ladies. Earlier it was children. It is CREEPY to have little people with such menacing, happy faces painted on...vandalizing! And then just when you think that it hasn’t gotten strange enough, something hatches from a cocoon. It isn’t pretty. He also messes with a Max Hedrom-ish digital face, and a very gloomy London. I seriously disturbed people one year at a Halloween party by putting this on. You should do the same.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 4:21 - WAKE UP GRANDMA!!!! GRANDPA’S HAVING A STROKE!!!!! Every time this happens, I’m not sure whether to laugh or be terrified. I try to find a middle ground. Join me?
BONUS TIDBIT - Note that the cocoon-birthed goblin closely resembles that lanky alien/human hybrid from Alien Ressurection. Why? He designed both. Cunningham has been working on some mystery film for the past six years. Rumor has it that my dream has come true and he’s crafting the horror/cyberpunk adaptation Neuromancer from William Gibson. Others seem to believe that the project is officially dead, along with every other film Cunningham has been attached to helm. Time will tell. Just imagine THESE bastards in Silent Hill...
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cFlaWxWDhI
6. Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Out) (1996)
dir. Johnathon Glazer
This might belong higher. Seeing this for the first time is like witnessing human birth. Yet not as disgusting. More of just that beautiful part. A mix of slow motion imagery with normal speed portions, set in a trailer park. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, although many have tried to emulate what was done here. Every black and white shot here is perfectly lit, shot with elegance, and edited together...well, just divinely. One of my favorite songs of all time, too. No matter what anybody says, Radiohead was just as interesting doing their alternative rock as they are doing their experimental material now, especially going back to listen to it after you’ve heard what they’ve become. No other band has metamorphosed like this before, and this is a timeless portrait landmark of 90s alternative music, sonic wise and visually.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 1:42 - One of the prettiest things I’ve ever seen.
BONUS TIDBIT - Glazer has directed two films -- the awesome Sexy Beast, and the strange Birth. He currently has nothing in completed yet, a few projects in the works, but he did do a video for Massive Attack earlier this year for "Live With Me," which can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LgrGHWSy6k .
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrZTNhW44-o
5. Junior Senior - Move Your Feet (2002)
dir. Shynola
Can I say this is THE dance song of 2002? Was this the same year as Timberlake? Fuck it, this IS the dance song of 2002! A duo from Sweden comprised of a big straight guy and a little gay guy! Why on earth didn’t this just EXPLODE when it came out??? I do remember seeing the video get some play on one of the MTV channels quite frequently, and it’s one of those videos that you have to tell people about. The brilliance of putting the low key beat to 8-bit Nintendo-like graphics is off the charts! God, this is one of the catchiest tunes I’ve ever heard!
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 2:35 - In a drunk haze, things get very phallic. Animated money shot!!!!
BONUS TIDBIT - Their second album, "Hey Hey My My Yo Yo," has yet to see a release in the US. I’ve not heard it, so I’ve got no comment on that. I’m searching for it now. Uh, legally...of course...WOW...it's excellent!
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F07YUCCLdYo
4. The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up (1997)
dir. Jonas Akerlund
This thing aired once on MTV, after midnight. To my knowledge, it has only aired again during their most controversial video countdown. It is, far and away, the darkest and most vulgar four minutes you will ever spend watching a music video. Screw any slide-a-credit-card-down-an-ass-crack or riding-a-car-around-and-causing-chaos thing anyone will have you believe is scandalous. THIS is scandalous. And that surprise ending is just as twisty as any mystery film you can find. No matter how many movies use this song as a fight scene tempo setter or a club mood setter, I think of this. And it makes me sick and happy at the same time. Just like the song.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - Are you kidding me? What else could it possibly be?
BONUS TIDBIT - This didn’t make the top spot in MTV’s countdown, surprisingly enough. That honor went to Bjork’s "Pagan Poetry." Look for that in the honorable mentions post.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oYJfcZeB9c
3. Tupac feat. Dr.Dre - California Love (1996)
dir. Hype Williams
This post-apocalyptic ode to The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome was a benchmark in my development. It was the first time I discovered "the rap video," and it was the first rap song I truly loved. Beautiful, black women, partyin’, George Clinton, low ridin’ with the gangsta lean, and they’ve all never been topped. The production values for the mid-90s are absolutely incredible.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 5:00 - Let’s ride, y’all!
