The Pogues Featuring Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale Of New York

I have to be honest with you all, I haven't been looking forward to doing any of these Christmas music videos, I don't know why, but there are a few reasons that may just be the combination of all of them. The main reason why, i think, is because I haven't felt in the Christmas spirit this year, which is kind of weird since very year since I can remember, I have been looking forward to Christmas, but this year, something is different and I'm not entirely sure what that is. Another reason could be that all these Christmas songs are old, and so the music video will not be up to scratch compared to all the others I have reviewed since I started this blog. The final, and only other reason I can come up with, is that I have so much going on at the moment, with so much to do, that I seem to be letting things slide and this blog is definitely one of them, and although I love to write, I just want to feel that special Christmas magic again, and I don't know why it is missing.

This song is definitely my favourite Christmas song of all time, there's just something about it that makes it that little bit special. It has made names out of both the artists, and everyone knows who The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl are now, but people only know them because of this song, and it begs to question, would people buy any single The Pogues released, or are they just prepared to buy this one? Kirsty MacColl tragically died while on holiday saving her children. Which suggests that people should buy this song in sympathy of Kirsty MacColl, but surprisingly it still has not reached Number one yet in the UK, will it ever... We'll have to wait and see, but I doubt that it will get to the top of the charts.

The music video is surprisingly natural and interesting, I love the fact that the music video is exactly what the lyrics mean and it's a direct interpretation, preventing me from marking down this music video based on narrative, as the lyrics and the music video match perfectly. Although, the NYPD does not have a choir, instead they have a pipes and drums band.

This song was released in 1987, back then, they actually had colour TV, believe it or not. So why was this made in black and white? That's one big question. My interpretation of it is that it emphasises his sorrows and misgivings, and suggests that he did wrong. Although, if it were filmed in colour I would've been a lot happier, as it took me some time to finally get around to watching this music video.

I like everything about it, I like the fact that the lyrics and the music video match, and I like the use of the NYPD pipes and drums and everything else that was featured in the music video. But like all old music videos, there's something lacking, this clearly could have been more, instead they went down the simplicity road, and although it may not always be the best of roads to follow, it looks like it turned out alright to me.

New Release: Joe McElderry - Last Christmas

I was struggling for what to do for New Release, since it's my Christmas week Special, I needed a new release that coincided with Christmas but which also had a music video. I wanted to do Stacey Solomon's "Driving Home For Christmas" however there isn't a music video for it, which is quite worrying,, so after looking at all the others I didn't have a clue what to do, since some doesn't have a link with Christmas, whereas others did but didn't have a music video. This one was a last resort, due to the fact that this is quite short, so probably doesn't count much as a music video, and also hasn't made the iTunes top 1000 downloads as of yet, so could this suggest that this song isn't going to chart?

Joe McElderry won The X Factor back in 2009. His competitors, who have also managed to release songs and become quite known were, Olly Murs (second), Stacey Solomon (third), Danyl Johnson (fourth), Lloyd Daniels (fifth), Jedward (sixth), Jamie Archer now in band Archer (seventh). Joe McElderry has gone up against his former competitor Stacey Solomon this week to see who will get the highest chart position, and if iTunes is anything to go by Stacey Solomon has totally won. After just one album, Joe was released from his contract with Syco, and was then launched into Popstar to Operastar, which he won. Now, under Decca Records, Joe has released 2 albums, one of which got to Number two on the UK Albums chart, which is his highest album chart position to date.

This song is a cover of Wham!'s well known single "Last Christmas". