Terrible Music Videos

Hey,

It’s been really fun this week to log on Blogger to see how many views the review of Beecher’s Fault has been getting. I’m super excited by the turnout and hopeful for the band. You guys are cool and you have an awesome set of fans! J

So, this week I’m writing about music videos again. I’ve highlighted a bunch of good ones, but I’ve never done any terrible ones. It was hard to narrow down the list, but I came up with two/three recent ones and a throwback.

Wild Ones by Flo Rida Ft. Sia
Ah, yes, my favorite rapper, Flo Rida. Or as I call him, Florida. I’m kidding; I don’t like his music. I do, however, respect Sia quite a bit, though I wonder if this is truly making her happy. She’s making money, but is this considered selling out? If we’re going to argue that she sold out, shouldn’t we argue that Gotye and Fun, most recently, sold out? I digress. Okay, so the music video is ridiculously tame. For such a “wild” music video, with a notably absent Sia, I expected more than…this. With 102, 952, 772 views, I assumed this might be okay. Never assume with these people. Just a word of advice from a teenager. J These “wild” things: he skydives while making crappy gang signs (Isn’t he such a wild guy!), he raps with two mildly attractive women on either side of him while going down a body of water, he drives a car, he does a nice promotion for Nokia and BMW, he rides a motorcycle, he dances in a club, he drinks, he drives a bunch of vehicles, and takes his sunglasses on and off. Yeah, Flo, really wild.

Payphone by Maroon 5. I can’t hate this song, as much as I try. It’s stupid, simplistic, and really annoys me, but I don’t know what it is. Ugh. But, the music video was just plain stupid. The first time I saw it I was watching E! News with my mom (we never watch it, but we were bored that night) and we sat there laughing at the sheer stupidity of it. It was so stupid. The song’s about a failing relationship. But, do we show that in the music video? Nope. We have a robbery. Yes, nothing says “Oh, no, our relationship isn’t what it used to be” like robbing a bank. Adam (the lead singer) steals a car, runs from the police, and looks awful in a pair of creeper glasses. I have nothing more to say except it’s dumb. I honestly think their (being Maroon 5) music videos have gotten really dumb. The music video for “One More Night” is another big fail. Again, the song is about a bad relationship, how he needs to leave, but won’t. Do we show that? Nope. This time, Adam (the lead singer) is a boxer, who trains and competes too much, doesn’t pay attention to his wife and eventually she leaves him. Where’s the connection here? The lyrics: “Got you stuck on my body like a tattoo/so I cross my heart and I hope to die/ that I’ll only stay with you one more night/ I know I’ve said it a million times/try to tell you no/ but my body keeps on telling you yes/ Try to tell you stop/ but your lipstick gets me so out of breath/ I’ll be waking up feeling satisfied but guilty as hell.” See the boxing connection? Me neither.

When I Grow Up By the Pussycat Dolls  I know that this song is old (3 years, to be exact) but it still cracks me up when I think about how terrible this music video is. I mean, honestly, do you get any dumber than starting a music video featuring all the members stuck in rush-hour traffic, clad in nothing more than leather and lingerie? It’s like, hm, let’s forget about the music and emphasize the girls’ goodies. Nicole (the brunette lady who’s hogging the camera) is practically falling out of her shirt. That’s called selling bodies, not music. So, then what happens? Well, these girls decide, “hey, we have some time to kill. Let’s hop out of the car!” Instead of what should have happened (where everyone screams “Hey, get back in your car.” Honk honk) people just smile. I bet their clothes have nothing to do with everyone’s unnatural happiness. Then, these idiots decide to climb on the cars. Yes, nothing says fun like slinking across cars. Oooh, it gets better. They dance on the cars! Ha, what a revolutionary idea! Sounds like fun. Until you’re arrested. Maybe their outfits are magical; police officers know not to arrest these girls. I don’t know, just a theory. The rest of the music video shows them strutting down the sidewalk, climbing on a construction site, they have a really awkward, badly placed dance break, and they sing the chorus a gazillion times. Same story, different girls. I know they were trying really hard to be sexy, but I think they did the opposite. They just looked desperate…for many things. Money, especially. Speaking of which, I wonder how much money they spent on that music video. It could not have been cheap. Rather boring music video for such an “amazing” (that’s sarcasm) song.

Until next week,

Bella

Twitter: twitter.com/tsoml2012

e-mail: thesoundtrackofmylife2012@gmail.com

My Playlist

Hey,
Well, I haven't done a "what's on my playlist" sort of post for quite some time, so here we go. :)

In no particular order...

5. Clap Your Hands by Sia
You may know her because, frankly, she's kind of everywhere right now. She collabed on seperate tracks with David Guetta and Flo Rida. I say, good for her. I've been listening to her for about three years now and totally respect her decisions. So, while everyone's tweeting now "OMG, Sia's such a good singer. I love her music!" or "I am titanium. :) #YOLO," I can sit back and laugh, because they have no idea that she's been around for years and that quoting lyics makes them look kind of dumb. Sure, I'm guilty of quoting some here and there, but never on Facebook/Twitter or getting a tramp stamp with them. That said, I do write down lines I like from songs, but only well-written songs. I should do a post about that sometime...I love this song because it's catchy, the lyrics are fun, Sia has a powerful, unique voice, quite unlike any other female vocalist I've heard before, and it sounds incredible turned up super loud. :)

4. Credible Threats by One AM Radio
I found this band a few years back when Amazon had a free sampler from their label, Dangerbird. This song is weird, which makes it very cool. Allow me to explain before you roll your eyes, dude. The musical aspect is amazing, with the steady, manic drum part, the beautiful synthesizers, and the perfect harmonies; the song reminds me of something from the 1960's. But, the lyrics are all about ways the guys could die. It's similar to Pumped Up Kicks, though Credible Threats came first; it's an upbeat song with very mellow, depressing, out of the ordinary lyrics. The best part: it works.

3. Pacchua Sunrise by Minus the Bear
I also discovered this band through the free Dangerbird sampler on Amazon and I feel deeply in love with their song "My Time." I've listened to quite a bit of the their stuff and while I hate their super early stuff, their newer stuff (in the last 5 years or so) is incredible. It's worth mentioning I am a sucker for acoustic stuff, and this song is no exception. With the lead singer's emotional vocals that straddle the line between raw and polished, the simple, strong beat, and the minimal instrumentation. I like how they just let the lyrics do the heavy-lifting and don't try to bury them with heavy guitar lines or an attenion-seeking bass line. Approved!

2. You Always Make Me Smile by Kyle Andrews
This song has been making me dance like a little girl--a talentless little girl, but that's okay--since January or so, but I fished it out a month or so ago because it's a perfect summer jam. It's bouncy, fun, and the romantic lyrics make all us single people want to find a person just so we can play this song for them. Just me? Oh, well. I like the guitar in the background too. :)

1. Do Or Die by 3OH!3
These guys have a new album coming out this fall and you can bet I'll review it. If you're listening to this song while or after reading my review, you're probably wondering why I have this song in my playlist. Honestly, it's just so different from everything I ever listen to. It's catchy--which doesn't necessarily mean it's good music; I understand that--and has some dubstep in it, which is cool with me, though I'm certainly not a dubstep fan. I like that they did something Fun. did; they used autotune as an instrument, not because it's ncessary. It gives it a very futurtistic feeling, very Star Trek, spaceage. What I also like is that they experiment with different music styles. I'm all for experimentation as long as it's not forced. But, I like this song, so, that's all. :)

Next week, I'll review some music videos hopefully. :)

Until next week,
Bella