I really am looking to YouTube to come up with music videos I can review quickly so I can finally catch up, since I am 25 blogs behind, at the moment - I am determined to catch up, and I will. I was planning on doing Spice Girls' "Spice Up Your Life", but that's already done, then I came across Lady Gaga's "Judas", but I think that music video is going to take up too much of my time, for now - I will review it at a much later date - so then I stumbled across this one, and I'm surprised I haven't reviewed it yet; although to be fair, it's one of Britney Spears' weakest music videos. Watch black-haired Britney Spears pole dance while blonde-haired Britney watches with amusement before checking out a guy in the bar, in this music video to "Gimme More".
Britney Spears needs no introduction, she's one of the top female singers in the entire world who still manages to get chart hits when she needs to. She has recently finished her Vegas residency, which has certainly led the way for many singers to take on Vegas residences after her first set of shows were completely sold out. Reverse back in time, though, and Britney Spears was hitting all the headlines as she went through some personal struggles, and this song and it's subsequent album was released around that time. This was certainly a new side of Britney Spears and the music video really shows that her head wasn't into it - same goes with the other video released from the Blackout album "Piece Of Me" ("Break The Ice" doesn't count since it is an animation visual). The song still climbed high on the charts, regardless of the negative critical reception the video and song got. It managed to peak at number one in Canada; number two in Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden; and number three in Australia, Norway, the UK, and the US. The song was written by Nate Hills, James Washington, Keri Hilson, and Marcella Araica.
Directed by Jake Sarfaty, the music video is beyond basic and certainly isn't on par with what we expect from Britney Spears. Although, this song is certainly the beginning of "It's Britney, Bitch".
There's a slight narrative going on as we see blonde-haired Britney Spears enjoying a drink at a bar, whilst black-haired Britney Spears starts pole-dancing. Britney enjoys watching Britney's show before taking an interest in a guy who is also drinking within the venue.
The dancing isn't anything amazing, and to be fair I do pole dance much better than Britney Spears in this video when I go clubbing - as there is one venue with a pole on the dancefloor. She's quite methodical, clearly thinking about the steps she's taking and what she should do.
The music video was edited and re-edited, with a leak of the previous version being released in 2011. This version omitted the blonde-haired Britney scenes and included the female singer walking down the street and being in a zebra-print bed with a cat. It's clear that no matter what version was released and no matter how this was edited, it clearly couldn't have been saved. However, I much prefer this version, as it gives off a slight narrative that is relatable to the song itself; so, I guess it was a good decision to re-edit the video.
I have been obsessed with the recently released song "Boom Boom" by RedOne, Daddy Yankee, French Montana, and Dinah Jane; that is a re-work of this track. So, having already reviewed that music video, I thought I might as well review the music video to this classic track; that certainly takes me back to my childhood as it was released back in 2000 when I was seven years old. I certainly don't remember this music video though. Watch three young adults go out and have some fun and just live their life in this music video for Modjo's song "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)".
Modjo were a French duo consisting of Romain Tranchart and Yann Destagnol (also known as Yann Destal). They released one album and five singles, this one being their debut and biggest hit. Their follow-ups never quite hit the mark around the world, although "Chillin'" hit number 12 in the UK. The band members went their separate ways in 2003, focusing on their own solo careers; Romain Tranchart went down the producing and remixing path, whereas Yann Destal went on to release an album which gained moderate success in France. It really is this track that made them a total one-hit wonder. It hit number one in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland. The song samples Chic's "Soup For One". It was written by Yann Destagnol, Romain Tranchart, Bernard Edwards, and Nile Rodgers.
Directed by François Nemeta, the music video displays three young adults having a spontaneous day, where they just go with the flow and have a good time. It does make me think that this is where the idea of the Tim Berg "Seek Bromance" music video came from.
There are a few interpretations of this music video, some people seem to think that this is a polyamory relationship, whereas others think the one guy is just the third wheel. Either way, it's that shower that makes us all question what is really going on. Although, it's pretty clear that one of the guys and the girl is in a relationship with one another - that shower scene is definitely on the sexy side.
The narrative shows them purchasing a car and hitting the road to a festival where a lot of older adults are attending. Line-dancing is shown as well as a stage show, where a guy throws a bottle at one of the three main characters - which then leads to the shower scene. Then the car breaks down - was bound to happen - and the final scenes see them on top of a hill.
