Chart Mondays: Maroon 5 - Don't Wanna Know

November 28, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



Now before you all moan that I haven't tagged the featured artist, Kendrick Lamar, into this blog post, it's because this music video doesn't include his rap. Since Clean Bandit is still at the top of the UK Singles Chart in collaboration with Anne-Marie & Sean Paul with "Rockabye", it opens the top 10 for my Chart Mondays review. I chose this one because it's an extremely catchy song and the video is quirky and spoof funny. Maroon 5 dress as bugs, that humans are trying to catch and zap on a mobile app similar to Pokemon Go. Frontman Adam Levine falls for a woman in an orange costume who can fly in this video for "Don't Wanna Know".

Maroon 5 is a band we all know and love. They always have some of the best music videos and have really stood the test of time with their music and longevity. The band consists of Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, James Valentine, Matt Flynn, and PJ Morton. They've had various hits over the years, and this being in the UK Top 10 Singles Chart is another one to add to their collection. The song originally features a rap from Kendrick Lamar, real name Kendrick Duckworth. He is one of the biggest American rappers out at the moment, but surprisingly the song has omitted the rap from this music video. The song was written by Kendrick Lamar, Adam Levine, Benny Blanco, John Ryan, Jacob Kasher, Ammar Malik, Kurtis McKenzie, Jon Mills, and Alex Ben-Abdullah.

Directed by David Dobkin, the video is a comedic spoof of Pokemon Go. Whilst also relating to the song, it is definitely quirky. The video also has cameos from various stars including Sarah Silverman, Amanda Cerny, Shaquille O'Neal, Ed Helms, and Vince Vaughn.

The opening scenes show Adam Levine in his bug costume, which he wears throughout the video. He is missing his former lover, Sarah Silverman, who is displayed in a photograph. His costume is super cute, for sure.

The music kicks in as he drives around town, with clips of the other band members going about their day, all of which are dressed up in bright coloured bug-like costumes too.

Adam Levine's car comes to a stop at a crossing as he watches Ed Helms get chased by people with an app, which later zaps Ed Helms and he vanishes. Adam Levine gets out of his car and starts to run. At the same time, the other band members start to run. There are seven band members shown in the video, which means touring member Sam Farrar also appears in this video too.

Adam Levine manages to escape to a park, where he hides behind a tree until he comes across Amanda Cerny dressed as an orange. They get found by humans and she flies away, up into the air. This is where this narration ends and a new one picks up... Did Adam Levine get zapped? Or did he manage to run away? We may never know.

The new narration picks up with Adam Levine sunbathing in his bug costume beside his pool. A human jumps over the fence to try and zap him with the app, but Adam Levine zaps him right back; don't walk on a Pokemon's property or be prepared to be blown up!

The video continues with a party and the aftermath of the party. We watch as Adam Levine finally stumbles across the orange again, but she turns her back on him; how rude! At the end, we watch a café scene with Vince Vaughn as they chat about standing up for themselves.

The chopped up narrative is intercut with performance scenes, including a tour scene. Showing energy and their usual flare, Maroon 5 shine even when in their costumes. I like the director's comedic scene where he suggests the group should wear hats, but Adam Levine doesn't want to spoil his image, all the while dressed as a very cute animal!

Overall, this video is totally full and fun. They look exhausted being in those costumes. Adam Levine looks love lost which is totally good, but for the first time in a long time, the other band members manage to outshine the frontman. It's refreshing to see, but definitely not something I was expecting. The narrative is too separate for my liking, it doesn't quite flow and doesn't make complete sense. Yet, it's solid nonetheless.
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