Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

This is Katy Perry's fifth single from her second album: "Teenage Dreams". She has broken a world record on the Billboard chart in the US, where she has managed to get a number 1 for every single she has released from Teenage Dreams. This record has never been done by a female artist, and the only other person who managed to do this was Michael Jackson. However here in the UK, the song only managed to get to number nine, and she failed to make number one in many other countries too.

This song was written by Katy Perry, Dr. Luke, Bonnie McKee and Max Martin, who keeps on popping up in a lot of the music videos I write about. It has a chatty sort of side to it, which reminds a lot of people of Ke$ha. The song was mainly written by Katy Perry, and she has been quoted as saying that most of the things she sings about, did actually happen, except for ménage à trois. Also the lyrics are all about going out clubbing and partying, and then having a little too much to drink and then doing stupid things. Apparently during the morning after the night before, Katy Perry started writing about everything she did that night and then created it into a song, with the help of Max Martin, Dr. Luke and Bonnie McKee (who apparently joined Katy Perry on her wild night out).

This is such a big music video, and you can see that with the amount of YouTube views, which is not far from hitting the 100 million mark (A.K.A. 100,000,000). Katy Perry took the persona of her thirteen year old alter-ego: Kathy Beth Terry. She was the main character in this 8 minute long music video, which is shortened down to 3-4 minutes for the music channels. The song is in honour of Rebecca Black's single "Friday", and kind of gives Rebecca more credit, and to be honest she really doesn't look thirteen. I also like how Kathy Beth Terry took some interviews before this music video was released, and Katy set up alter-ego face book and twitter pages, and a lot of people were unsure what they thought of her. However I think they managed to turned things around on the release of the music video. I think this video is probably going to go down in history as one of Katy's most iconic video, and I can definitely imagine it being played again and again in the years to come.

A lot of famous people appeared in this music video, and I thought I'm just mention a few of them, hopefully you'll recognise at least 2 of them. Well Katy Perry was her alter-ego Kathy Beth Terry. Rebecca Black played herself. Debbie Gibson played Kathy's mom, and Corey Feldman as her dad. Many other famous faces appear such as Darren Criss (who's most known as playing Blaine in Glee) appears a little. Kevin McHale (known for playing Artie in Glee) plays a nerdy Everett McDonald. A band appears at one stage, they re called "Hanson" (Most known for singing "MMMBop") and Kenny G plays Kathy's Uncle. You may find the odd few who might be well known hidden here and there if you find anyone please tell me, ad I'll be sure to add them

I really like how Rebecca Black decides to make Kathy look pretty, although I don't think it's much of an improvement, and besides someone should like someone because of what they are like in the inside, rather then what they look like on the outside. But then again it's not like it's anyone's fault, who you are and what you look like can definitely be two totally different things, and you can definitely tell that by Kathy, because obviously she is a party person, because she's going to "do it all again" next Friday night. However she definitely doesn't look the part. Therefore it goes without saying "Don't judge a book by the cover" although you can't possibly decide to read every book you come across, so on the outside, it sometimes counts.

I really like the imaginative side of things with this video, and I definitely like it how happy Kathy is with the guy in the bed. and some of the snapshots at the end are hilarious. Although I do have to admit, some bits are a little over the top, but maybe it was worth it. But really.... Was there any need in making the music video into a short film? It just makes it seem like they tried too hard, and was it truly worth it?

Some parents would be offended by the music video, and I'm surprised it hasn't been banned on the music channels yet. I know it isn't as bad as some of the videos that have already been restricted, but I still think a few parents would be worried if their young child was singing "There's a Stranger in my bed, there's a pounding in my head".

Overall I really like the chatty-song and the music video fits perfectly, it's what you can easily expect for this song, and although it's not very imaginative, it's extremely interesting, and very different to all the music videos that have been released so far this year. And although she didn't manage to get a number 1 for this song here in the UK, I am pretty sure the music video will bin and again and again.