Overall, this music video doesn't make the concept clear and seems pretty unrelatable to the song. The one guy, who some refer to as the third wheel, feels more like our main character, which doesn't make sense compared to what the song is about; you would expect the other guy to be more of the main character. This music video displays free spirit with the young adults being carefree, which doesn't correlate to the song at all. It does get a slight kudo for Modjo appearing as backing characters, did you spot them? They were the car salesman and the mechanic. Yet, they don't add anything to save this as a whole.
Backdated Chart Mondays again, as I focus on catching up week-on-week. I will do this, I promise. Ed Sheeran remains on top with "Perfect", and therefore allows one of the top ten from the UK Singles Chart, to be reviewed by me. This one is dropping out. It is officially Marshmello's biggest selling single to-date which certainly goes on to show that this masked DJ is on top form for 2017, but can he keep it going as the new year comes through? The same goes for Khalid who will no doubt become a big star in the next few years. This was an undeniable catchy collaboration, that totally worked in both of these artists favours, I just wish the music video was that little bit better. Watch Khalid and Marshmello perform and bring a sense of unity in this inspiring and lovely music video for their collaborative single "Silence".
Marshmello has really stepped up to the chart music world recently with some incredible collaborations, proving why he is one of the top DJs in the world. He's been a name we've all known for some time, making waves on stages, at festivals, and in the dance music world, but didn't really have an identifiable hit until this one and "Wolves" came along. Now he's a force that we are all watching, prepared to see what else he brings to charts around the world. Featuring on the track is Khalid, full name Khalid Robinson, who is certainly a rising star, managing to fully stamp his way into the international music industry. We all know that the next few years will see him dominate charts around the world, especially with the hype behind him. This song, unsurprisingly, hit charts hard around the world, peaking at number two in Norway, and number three in the UK and New Zealand. "Silence" was written by Khalid Robinson and Marshmello.
This music video is mainly a performance piece with a narrative set within. We watch Khalid leave a building and get on his bicycle before the song starts. He has a subtle stage presence as he sings whilst sitting on the bike, backed up by four other cyclists and Marshmello on his own bicycle.
Their bicycles certainly draw the audience in as they have lights wrapped around the wheels - why did we not have them as children? Such a great idea! The narrative shows a bunch of people who aren't having the best of days being cheered up by Khalid and Marshmello and the rest of their group with their neon lights.
As for the performance side of things, Marshmello comes off more as an unanimated mascot for Khalid and the song, rather than displaying what he does best - where are those DJ decks? As for Khalid, he has this relaxed style of performing that doesn't release any energy or inspiring vibes; it's certainly his voice that makes us enjoy this song because he doesn't bring anything addicting to the visual itself.
Overall, I so expected this to be a lot better. More focus on the characters within the narrative would've allowed this music video to be more gripping and engaging for the audience. Instead, we're left with Khalid and Marshmello, not really living up to their incredible artistry; maybe they were just too tired from cycling everywhere and pouring their energy into creating the track; leaving the video to not meet our expectations. The narrative saves this from being a total disaster.
I forget that Alexandra Burke has collaborated with Pitbull, mainly because, this song and music video, collectively, isn't that memorable. I remember really not liking this visual and purposely avoiding it on the music channels, way back when. I just feel this is a low-budget and annoying concept that they came up with to film a party music video. Kudos for it being different, but it's certainly not to my liking. Watch Alexandra Burke party the night away all night long with a bunch of friends as the footage is taken from 50 cameras filmed by the party-goers in this music video for "All Night Long" featuring Pitbull.
Alexandra Burke is best known for winning the fifth series of The X Factor in the UK back in 2008. She has had a number of hit singles, including this one and has gone on to have a great career. She's gearing up to release her third studio album in the next couple of months, so I'm more than excited about that. She has recently been promoting herself by taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, where she came second; and, previously, she played the lead role, Rachel Marron, in The Bodyguard UK Tour. I'm sure with some great promotion behind her, she will make an epic comeback to music, with her third studio album. Featuring on the track is Pitbull, real name Armando Pérez, who is an American rapper who everybody pretty much knows. He has established his name in the music industry and continues to collaborate with the biggest and the hottest rising stars in the industry. This song did pretty well when it comes to chart success, all around the world, but didn't bring in quite the high numbers compared to previous singles. The song is undeniably catchy, but I have to admit, I'd rather not see that music video ever again. "All Night Long" was written by Richard Butler, James Scheffer, Louis Biancaniello, and Sam Watters.
