…possibly, as earlier in 2010, MTV had gotten rid of “music television” underneath its 29 years old letter “M”, but music videos have continued their slight comeback in not only viewership and mainstream attention; these videos are delivering such supersonic images, maybe artists and artistes are finally taking responsibility in visually mesmerizing the public, regardless of our actual opinions of the videos and music themselves. What makes this rise of provoking visuals returning to music even more intriguing is that its mostly been catering females artists, which despite harsher and at times ridiculous criticism towards their careers, are constantly the more alluring figures in music, as maybe due to history, biology and theory, makes the woman’s role in the industry all the more fascinating…to observe.
Though the network has expanded into MTV Hits, Jams and mtvU, the original MTV channel hasn’t been remotely music anything in the past five years except for a mere four hours in the morning (and its annual video award show which despite its rebirth as an entertaining pop culture fest in 2009 seems a little misplaced). Many were quick to declare good riddance to MTV changing their logo, in lack of their imbalanced support, there is something great about music videos becoming zeitgeists on their own again.As a lot of music videos, even back then in the greatness that was the 1980s, sometimes are as simple as can be: a plain or non-exciting background, with singers or rappers sassily lip-synching to their own track. It gets the point across as far as us getting to hear the song, but videos with a little extra effort put in them in some shape for form have been the most worthwhile. In the past deacde, at least two to three music videos would become noteworthy based on the cinemathorapy and artwork alone (such as Justice's "DA.N.C.E."), and millions of music fans, or curious minds, would flock to not MTV, but YouTube to watch how, in an age of everyone claiming that music has taken a severe nosedive in substance (which is not entirely true), this could possibly be. In 2008, Beyoncé surprisingly became the center of one of the best songs of the decade, and yes Mr. West, a contender for one of the best videos of all time, when the pop, locked and high-heeled crazy “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” was released.
Followed by such a merry phenomenon of homemade video re-creations and black leotards back in vogue, it showed that when a music video was done right, using under the radar inspiration (in this case, Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse’s “Mexican Breakfast”), or simple ideas turned into stylish aftermaths of songs that are lyrically the soundtracks to many present lives in a crisis of sorts (Lily Allen’s “22”); videos such as these two are the perfect examples of musical addendums that gives songs another life, and the public another piece of video art to utterly compress as amusing eye and mind candy fodder.
In 2009, the trend of influential videos continued piggy-backing off of Weezer's insane "Pork and Beans" clip, soon came The Dead Weather's brilliantly violent "Treat Me Like Your Mother"; the gothic romanticism daze of Bat for Lashes' "Daniel"; the fast-paced collage of Death Cab for Cutie's "Little Bribes"; and the pro-birthday suit parade of Matt and Kim's "Lesson Learned". These music videos were provocative and bright, allowing room for discussing the apparent messages given to us in the form of these short film quasi-musicals.
This year, so far, we have Dan Black's "Symphonies (Remix)", MGMT's "Flash Delirium" and Kelis' "Acapella" that have been worth a second viewing. However, the two videos that have mattered the most thus far are without a doubt “Telephone” from attempted eccentric Lady Gaga and “Window Seat” by the wonderful Erykah Badu. Both largely talented artists have released the kind of visual material we love to watch with eyes wide open, tear apart in order to make sense of, and embrace once more. In the tradition of Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey, Missy Elliot, and pop icons Janet Jackson and Madonna, Gaga and Badu are on the music landscape harder than before with these videos being as loud or subtle as they want to be, giving the public and fans’ brains a creative runaround.
Lady Gaga's video for “Bad Romance”, though premiered as any other video, had a kindof fanfare that received such a cult status that even Kevin Smith hasn’t seen since Clerks. Though some were quick to declare that “Bad Romance” would be the pinnacle of her still forming career, along came the clip for her second Fame Monster single “Telephone”. The anticipation for its arrival was so feverish, maybe even Gaga hadn't seen coming, but in favor of her pseudo-enigmatic persona, she will never admit to this. The internet updates, the sneak peek photos, word that Quentin Tarantino let Gaga borrow the Pussy Wagon from Kill Bill, fans and even non-fans had to see what Gaga and Akerlund cooked up in their wacky kitchen of ideas as the pictures informed us, though the lyrics hollered her desire to just sip her "bub" in the club, there was no typical club to be found in this other facet of Gaga World.
Well, doggone, when "Telephone" was released on websites an hour before its debut on the E! channel at 11:30 at night, in less than 24 hours, a million views were counted on YouTube and commentaries piled atop of each other on the many pop culture service announcements that one would have to watch at least five times to catch from beginning to end of the nine minute video. The success of “Bad Romance” and its lauded visuals were a segue way for the excitement of “Telephone”, so when “Honey B” (Beyoncé) and Gaga clasped hands in the name of sisterhood, riding away in Quentin Tarantino's Pussy Wagon, those million plus views witnessed a discombobulated mix of no substance, dubious society commentary, fantastic haute couture fashion on acid in startlingly HD colors, with tidbits of Thelma and Louise and second-wave feminism. Gaga clearly has so much clout right now in popular music, her little monsters worhshipped it, and again, the media were first to call her the new Michael Jackson of music videos.
Exactly what Gaga was trying to say with "Telephone" is what's fantastically bothersome. as you watch it, especially the first time, you start to think that there really isn’t anything here, and in a strange way maybe that’s the point of the “Telephone” music video experience. It is clearly appealing and craves your attention, yet in the end it is just an empty, fabulous, consumption (like a candy bar). Yet, Stefani Germonotta accomplished exactly what she was looking for: a music video of epic proportions. It is epic simply because a music video was talked about for more than two minutes pass “I like it. I don’t like it”. This is just not because it looks like a literal hot (as in utterly amusing) mess, but it's has been a long time since a music video caused this much excitement and essays of analyzation in well, a hot minute. The last time this may have happened, in which even negative or dubious accounts of the video experience was detailed was the Guy Ritchie directed “What It Feels Like for a Girl” for Madonna, back in 2000, where Madonna is seen driving around town, with an elderly woman as her friend, and the Material Girl goes an rampage against any man in her way. Three cheers for feminism indeed.