BONUS TIDBIT - Tupac is dead, people. They’re somehow taking his words from other songs and painstakingly, digitally meshing them together through a coalition of the best underground rap artists and the cheapest technical labor possible, to create entirely new rhymes and songs. Either that, or they’re recycling verses from songs and nobody’s figured it out yet. I mean, really...with that many songs, would you REALLY know? That’s my conspiracy theory. Who shot him? The ghost of JFK. Clap clap, homie! The best Kennedy joke? Ask not what your country can do for you, but what...OH GOD, MY BRAINS! Kidding, of course. Oprah killed him. Bitch hates rap.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWOsbGP5Ox4
2. Portishead - Only You (1998)
dir. Chris Cunningham
One last Cunningham. This is easily his lightest fare, even though the song may be a bit creepy. That’s Portishead for you, though; they walk a fine line between gorgeous and haunting. This video wins so many points with me for being so technically dazzling. He filmed people in water obviously, and digitally put them in a dark alley. But there’s not a single bubble. There’s nothing that ruins the magic one bit. The editing to the beat scratching is just...fantastic. It’s also the coolest lighting you will ever see in any video. I can’t think of anything better. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 2:33 - The floating scarf is my favorite bit.
BONUS TIDBIT - Portishead will have a new album out next year. Sometime. It will be their first since 1997. It’s my most anticipated album of 2007. Check out this sweet single cover for this song:
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWsPJPEXJJw
It was simply far too tough for me to pick between my two very favorites to decide who is the victor. Some would call it a cop out, but I argue that it's impossible to decide between these two. I think you'll agree once you see them. Both are extremely different videos that bring up vastly differed feelings, and both for two very different types of artist. And so...the top pick(s):
1. Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
dir. John Landis
How could it possibly be anything different? After seeing John Landis’ classic horror-comedy An American Werewolf In London, Jackson immediately contacted Landis to see if he would be interested in filming a clip for his creepy dance song. Landis agreed, and what came from the collaboration was the birth of dance video choreography (by Jackson and Michael Peters). Landis took his own film as inspiration, along with George A. Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead to create something original. Nobody had ever seen anything like this, and it will never be topped. Never. Not in any lifetime. Everybody’s in perfect synch, and everyone can dance almost as well as Michael can. They enlisted wizard Rick Baker, hot off of mind-blowing effects work from Werewolf In London and David Chronenberg’s Videodrome, to handle the makeup and creature duties. He came up with a transformation scene that was a trimmed version of what was done with Werewolf In London, which is to this day the best werewolf sequence of all time. Jackson endured excruciating, primitive contact technology to give him those hollow zombie eyes, and the creepy yellow eyes (the same thing Kiefer Sutherland had to deal with during The Lost Boys) and a long sit in the make-up chair every day. The result is simply magical. Would the song even be as memorable without this video to back in up? Would we even remember the song today? I’m not knocking the song at all, it’s a terrific record. I just believe that this video is the most important music video of all time. It proved that it wasn’t just an excuse to show your band playing. It wasn’t just a promotional tool. It’s a short film musical. 13 minutes of perfection.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - 1:48 - Michael’s dialogue about being different has an...odd interpretation today.
Have you checked the children?
BONUS TIDBIT - This is the only instance I’m aware of where the video aired in movie theaters before it aired on MTV. Speaking of MTV, this actually lost out on video of the year to The Cars’ "You Might Think." Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either. Of course this was the same year that they awarded David Bowie’s "China Girl," which is possibly Bowie’s worst tune, and easily his worst video, so perhaps they were doing a little too much nose candy. Landis also directed the awesome dance sequence from Coming To America, as I mentioned earlier. Classic movie, too.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4-IlviV8Ao
Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?
AND...
1. Johnny Cash - Hurt (2002)
dir. Mark Romanek
I well up if I sit down and watch this. The song hurts enough to listen to, and the video seals the deal. It’s a beautiful portrait of a tortured, weathered musical genius in his final moments. It’s shot and edited together in immaculate fashion, with Cash performing at his museum -- reminiscing, crying – and filled with shots from the video archives. No other video has ever touched me emotionally. Simply beautiful. Sad, haunting, and moving. Romanek easily made the perfect music video.
THE MOMENT OF ZEN - The whole fucking thing. The final montage at 3:05 always gives me that nose burn. And by that final shot, the closing of the piano, and a goodbye to everyone, I lose it.
BONUS TIDBIT - Cash’s final on screen appearance before his death last year. Trent Reznor and Rage Against The Machine's Zach DeLa Rocha were recording tracks for Zach's solo debut, and they were the first people Mark sent the video too. They both cried.
LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO9dbmJ_2zU
Much thanks go to Google image search, Youtube’s extensive library, IMDB, and MVDBASE.com for all of the production detail on these videos. And thanks to YOU for reading. Be sure to come back, I’ve got lots more in store. And be sure to leave comments as to what I obviously forgot, and what I shouldn’t have included that made the cut. Opinions are like berries, they taste good. Is that how that goes?
-M
Comments
But well done, Mike. Very well done.
Next goal: just try to one-up me on blogs about boobs (I'm totally kidding, I have to check your blog on my work computer).