3 Awesome Songs Ruined by the Group's Music Video
3 Awesome Songs Ruined by The Group's Music Video
First off, I didn't really mean to release two blogs back to back but this one has been in the works for a month now as I have been looking for the finishing touches. It just happened to get done today. So here it is, the second part of a double-header and none too early.
Seriously, we all have found a song that was awesome and waited in glorious anticipation to see what the group's music video was going to be. We have all these ideas of what it could be, what it would look like and we excitedly shake with anticipation on the multi-media masterpiece that is about to be unleashed! And then songs like these happen where the music video takes our energy and drives its miles in the opposite direction until it crashed it into a road sign off the highway like a teenage drunk driver, high on weed, half asleep. Seriously all of those. You'll see what I mean.
1. Paradise - Cold Play
Paradise is a very powerful, emotional, transendental, and thought provoking song if you had the pleasure of listening to it on the radio first and had never seen the video. If you have not heard it before then please follow the link below NOW and listen to the song itself first before continuing with this article...
Coldplay - Paradise With Lyrics
Okay, if you are back then we will continue. And hopefully you've had times to consider the meaning of your life and wipe the tears from your eyes and all. Anyway. Here is a rundown on the important lyrics.
If you're like me then you ran from that by dreaming as a teenager, and soon the dreams continued on into wishes and then finally into could have beens until reality sets in. This song is a lament for the loss of those dreams, the crushing of beautiful pradise by the weight of our sinful world. It's a wonderful song that synthesizes the reality that we do not live in paradise and that paradise is something we either dream of or something yet to be achieved by God's Grace and providence.
But knowing that and listening to the song I want you to now see the original music video and tell me what you think afterward
2. I Have to Praise You - Fatboy Slim
Ok, hopefully you all remember this one and you already know where this is going. The rest of you that don't I would like to say, I'm sorry in advance for making you aware.
Now here's the thing, every now and then you come across artists who simply don't have the budget or the resources to pull off a great music video, that is understandable. You also have artists who also from time to time do something that looks just silly, but since it hasn't been done before or perhaps it was nothing what anyone expected, its suddenly cool, especially if it has an underlying point. But it dawns on me that such forgiveness must be handed out with caution, lest you end up telling the world that its okay to put whatever crap they want to music and its acceptable. It is my honest opinion that this song is why something like Friday by Rebecca Black happened, or any of the other home or local made videos that embarrass us for a short period of time. This is one of those songs.
Now I know a lot of people might be upset about that and a lot of people would think this kind of thing is really cool and bold. They are the same people that love Nepoleon Dinamite. But you have to draw a line somewhere and the more I watch this video the more its just awkward. Funny, yes, out of the box yes, but consider that the song itself is catchy enough and something you could dance to or look cool dancing to the background of. But after the video, all of that wanders off and shoots itself never to be heard from again.
If you don't want it ruined from the start like it was for me when I was a highly judgmental teenager, view this presentation with just the lyrics first.
Fatboy Slim - I Have to Praise You - Lyrics
Now that you have had a chance to hear it please note that its not the same kind of awesome song as Paradise by Coldplay. This song is good because of its musical elements, not its meaning or lyrics. In fact it might be composed of just a single coherent thought. True, its all very simple but very catchy and made just to give you something to move to and in that is does a very good job. Seeing that you can even understand why the music video might fit. But then again....
Go ahead, defend that, give me paragraphs of explanations and background and symbolism to explain that away. But in the end no one can watch that without experiencing embarrasment or having numbed their shame into oblivion like John Wayne or Jim Carey. Take away all the fluff of artistic explanations and leave it as it is next to other music videos and you can't watch this for more than ten seconds.
And I shall leave this one at that.
3. It's My Life - Bon Jovi
So just like a lot of people, this is one of my favorite songs. At one point it used to be in my top 10 but it dropped after I played it to death. Honestly this song has everything. A great beat, great music, great drive, great lyrics, and song with meaning. Thank goodness for a time when in order to be a top 20 hit songs didn't have to be about partying or a relationship.
This song has so many different avenues to it. Yes, its a song about taking back your life, but a song also about accepting responsibility, a song about strength, character, fortitude, and resilience in the face of difficulty. The one part of the song I don't like is the reference to Frank Sinatra's "I did it my way." A song I detest from an artist I wish could be forgotten.