From the first view of "Telephone" it maybe even felt underwhelming because if you’ve heard the song, likely the video was not as you pictured it. From the overt random-ness of the scenes, the video is so ADD, it’s almost polarizing. "Telephone" scores when the viewer is nearly forced to watch it again, because you know you missed something the first time, it is so chaotic, you’ll be better off immersed one more time. It’s tacky, fabulous, too much, too little and what was unsaid is better left as so because even the concept of "Telephone" is just enjoying the ride.
Along with Gaga, Badu has met some non-objective commentary of how she was disrespectful, tasteless, looking for shock value in her music video for “Window Seat”. Quietly released in late March, “Window Seat” visuals matched the soothing tone of the song and lyrics as it was slow-paced with a serene, anxious confidence. The video shows Badu taking off her clothes until she is completely naked and shot by a unknown gun on the street, revealing the song’s absolute worry about not only Badu herself, but with the accompanying and beyond controversial, ever-changing conscious of the U.S. of A. From the first viewing, you really don’t have a clue what Badu is going to do, and while everything is mid-tempo, Badu has such a nurturing voice, even if she was singing something stupid (which is not even possible, but just saying) you would still stick around until she stopped.
The video doesn’t show its true colors as political and even romantic commentary until the end when she is shot, in the nude, on the same location that JFK’s assassination took place. While Gaga’s “Telephone” was arresting for its color and visual comment on too much everything all around us (“stop talking, stop talking, I don’t wanna think anymore!”), Badu’s “Window Seat” is neutral and minimal, leaving you wondering because Gaga was able to run free from a nonsense Wonderland in the glamorous Pussy Wagon, Badu is left as a dead, naked woman on a street in the richest country in the world. What makes “Window Seat” the second winning video of the year so far, but first place for the kind of commentary that matters is that yes, over consumption of everything is just a part of life in 2010, this is not a new concept but is nonetheless fun to watch from other's (in this case Gaga’s) interpretation; "Window Seat” is a voice of reason and realization that nothing matters more than one’s self-love and respect in order to recollect (“So can I get a window seat. Don’t want nobody next to me. I just want a chance to fly. A chance to cry”. Badu also has “EVOLVING” tattooed on her back). The music video is shock value at its most vulnerable, but “Window Seat” surface image as another naked video (Badu was “inspired by Matt and Kim” as written in the beginning by their NYC “Lessons Learned” clip), creates a bigger statement which always rises when nudity void of obnoxious sexuality, violence of some sort, is very clear in its message of encouraging us think for ourselves (at the end of the video, Badu speaks “they assassinate what they do not understand”) yet then again, this is not always translated so diligently (as in the video for “Telephone”).
In Gaga's world, there is only a modicum of intellectual outlook into the fishbowl of society's yearnings and needs, but Ms. "Paparazzi" thinks otherwise. To MTV.com, she said: "I wanted to do the same thing with this video — take a decidedly pop song, which on the surface has a quite shallow meaning, and turn it into something deeper: the idea that America is full of young people that are inundated with information and technology and turn it into something that is more of a commentary on the kind of country that we are." Anybody else not get this from the video based their viewings, the first one especially? Us, neither. No matter how many times you watch “Telephone”, what Gaga tries to invoke based upon that quote is not exactly the most obvious thing to catch in an already superfluous production. We sort of get it, but you also can't help but think that there was more concern about the clothes, makes-up and self-made attitude of the "characters" within, and then again, what does that say about us, as Gaga insists, hmmm?
"Telephone" and "Window Seat" are very loud proclamations of self evaluation and have inspired a lot of insight of what they tried to express to its audience, and fans and critics took whatever angle they could look into deeply. Some accused Gaga was using product placement without merit and that "Telephone" was just plain silly in execution; while "Window Seat" brought on the classic and tired talk of a black sexuality as Badu's bodacious backside brought on many salacious comments, which has more so to do with her being nude than being a black woman. Get over it. They would have done the same thing if it was Katy Perry.
The likely staying power of "Window Seat" is that the commentary it gave us is much more stimulating than "Telephone" will be. The initial hype that came with "Telephone" nearly died a week later, and it is because its substance is hardly anything new or that ground-breaking aside from its debuting excitement and visuals. Gaga is an advocate of pop culture, and while pop culture says a lot about us in a deepr historical context, the word "pop" is present before culture for a reason. Badu's "Seat", though seeking to be talked about, at least has a more organic element in what is going on.
However...both videos are fantastic and important to take note off in this ever weird climate of the music industry and its videos. As women in the game, Gaga and Badu are re-enforcing the many viewed concept of what a female (artist) challenging what is is to be a lady whoever and whenever they want, as others, their so-called managers and agents and what nots, often have pre planned ideas for their presentation. There is still much to done I'm sure, as the "Massive Attack" video for rap princess Nicki Minaj underperformed to say the least, as it is evident Hype Williams doesn't really know what to do with the female acts (like in the glowing but somewhat laughable "Video Phone"), which is disappointing considering his videography.
To end on a high note, thanks the videos mentioned before, and to Gaga and Badu, music videos seem to be back and with so many of us wishing it as the '90s for just a day, we can agree that the return of music videos is definitely a sight to see.
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