The music video was directed by Dale Resteghini. To film this video, Alexandra Burke asked her family and friends to record the actions of this all night long pool party on pocket video cameras. The video opens explaining this in a few short words.
This concept is so stupid. It totally loses the audience, in my opinion. If I'm going to watch a party music video, I want to see something I admire, a great sense of performance energy from the artist, and something totally different and unexpected. It is a unique concept and something different, but I certainly don't mean that in a good way.
There's literally nothing entertaining going on in this music video. The cameras are moving too much, so much so that the viewers find it difficult to focus, and Alexandra Burke comes off more like an empowering dominant female who everyone follows orders from.
As for the Pitbull segment, it's clever he appears on the TV however he doesn't save this video at all. In fact, he just brings his typical Pitbull appearance to this scene and correlates his scene with the rest of the music video, with the dodgy filming. This is something I hope I never get to see again. On the other hand, I adore the song and will continue to hear it on my iTunes.
I know! I know! I know! I'm so far behind on my blog, it seriously looks like I'm never going to catch up, but you have no idea how hard I work and I am on a focused catch-up spree for the next few weeks, so expect music video review after music video review. I only know Becky G from her collaboration with Cher Lloyd on "Oath" so it'll be interesting to see what her biggest song of her career, to date, is like. It is quite a cheesy pop number but one that is crazily addictive and definitely lovely. Watch Becky G lounge around at her house/pool party whilst sexily singing in the shower fully-clothed in this music video for her hit single "Shower".
Becky G, real name Rebbeca Gomez, has really come into her own, recently, especially since she played the Yellow Ranger, Trini, in the 2017 film, Power Rangers. This could certainly skyrocket her as an artist with her getting more attention, which she certainly deserves if this song is anything to go by. She rose to fame after one of her videos caught the attention of Dr. Luke, who quickly signed her to his record label Kesombe Records. As Kesha's lawsuit is still ongoing, who knows what the outcome will be, let alone what will happen to the artists on the label, regardless, this song went viral and charted well in the US, although it didn't do so well in the UK, although number 80 is nothing to be snubbed at since the UK Chart rules isn't exactly helping new artists hit the scene. The song was written by Rebbeca Marie Gomez, Lukasz Gottwald, Henry Walter, Theron Thomas, and Timothy Thomas.
Directed by Tim Nackashi, this music video is pretty basic. It is totally a typical party music video, with some cool editing techniques and Becky G fully going for it with the fully-clothed shower which shows that she's prepared to try things to make the visual link with the song.
There's not a lot else to say about this music video because it really is simple, with some of the lyrics transcending right into the visual. Not only that but before the song even starts there are product placement and promotion, which definitely reminds me of an Avril Lavigne music video such as "What The Hell" or "Rock N Roll".
The pure performance music video certainly puts Becky G in a brilliant spotlight, showcasing her energy in every way. This is certainly something I can't fault her on, and she sure makes this video good; unfortunately, it's not memorable because it has been done so many times before.
Technically not a music video, but there isn't much of a choice upon this new release music video review. Besides, this is such a lovely visual for the song that it deserves to be reviewed by me. I previously reviewed the original version of "Perfect" for my Chart Mondays' review as it has climbed to the top this week, so it's incredible to see Ed Sheeran fight to stay at the top spot by releasing another version, this time with the incredible Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, in the hope of getting the Christmas number one (which he did). I'm not going to lie, I disliked this version very much when I first heard it, but I am growing to like it, slowly. I definitely like the symphony within the backing track. Watch Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli team up on an awesome rendition of this song, in the latter's house where the former marvels at everything around him in this music video for "Perfect Symphony".
Ed Sheeran is on top form this year! His album managed to be a huge success and every single song managed to chart in the UK top 20 - something no other artist has been able to do and no artist will be able to do since the rules have now been changed. He really is a dominant force in the music industry and the original of this song, titled just "Perfect" is most-likely the first dance at most wedding receptions. He already released a collaboration with Beyoncé titled "Perfect Duet", and then this one dropped with Andrea Bocelli. He is an Italian singer who has been blind since the age of 12, following a football accident. That hasn't stopped him at all, and he's gone on to have a stand-out career, one only singers can dream of. He's collaborated with top names and charted all over the world. He's best known for the song "Time To Say Goodbye" which was a collaboration with Sarah Brightman. This song was written by Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli.
Directed by Tiziano Fioriti, this music video is almost a behind the scenes video of what happened when Ed Sheeran recorded "Perfect Symphony" with Andrea Bocelli. The camera captures some beautiful moments from the very start, even before the song kicks in. This is what makes the video that extra bit magical.