Britney Spears - I Love Rock 'N' Roll


 
This marks Britney's only cover which she released as a single. This song is the closest she has ever become to going down the rock route, however I very much advise her never to try another rock song, purely because she has a specific twang in her voice that is perfect for pop and dance music. And although she sings this cover really well, I'm not sure if I prefer it over anyone elses. This song has been covered so many times by so many people, it's a wonder that the original still exists. The original song was sung by the Arrows, however Joan Jett and the Blackhearts made the single most famous. The Arrows wrote it as a response to The Rolling Stones "It's Only Rock 'N Roll (But I Like It)", Joan Jett heard the Arrows performing it on their own show and soon decided to record it and release it as a single. Since then many, many artists have performed and released this song, the most recent single release of this song is Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney's collaboration.
 
Britney Spears' single managed to get to number 1 here in the UK, and although nowadays that is considered as a high charting position, it was Britney's lowest charting until the recent releases of "Till The World Ends" and "I Wanna Go". I am really hoping that sometime in the future, Britney will get that UK number one that she has been unable to get in the past 6-7 years.
 
When Britney's version is played on the radio (which is rare), you can tell it is her version because of that twang that you can hear in the song. She sings the song well, although she definitely couldn't make it in the rock industry, and she definitely wouldn't suit being in a female-fronted band. She was asked to sing karaoke for the film Crossroads, and she had actually sang this song a few times in clubs that she's been to. She also publicly admitted that this song is one of her favourites.
 
The music video, is the typical rock band video, Britney is in the front singing the song, while rocking out and head-banging now and again. She had a band behind her, on drums and guitars and maybe other instruments. She is dressed in tight-fitting leather getup. It is a simple video with not a lot going on, Britney crawls, and jamms out and she plays air guitar and also smashes a real guitar. I have to admit though, it is kind of saved thanks to the clip on the motorcycle, I don't know why but it brings out a biker chick in Britney and it really works. However seems like a very low-budget music video and some unexplained things happen in the music video.
 
The drip drip drip of whatever is leaking makes no sense whatsoever, and doesn't really fit in with the lyrics of the song, however it's not a bad music video, although I do think they could have done a lot more. Maybe they could have set it in a bar that has it's own jukebox and she sings it there. Since the jukebox links perfectly with the line in the chorus: "put another dime in the jukebox baby".
 
Overall I love the song and it works perfectly with Britney's voice, every now and then. However the music video isn't so engaging and it definitely seems like they never actually thought it through. Honestly I would say that it definitely isn't one of Britney's top music videos, it may even be her worse, after a few shocking ones that have been released a few years ago. Anyway I think I have rated it fairly, and I hope you agree.

Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time


This is totally CLASSIC Britney Spears, you cannot get older than this (well apart from when she was in the Mickey Mouse Club). This was Britney's first ever release, all the way back in 1998, it seem so long ago now, and so many cheesy pop songs was being released around that time, and only a handful of artists managed to be propelled into stardom and fame. And Britney was one of them. She managed to get a number one with this song in every single country she released it in. Furthermore, at year-end charts she smashed it around the world, with this single managing to get high in the charts, as for the UK end charts she got number one, and it turned 2x platinum, her best selling single to date. Lets hope that someday one of her new and future singles can do just that, or at least get a number one, it has been an extremely long time since she managed to do just that.

This song was written by Max Martin, again he pops up in the world of Britney. She has used his songs quite a few times over the years, and he is becoming a well-known songwriter and producer. Britney is so flawless in what she does but over the years her fans have dropped and although she has gained many more, she has been unable to grab the important UK number ones. Max Martin co-wrote Britney's most recent single "I Wanna Go" and the music video definitely revisited the Britney we see in this video, only she shows how grown-up she has become. This music video kick-started her career, so it's only right if I review this right now.

