Modjo - Lady (Hear Me Tonight)

December 19, 2017 Critic Jonni 4 Comments


Lady (Hear Me Tonight) - Modjo |

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.
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4 comments:

  1. Wow, great post Jonni! You deffo don't miss anything with what everything means in the video. Loving It!

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  2. The two in the relationship is the fantasy...

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  3. the boys get together in part 2

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  4. I think I have this song figured out. First of all, this is definitely a sample of Chic's Soup For One, (1982) which apparently has a connection to the lyrics, and video. How so?

    You mention that the focus seems to be largely on the bald, "third wheel" guy. There is a reason for this. He is the narrator of the song, and truly is the third wheel. Notice the first 26 seconds are exclusively locked on him, and as he enters the restaurant we see her through his eyes. There is little attention on her boyfriend, who is actually quite forgettable. As they walk out of the restaurant, again we see her through his eyes.

    He won't get her out of his mind
    He senses love now from her, for the first time
    And he knows that it's true
    He can tell by the look in her eyes

    If you notice, he looks more serious than happy throughout the video, as he mentally expresses his repressed love for her. She is a bit flirty with him, which must be a challenge. He refers to her as "lady" out of respect, while he hopes and waits for true, requited love. Meanwhile, he drinks soup for one.

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