This little insight is so amazing to see. You can tell Ed Sheeran is awe-struck by the house and various things he notices. Then there are comical moments, like when he tries to learn the bits in Italian. But the truly interesting bits are the interactions and the moments they harmonise. It's so great to watch.
Although to take it all into consideration, it's a totally different viewpoint to the original "Perfect" video, and it's more of a making-of video than an actual music video since there's no narration and no performance side to this at all. It's interesting to watch and a great different take. We totally see Ed Sheeran's humble side and how incredible this is overall.
I watched this as research for the Cedric Gervais version that I reviewed which is a collaboration with Howard Jones, also titled "Things Can Only Get Better"; which totally remixes the song and makes it current and catchy. It may not have charted but this original version sure did being very current at its time since new wave music was certainly in. I never even knew Howard Jones was a singer, I recognise him from TV. Watch Howard Jones perform live on stage, showing off his energy as we watch character profiles in this music video for his hit song "Things Can Only Get Better".
Howard Jones is quite a recognisable face, and I think I've spotted him on a number of TV shows, although which ones, I'm not sure. Anyway, he had a very successful career back in the 80's with a number of hit songs, this one being one of them. I didn't realise he was a singer until I started research on that previous blog post which was a Cedric Gervais collaboration of this song. I doubt Howard Jones could make a comeback to the music industry, let alone the charts - unless more remixes are in store for future releases. This song hit number six on the UK Singles Chart and number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was written by Howard Jones.
This music video is quite interesting considering the year it was released. If we knock away the square film and the blurry images - because that certainly wouldn't be happening today - we have quite a good music video.
The pure performance visual really displays Howard Jones' stage presence, and it really reminds me of Laura Tesoro's recently released music video for "Beast", as we see both of their teams set up the stage. In this case, Howard Jones has started to sing his song already and we watch him go from the building of the stage to his dressing room, and then back onto the stage to perform to his fans. It's been well-timed and put together very neatly.
As for Howard Jones' performance, he has brilliant energy from start to finish. He's emotionally honest in the first few scenes building up his energy slowly so that he can unleash it on the crowd during the show. It may be an old video, but it still comes across perfectly.
There are a few character profile scenes of various people who then gets the spotlight during certain scenes at the show. It's cool, clever and well thought-out. I just would've liked a closer link to the song itself.
WOW! When two top Russian Eurovision representatives from different years, come together, magic happens! This is the result and it's absolutely incredible! I sure hope this isn't the one and only time Sergey Lazarev and Dima Bilan collaborate because we need more of this! One of them is from Eurovision 2008 which he won (he also previously competed in 2006 coming second), the other graced the stage in 2016, also coming second. Together they sure are a force to be reckoned with and this is beautiful and authentic. Watch Sergey Lazarev & Dima Bilan perform their collaboration song amongst a forest and on the beach before turning into animals at the end, in this music video for "Прости меня"
Sergey Lazarev is best known for representing Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, where he came third with the song "You Are The Only One"; during the votes, he came out on top in the public vote, but it was the jury vote where he didn't score enough points. Overall he scored 491 points under the new voting system. He has gone on to release more addicting music (including this song) and continues to prove he is one of the top male Russian artists in the industry. The same can be said of Dima Bilan, the collaborator on this track. He has also represented Russia at Eurovision, he competed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 and the Eurovision Song Contest 2008; he came second in the former with his song "Never Let You Go" where he got 248 points, and won it in the latter with his song "Believe" where he gained 272 points; all of which was under the old points system. This is why this is a brilliant and epic collaboration! Surprisingly, the song didn't chart well in Russia, or in any other country, so it will definitely go down as a global treasure, one we all love but not enough to get it to chart well. The song translates into English as "Forgive Me" and is about asking a lover to forgive. It was written by Roma Kenga.
Directed by Leonid Kolosovskiy, the music video is displayed in black and white for no reason other than to stop colourisation and perhaps give it a solid sad feel to the song - which works but doesn't mean I have to like it. It's purely a performance video, that allows each artist to send out the emotion of the song.
The guys bring it for the visual, Sergey Lazarev is there bringing the passion in a forest-like setting, whilst Dima Bilan gives us all sorts of chills as he sings on a beach. He even drops a pocket watch with an image of a woman on to the sand - talk about hitting us in the heart.