It was Britney's personal idea for the music video to be the way it was, and the original idea (which was all centred around a cartoon) was scrapped. I like the whole idea of the fact that all of the clothes Britney used were all from Kmart and none of the costumes were over $17 (around £10.47), which makes it true and definitely interests the younger generation, and will constantly be interesting them, as the music video is probably the most played video of all time on the music channels. And it has been viewed more than 50 million times on YouTube.

I like the back flips and the other "gymnastic" moves, which I'm not sure if Britney did them or not..... I have questioned this ever since I've watched it. My other theory is that she did a front-flip and they reversed it as the people in the background are a little weird. However no ones going to tell us, so that is all my thoughts.

I also like the bit in the gymnasium where everyone creates a circle and do some dancing, which really looks amazing with the aerial camera. But what I like the most is the ending, where it flips back to the start as if she's just imagined the whole thing. This has been used (once again) in Britney's most recent video which was "I Wanna Go" as the exact same thing happens, how she day-dreamed everything that goes on. ALSO there is a tribute to this music video in another video of Britney's which was "If U Seek Amy" where she walks out at the end, and she's a house wife, and her "daughter" is wearing a similar school outfit. NOTE: All three songs and more was written by Max Martin. I hope to see more links in the future.

Overall this music video is great and works well with the song and lyrics. I don't understand why people would dislike it, but I presume everyone doesn't like the same things as everyone else. So I hope you all agree with this rating, as I'm pretty sure it definitely deserves it!
Buy on iTunes

Within Temptation - Faster


I first came across this amazing band back in 2007 when the rock music channels frequently played "What Have You Done" which featured Keith Caputo, and this song is their best-selling UK single so far, and it looks unlikely they will ever beat it. They have now been going for 14-15 years, and although I had heard of them every now and again, it wasn't until they collaborated with Keith Caputo, that I discovered them. I admit, I'm not a fan, I'm a fan of the UK chart, and so I buy singles from bands/artists that I like, and who manages to make the charts, so unfortunately Within Temptation fails to meet the latter criteria, and so, although I really like their music, I fail to buy it because it doesn't gain enough interest to make an impact on the charts. Back then I believe they were really similar to Evanescence, however now they've definitely changed the way they are and I have to admit they have definitely outgrown the Evanescence similarity, and if this band gets the popularity they deserve, maybe, just maybe, they might become bigger than any rock act that is still around today.

Within Temptation is a unique and very different rock band. The six-piece group consists of Sharon den Adel, Robert Westerholt, Jeroen van Veen, Ruud Adrianus Jolie, Martijn Spierenburg and Mike Coolen. This music video was filmed in January 2011, and at that time Sharon den Adel was pregnant with her third child, the father being Robert Westerholt, she gave birth to Logan in March 2011. And I have to be totally true about this, you cannot tell she is pregnant, and I only knew because someone on YouTube said so. And she still looks really pretty, so I have to congratulate her on the music video.

The song is amazingly catchy. I usually catch it on the radio now and again, and I always wonder who sang it because they manage to show the emotions in the song, and it's so powerful. And works really good with the music video.

There is a lot of talk about this music video, because it looks a lot like it's a song that is for a soundtrack, and the implemented bits of the clips really gives that theory. Then you discover that a short film was made to coincide with the song, and this short film is really interesting and engaging and I can't help but watch it again and again. As more singles are released more short films are released which makes it even more interesting, however I have sworn to myself that I won't go exploring until I decide to do another review of Within Tempatation's new songs, and hopefully you won't have to wait too long to read those reviews.

The video that can be seen on the right of this paragraph is the short film that coincides nicely with the song. Again Within Temptation has managed to shock everyone with a unique twist in the way they present things, and I feel a little bit sad for them as they have been unable to make the UK chart with their new singles, although I am unsure if they actually released the song on the UK iTunes. I very much prefer this video/music video over the one that I displayed at the top, because it has a better narrative and explains it really nicely and works perfectly with the song. Whereas the one at the top is cropped and cut-up into bits, which is a little sad as you don't get the full-on effect. However I'm pretty sure the music channels are unable to show a nine minute music video, and so I totally understand why they had to create the chopped-up version.

