MOST film clips, in
Musicology's humble opinion, are either boring or a waste of time. How many times have you watched
Rage, Channel V or
Video Hits and seen the same thing, just with different music?
If it's a rock band, it's usually just another performance clip. The band play their song, there are some arty camera angles or cheap effects, and maybe some abstract shots of... well, abstract stuff... that doesn't enthrall you or linger in the memory.
If it's an urban, hip-hop or pop track, it's mostly just pretty people dancing. And lots of booty. And that's all.
But some film clips are something special. They transcend the idea that a music video is just an ad for a song and become a work of art on their own.
The best ones not only add to the vibe, message or soul of a song, but they take it to a new level and become something iconic.
Here is the first installment in Musicology's series on the best film clips of all time:
Just - Radiohead
THIS isn't just a personal favourite. When bands guest program Rage, this is one of the most chosen film clips. The reason is that it works like a short film and its tantalising conclusion leaves you thinking. The clip features a man lying on the street and a heated subtitled argument between him and passers-by about why he's lying there. As Radiohead look on from many storeys up, the man refuses to tell the people why he's on the ground until eventually, fed up with the questions, he says: "I'll tell you why I'm lying here... but God forgive me... and God help us all... because you don't know what you ask of me.'' His reason doesn't appear in the subtitles and the next shot is an overhead one that shows all the passers-by lying on the ground next to him. Radiohead and director Jamie Thraves have never revealed what the man says (because there is no answer) but it leaves you scratching your head. The best idea I've heard is that the man simply said "I can see Radiohead from here''.
Walk Of Life - Dire Straits
Sorry, Universal Music won't let us embed this clip but you can watch it here.
DIRE Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler hated doing film clips (more on that when we review Money For Nothing in a future installment) and the idea behind this one is deliriously simple. The entire film clip (the US version anyway) is shots of the band playing on stage, intercut with sporting bloopers, Wide World Of Sports style. As a kid, I loved it. The clip is the music video equivalent of Funniest Home Videos and if Dire Straits hadn't done it, I'm sure someone else would have. For some reason, it works really well, mostly because the "up'' vibe of the song is perfectly matched by the silly sports clips. A good music video doesn't have to be cerebral, it can be just fun.
My Hero - Foo Fighters
THIS is a case of a film clip that makes you wonder "how did they do that?''. The whole thing looks like one shot, no cuts, and features a man running into a burning building. As he wades through the smoke, he passes the Foo Fighters playing the song, before busting down a door and rescuing a baby. After taking the baby to safety, he enters a different apartment, where the band is also playing. He goes in and out of three different appartments, rescuing people and animals and being a hero, passing the band each time. And it looks like there are no edits. Apparently there are, hidden by the smoke, but they're done so well that you never notice. Instead, you just see a faceless average Joe hero, doing his bit in a bad situation - exactly what the song is all about.
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Sorry, Michael Jackson won't let us embed this clip but you can watch it here.
ONE of the most iconic clips of all time and one of the most expensive (it was the most expensive when it was made). Jackson and An American Werewolf In London director John Landis teamed up to make not just a music video but a 14-minute short film (the song only goes for six minutes) involving werewolves, zombies, horror movie veteran Vincent Price and mass choreographed dancing. The dance moves and Jackson's costume have been referenced repeatedly in pop culture since but the real power of this clip is that it set a new benchmark for what the medium could do. It remains the biggest-selling music video of all time, reportedly selling more than nine million copies on VHS when it was released.
Here It Goes Again - OK Go
THIS film clip is perhaps solely responsible for anyone knowing who OK Go are. It was also the first music video to demonstrate the power of YouTube and it catapulted the song up the US charts with little other promotion. The video features the members of the band performing a brilliantly elaborate dance routine using treadmills, with no edits. Once again, it's a great example of how a simple idea (which could have been done for 10 bucks provided you could borrow a few treadmills) can make a fantastic clip. It remains one of the most-watched clips ever on YouTube.
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