There are some scenes that see them together, walking down a path that later splits off. There is also a whole performance scene in a totally different location against a black screen - it adds more depth because they are totally performing, but it looks quite odd mixed up in the other scenes.
I do love the final part, where Dima Bilan rushes into the water - we're very happy about seeing a wet Dima Bilan, but he soon turns into a dolphin which is more cute than sexy. All the while, Sergey Lazarev turns into an eagle as he runs to the top of a high-point. It's clever and cool, with some great emotional realness throughout. However, there's so much that could've been included, we needed more depth and the black and white visual doesn't add anything either.
I'm totally on a Carla's Dreams fix at the moment with their addicting songs and interesting music videos. I wasn't sure I would like this as I heard a clip in a Global Records round-up of 2017, but it just stood out to me and as soon as I watched the video and the song in full, I fell in love with it completely. Carla's Dreams sure are making waves in the music industry, around the world. The anonymous group proves that you can have a great successful career as an anonymous group. Watch Carla's Dreams perform while contemporary dancers perform in a group translating the song into an incredible story for the song "Pana La Sange".
Carla's Dreams are a Moldovan anonymous group who have charted well in Romania and has collaborated with some of their best artists. Their music certainly has their stamp all over it and every single song is easily identifiable as Carla's Dreams; they seriously are bringing something new to the music industry in every way. This single was the lead single from their most recent album, titled "Antiexemplu"; and it sure has been popular. The song's title translates into English as "To The Blood". It was written by Carla's Dreams and Alexandru Cotoi.
Directed by Roman Burlaca, the music video has the main focus on the dance narrative, while Carla's Dreams performance is subtle and disinteresting - much like his previous performance pieces, allowing the dancers to fully show off their story.
The choreography is on point from start to finish. Working with water is never an easy task, but these dancers bring it in every way. Easily portraying a love/hate relationship, relating to the song perfectly.
What I don't like about the music video is the trance-like state it puts me in, and I don't mean it in a good way. The constant switching from a black background where the dancers are performing, to a stark-white background where Carla's Dreams is singing the song is off-putting and makes the audience blink too many times, in an attempt to keep up. It just doesn't work. However, putting that aside the awesome choreography makes up for everything.
It's Chart Mondays again for my back-dated review and it's the week that Ed Sheeran climbs up to the very top of the UK Chart with his addicting sweet song "Perfect". Since it is the UK number one, and still is three weeks later, I have to review the music video for Chart Mondays. It is quite a Christmas-themed video with his intention to have it as the Christmas number one, which he surely did that when he released "Perfect Duet" featuring Beyoncé as well as "Perfect Symphony" featuring Andrea Bocelli, combining all sales and streams - I expect this song to remain at the top for some time. Watch Ed Sheeran and Zoey Deutch go on holiday together to Austrian ski resort, Hintertux, where they spend some sweet time together in the snow, in this music video for "Perfect".
Ed Sheeran is a force to be reckoned with in the UK. His latest album sky-rocketed on charts all around the world, with all of the tracks charting inside the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart - an accomplishment that made the Official Chart Company change their rules so that such a thing could never ever happen again. This song, in particular, did well for itself, and is certainly one of those songs that many couples would choose as their first dance at their wedding receptions - it's just one of those songs, for sure. The one thing Ed Sheeran hadn't had, yet, was a Christmas number one, so the release of this song as an official single, with various versions released and this brilliant music video, certainly made the song stay at the top of the charts for the Christmas holiday season. The song was written by Ed Sheeran.
Directed by Jason Koenig, this music video stars actress Zoey Deutch as his love interest and was set in the Austrian ski resort, Hintertux. Ed Sheeran and Zoey Deutch really show off their acting skills as they display a loving relationship that's fun and full of sparks.
The completely narrative music video is beyond cute; it's actually adorable. They meet up in a restaurant after Ed Sheeran glances at an old photo on the train. We watch various scenes throughout; mostly, of them learning to ski before tackling the ski slopes.
There's a snowball fight scene and they create snow angels - I've still never done that. They later get pizza, treck through the forest and then eat the now-cold pizza in their log cabin. The box has a message from Ed Sheeran saying that he has a song for her, and that's when he sits her down and serenades her with this very sweet song.
There isn't a performance piece unless you count the serenading at the end. It's such a loveable music video that has lots of charming moments, but it doesn't bring anything new to the table and doesn't go anywhere. It's such an endearing visual that effortlessly relates to the song, but I just wanted something more.