Overall I really like the whole new idea that Within Temptation has created and I really love the instrumental bit in the song. I am getting more and more obsessed with this band and I hope they find the worldwide popularity that they most definitely deserve. I think everyone has to agree with my rating, as I certainly cannot give this music video anything less.

Abi Phillips Featuring Fugative - Summer Sunshine

Abi Phillips is an upcoming female singer, and her voice is amazing, and if he manages to get enough fans and promote herself more, she is bound to easily compete against the UK female stars of today, such as Jessie J and Pixie Lott. She has a very unique voice which is different to anything that is out nowadays. She looks a lot like Ke$ha, answer to Ke$ha, however Abi's not getting very far and needs to do a lot more promoting as she has an amazing voice, but she is failing to get fans and even this collaboration has failed.

I was surprised to find out that this song has already been released on the UK iTunes. The music channels are in favour of the song and play it quite a few times a day, but she didn't promote the song and so it failed to make the UK chart, which is a little disappointing since the song is one of those songs that easily gets stuck in your head. Abi Phillips will be recognisable by the fans of Hollyoaks since she plays a girl called Liberty Savage. She's from my hometown of Birmingham, West Midlands, and wrote a song called "Missing You", she sent it to Hollyoaks who liked the song so much, they ed it in some episodes, this enabled Abi to gain a character in the popular soap. Now she is trying to make it as a singer/songwriter, but she is still filming Hollyoaks, so it'll be unsurprising if she'll end up having to drop one of the things she wants to do.

This song should have definitely made the UK charts, as it is really catchy, and I usually can't get it out of my head. I also thought that the collaboration with Fugative would have helped, but clearly it did not, and this is represented through the amount of YouTube views, which is just a little of 100,000 at this current moment, which is nothing, if compared to other artists. Fugative's real name is Harry Byart, no wonder he decided on a star name for his singing career. He is only 17 years old, and has managed to have 5 charted singles so far, however only 2 of them has ever made the top 40. He is a rapper (as you probably had guessed) and has toured with the likes of Basshunter. He is definitely someone who's bound to have a hit record sometime soon, and I definitely thought he wold have been able to help Abi earn some fans, but looks like that failed to. These are two artists that are stuck in the middle. You are not entirely sure if they are going to succeed in the future, or they are likely to fail and go back to being an everyday average person. But I hope the latter doesn't happen as they are both really good, they just need to do a lot more promoting, and hopefully we'll be able to cast them out as two of the great UK singers.

This song is definitely a feel-good summery song, as the title suggests. Abi's voice works perfectly with the song, and she wrote this song herself. Also she is currently writing her debut album and so she is definitely very busy at this very moment. This song, if it was a collaboration by two world-wide singers, then this would have definitely made the top of the charts, however the fact that it's a collaboration of two young upcoming artists proves why this song failed to get the attention it definitely needed. However I love the song, and it's so catchy, it gets stuck in my head every now and again, and it's very addicting.

The music video works perfectly with the song, and it is kind of expected since summer sunshine kind of music videos are all similar, and it needs to get people in the mood for enjoying the summer sunshine, so how else are they going to do that, other than showing a really hot place where some people can only wish of? I don't think this music video would stand out at all, it's pretty basic and simple, and it's pretty much similar to all the other summery songs that are released in summer time, so it's nothing we haven't seen before.

Overall it links well with the music behind the song, and fits nicely with some of the lyrics, as it's a feel-good summer song. I hope Abi Phillips will soon become more known and I can definitely see her crashing the charts sometime in the future, but will her fans from Hollyoaks help her? Or is she at a loose end, and will have to give up music for good? We'll just have to sit back and watch this unfold.
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