But aside from that, there's power and deep meaning here. In fact, for a lot of people this song was life changing, that's how potent its message was. Heck, when I worked for Camfel Productions, a non-profit company that put on motivational multi-media presentations at public schools, this song was the theme song for their production that year. Just read over the lyrics.
Bon Jovi - It's My Life (Lyrics)
This ain't a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud
[Chorus:]
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life
This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky
Got to make your own breaks
Better stand tall when they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down
So you can see what I mean. Yes the song is powerful. No time to sulk in sorrow, we have to pull ourselves up and keep moving. Its a theme song for a generation that seemed to give up on everything. Guess we all wish they had listened to it more. But in a way perhaps they did. Oh, Crap, that's my generation! In any regard, this song, like I said, made huge waves and was a turning point for a lot of people. Bringing a wonderful message to those on the verge of quitting anything from their life's pursuits to life itself.
Now watch the official video.
First off, I didn't really mean to release two blogs back to back but this one has been in the works for a month now as I have been looking for the finishing touches. It just happened to get done today. So here it is, the second part of a double-header and none too early.
Seriously, we all have found a song that was awesome and waited in glorious anticipation to see what the group's music video was going to be. We have all these ideas of what it could be, what it would look like and we excitedly shake with anticipation on the multi-media masterpiece that is about to be unleashed! And then songs like these happen where the music video takes our energy and drives its miles in the opposite direction until it crashed it into a road sign off the highway like a teenage drunk driver, high on weed, half asleep. Seriously all of those. You'll see what I mean.
1. Paradise - Cold Play
Paradise is a very powerful, emotional, transendental, and thought provoking song if you had the pleasure of listening to it on the radio first and had never seen the video. If you have not heard it before then please follow the link below NOW and listen to the song itself first before continuing with this article...
Coldplay - Paradise With Lyrics
Okay, if you are back then we will continue. And hopefully you've had times to consider the meaning of your life and wipe the tears from your eyes and all. Anyway. Here is a rundown on the important lyrics.
When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach so
She ran away in her sleep
And dreamed of
Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
And the bullets catch in her teeth
Life goes on, it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear a waterfall
In the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes
In the night the stormy night away she'd fly
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach so
She ran away in her sleep
And dreamed of
Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
And the bullets catch in her teeth
Life goes on, it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear a waterfall
In the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes
In the night the stormy night away she'd fly
And dreams of
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh-oh
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh-oh
And so lying underneath those stormy skies
She'd say, "oh, ohohohoh I know the sun must set to rise"
This could be
Para-para-paradise
She'd say, "oh, ohohohoh I know the sun must set to rise"
This could be
Para-para-paradise
The song is a beautiful expose on the broken dream of childhood. We all grow up with ideas of grandure and thinking we'll all be Heroes, Sports Stars, Astronauts, or President. But along the way life becomes difficult, heavy, obligations and expectations have to be met, until finally we look up one day and find ourselves living a drab existence we dreaded as a child.
But knowing that and listening to the song I want you to now see the original music video and tell me what you think afterward
Coldplay Paradise
Don't be scared, click the picture
Yes, this song is about a guy in an elephant costume escaping captivity so he can join his band of other mascots in singing this song in the middle of the savanah. Its a lovely PETA endorsment and surely tries to address the captivity of animals and animal rights. Now to some out there those are very worthwhile endevors, and to some they are even more important than what the song could have been which was something as trivial as the mending of human souls. It's not like inner peace is important and leads to wonderful benefits like salvation, ammends with God, worldwide peace, or just plain friendliness and compassion shared between all people. No, this song had a higher calling, exposing the evils of things like zoos and the fight for the equality of animals. For me its a giant miss, like when you take a powerful and ancient ballad like Ave Maria and put it to the backdrop of a kid suffering because he has to endure eating cheerios for breakfast because he's out of toaster strudels. This one falls flat on its face.2. I Have to Praise You - Fatboy Slim
Ok, hopefully you all remember this one and you already know where this is going. The rest of you that don't I would like to say, I'm sorry in advance for making you aware.
