Home > Buenos Diaz > Videos She Actually Liked

Videos She Actually Liked

By Gloria Diaz

Check out Gloria's Blog — Edge of Gloria!

Fort Wayne Reader

2011-12-19

So last column I bitched about music videos that I felt were disappointing; this column I’ll comment on the ones that deliver. These aren’t in any particular order.

Ke$ha — “Tik Tok”: She is trashy and seemingly air-headed, but I think this is a catchy tune, and the simplicity of Ke$ha coming downstairs and going out for a day of fun is just that--simple. She starts the video out in a tub and ends it in a tub (sans puke, we assume) and in between she rides around and dances. It is what it is, and perfectly expresses the shallow lyrics of the song.

Sir Mix-a-Lot — “Baby Got Back”: Over-the-top outrageousness and a huge dose of humor make this one entertaining, because bananas, tomatoes, and the lyrics “red beans and rice didn’t miss her” in a video guarantee success. It’s impossible to watch this video with the sound off and NOT know what the song is about.
Madonna-- “Oh Father”: Okay, so I have tears in my eyes from just watching this. There is a lot going on in this video. The shadows, the lighting through the windows, the way it was shot. I especially love the scene where the little girl playing Madonna as a child is jumping up trying to reach the doorknob to open the door. The frustration and fear in that shot makes you want to open up the doors. I think this is one of her best videos. It makes up for “Justify My Love.”

The Go-Go’s — “Our Lips are Sealed”: No big production numbers or visual effects, just a bunch of girls riding around in a convertible, and shots of them performing the song. Simple and cute. Belinda Carlisle is about ten miles past adorable in this video.

Fiona Apple — “Criminal”: I remember when I first heard “Shadowboxer” my jaw about dropped. It sounded way too jazzy and sensual to be played on an “alternative” station. And so I became a Fiona fan. The video for “Criminal” is one of those that appears to make no sense, but it’s interesting to watch, anyway. I think I like it because the house it was shot in looks like it has been untouched since the 1970s, and because someday I want to be as thin as Fiona was in this video. I don’t see it happening, because throwing up is gross, and curbing my appetite with amphetamines probably isn’t good for me. Probably.

Peter Bjorn and John — “Young Folks”: I had to search for this song, because I heard it at work and the chorus didn’t seem obvious, so I think I searched for “whistling song.” The “Chinese riff” used as the basis for the melody doesn’t seem hokey at all, there’s something beautiful and exciting about this song. The video is an animated comic book straight out of the 1970s (there’s obviously a theme to this column) and gives me a sense of déjà vu. The girl in the video looks like a young Kate Winslet, and the bongo player looks like Bobby Brady from the Brady Bunch.

Hopefully, I’ll find some new videos to critique when I get a new digital tuner box and I can watch The Cool TV again. Ironic that MTV doesn’t show videos, and it took a new network to not only bring back videos, but to present a wide variety. It’s sort of refreshing to not really know what type of video you’ll see next. And The Cool TV is a non-painful way to discover new/old music. I never wanted my MTV, thank you very much.