Key Music Videos -100 Greatest Music Videos.

No.55 -Fatboy Slim-Praise You



A music video that i particularly enjoy is Fatboy Slim-Praise You. The music video at the time was very new and original, costing only $800 to produce, and was shot in a shopping centre. None of the public were aware that the group of dancers taking part weren't buskers, and were choreographed dancers, taking part in a major music video and this is shown in the video when a cinema steward turns off the stereo and when people are walking past with disgusted looks on their faces.

The visuals contradict the lyrics ans all in all have no relevance to what the lyrics are or could be implying. The video is iconic in the fact that it is what would be considered a response video or a parody of an original dance routine but instead is the official video that has cleverly been done to appear in that style.

The director of the video, Spike Jonze, stars in the video under the pseudonym 'Richard Koufey' along with a fictional dance group known as the 'Torrance Community Dance Group'.

No. 50 : Paul Simon-You Can Call Me Al




This video was concieved partly by Lorne Michaels and was directed by Gary Weis wherein Chevy Chase lip-synced all of Paul Simon's vocals in an upbeat presentation, with gestures punctuating the lyrics. I particularly enjoy this video because its humorous, due to the fact that Chevy Chase is 6''4 and Paul Simon is 5''3. The fact that they contrast so much, adds to the strange lyrics and simple, strange video. I also enjoy this video due to its simplicity, and lack of special effects or dance routines. The fact that it merely has a comedian lip-syncing the lyrics, and Paul Simon looking bored and playing his instruments throughout the whole video, matches the complex yet simple song, and captures the lighthearted mood that the song creates.

No 48 : Johnny Cash- Hurt




This video was directed by Mark Romanek and was released at a tough time in Johnny Cash's life - his wife had just passed away and he had been diagnosed with neurodegenerative disease, casting him with not long left to live, and this video successfully celebrates his life, along with portraying the sadness and devastation he and everybody around him is feeling. The video contains references of religion, darkness, flashbacks of his life and the majority of the video is based on the 'House Of Cash' museum. Visuals of the direct museum and broken memorabelia are shown to correspond with the lyric 'my empire of dirt'. This acts as a reflective sentimental piece from Cash, he has lost his wife and is now losing his own personality due to his terminal illness.

No 10: Nirvana - Smells like Teen Spirit





The song, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is a song what we assume is about rebellion of teenagers, and this is successfully portrayed throughout the whole video. The vide encompasses everything it is to be a teenager, set in a school gym, the band is performing to students, and they are rebelliously dancing and going crazy.

No 9: Madonna - Vogue 



The music video for Vogue, directed by David Fincher showed Madonna paying tribute to the era of Hollywood actresses. Shot in black and white, the video takes stylistic inspiration from the 20s and 30s and in it, Madonna used her postmodern influence to expose an underground subcultural movement to the masses.