Now here's the thing, every now and then you come across artists who simply don't have the budget or the resources to pull off a great music video, that is understandable. You also have artists who also from time to time do something that looks just silly, but since it hasn't been done before or perhaps it was nothing what anyone expected, its suddenly cool, especially if it has an underlying point. But it dawns on me that such forgiveness must be handed out with caution, lest you end up telling the world that its okay to put whatever crap they want to music and its acceptable. It is my honest opinion that this song is why something like Friday by Rebecca Black happened, or any of the other home or local made videos that embarrass us for a short period of time. This is one of those songs.
Now I know a lot of people might be upset about that and a lot of people would think this kind of thing is really cool and bold. They are the same people that love Nepoleon Dinamite. But you have to draw a line somewhere and the more I watch this video the more its just awkward. Funny, yes, out of the box yes, but consider that the song itself is catchy enough and something you could dance to or look cool dancing to the background of. But after the video, all of that wanders off and shoots itself never to be heard from again.
If you don't want it ruined from the start like it was for me when I was a highly judgmental teenager, view this presentation with just the lyrics first.
Fatboy Slim - I Have to Praise You - Lyrics
Now that you have had a chance to hear it please note that its not the same kind of awesome song as Paradise by Coldplay. This song is good because of its musical elements, not its meaning or lyrics. In fact it might be composed of just a single coherent thought. True, its all very simple but very catchy and made just to give you something to move to and in that is does a very good job. Seeing that you can even understand why the music video might fit. But then again....
Go ahead, defend that, give me paragraphs of explanations and background and symbolism to explain that away. But in the end no one can watch that without experiencing embarrasment or having numbed their shame into oblivion like John Wayne or Jim Carey. Take away all the fluff of artistic explanations and leave it as it is next to other music videos and you can't watch this for more than ten seconds.
And I shall leave this one at that.
3. It's My Life - Bon Jovi
So just like a lot of people, this is one of my favorite songs. At one point it used to be in my top 10 but it dropped after I played it to death. Honestly this song has everything. A great beat, great music, great drive, great lyrics, and song with meaning. Thank goodness for a time when in order to be a top 20 hit songs didn't have to be about partying or a relationship.
This song has so many different avenues to it. Yes, its a song about taking back your life, but a song also about accepting responsibility, a song about strength, character, fortitude, and resilience in the face of difficulty. The one part of the song I don't like is the reference to Frank Sinatra's "I did it my way." A song I detest from an artist I wish could be forgotten.
But aside from that, there's power and deep meaning here. In fact, for a lot of people this song was life changing, that's how potent its message was. Heck, when I worked for Camfel Productions, a non-profit company that put on motivational multi-media presentations at public schools, this song was the theme song for their production that year. Just read over the lyrics.
Bon Jovi - It's My Life (Lyrics)
This ain't a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud
[Chorus:]
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life
This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky
Got to make your own breaks
Better stand tall when they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down
Now watch the official video.
So a couple of elements quickly go away. One is of course that the song has any real meaning whatsoever. Honestly I've never seen Bon Jovi appear so poser in my life. A bunch of older guys who should be along in much wisdom and stature singing songs about the great revelations of life...hopping around in a tunnel with a mob of tweens screaming about their fanfare. Being realistic, I guess it is Bon Jovi, so whatever, but to be honest, this song should be way more than this. In fact, so much more that just like Coldplay's Paradise, its a huge miss.
It's like a man who works for a lifetime finding the most precious pearl on the face of the earth. Having taken tens of thousands of life threatening dives into the deep and gone everywhere in the world he finally finds it (much to John Steinbeck's displeasure and possibly copyright infringement) only to take it home and put it in a fish aquarium to compliment his goldfish. Really? It's like he doesn't know what he has.
That's the way this song makes me feel about Bon Jovi. They wrote a song that is revolutionary; something life changing. There's only a few of those each decade, possibly each generation and the only thing they can think to put it to is some kid racing for his life to make a Bon Jovi concert in a subway tunnel. The pounding lyric "It's My Life" raging as he beats through the streets to claim his right to get past his chores mom demanded of him and go to concert! It's his life dang it! And he's gonna make sure he gets to that concert! Hey, it's Bon Jovi singing to a bunch of tweens, boy we've reclaimed our lives now haven't we!? All the things he overcame to get there, thugs, traffic accidents...apparently asian elvis impersonators. Bon Jovi is confusing. Now this song sucks. Leave it to Bon Jovi to ruin good stuff.
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