Music videos.
I've always been fascinated by them, but have never understood them. They so rarely do anything to help the song they're attached to. Often, they just seem to suck all the mystery out of it.
For really awful bump-n-grind songs, I can see the value. For instance, I would argue that the "My Humps" video is better than the song as heard on the radio. With the video, at least you get Fergie, who really is beautiful, making the case for her "lovely lady lumps" plausible.
But on the polar opposite end of the quality spectrum, here's Kate Bush's new video for "King of the Mountain". The video has one nice bit that I can tell: the clothes-line "rooting" for the Elvis costume as it flies away. But the clothes motif is taken from other songs on Aerial (namely "Mrs. Bartolozzi"), and while it works as album artwork, it seems a weird stand-alone theme for this particular song. Bush's lip-sincing doesn't look right; her southern-drawl expression while singing isn't what I'd imagine. The newspaper clippings are jarring (it's weird to read words while listening to a song). And the video makes the whole thing an unambiguous mash-note to Elvis. Some reviewers took the song to be more of a contemplation on the emptiness of celebrity. All that possibility, that nuance gets sucked out by the video.
This is par for the course; in my experience, music videos are always bad. It's just especially annoying when they are applied to good songs and good artists.
For really awful bump-n-grind songs, I can see the value. For instance, I would argue that the "My Humps" video is better than the song as heard on the radio. With the video, at least you get Fergie, who really is beautiful, making the case for her "lovely lady lumps" plausible.
But on the polar opposite end of the quality spectrum, here's Kate Bush's new video for "King of the Mountain". The video has one nice bit that I can tell: the clothes-line "rooting" for the Elvis costume as it flies away. But the clothes motif is taken from other songs on Aerial (namely "Mrs. Bartolozzi"), and while it works as album artwork, it seems a weird stand-alone theme for this particular song. Bush's lip-sincing doesn't look right; her southern-drawl expression while singing isn't what I'd imagine. The newspaper clippings are jarring (it's weird to read words while listening to a song). And the video makes the whole thing an unambiguous mash-note to Elvis. Some reviewers took the song to be more of a contemplation on the emptiness of celebrity. All that possibility, that nuance gets sucked out by the video.
This is par for the course; in my experience, music videos are always bad. It's just especially annoying when they are applied to good songs and good artists.
5 Comments:
Terrific album, I think. I just love the *sound* of it; the new post-synth minimalism suits her so well.
Thanks for this post. I've been a Kate Bush fan for years, but haven't gotten around to buying the new album. I don't think this is an "unambiguous mash-note to Elvis." The references to Rosebud and all the questions about where he's been imply that she sees Elvis as a tragic figure. It's like she's desperately missing him. But the newspaper clippings send a mixed message - she seems to be making fun of other people's obsession with him, but she also empathizes with the fact that they miss him, too. Making fun of them in a gentle, teasing way.
So, rather complicated - on the one hand, acknowledging the superficiality surrounding a man who was, after all, a pop singer, - all he is now is an empty suit - but on the other hand, taking his influence seriously, on par with Citizen Kane. Exactly what I expect from Kate Bush.
Also, I disagree that music videos are always bad. Every culture has an art form that combines music and visual spectacle. Opera served that function for many years. Music videos are our version of that. Of course, I also grew up back in the day when MTV actually showed music videos, so I'm basically my opinion on a certain nostalgia. Full disclosure: I've produced a music video.
John -- buy the album. It's good.
Who did you produce a video for?
OK, I'll buy the album. I was in London when Sensual World came out - the poster was everywhere. I produced a music video for a guy named Jesic. You probably haven't heard of him - he's still working on the whole releasing-an-album thing - but you can watch the video here:
http://www.peeledzero.com/music.html (it's the second one down). It's not quite my style of music, but we came in under budget, so I did my job!
Laura-
I took your advice and bought the CD. I like it, more so than Sensual World. Thanks for the recommendation!
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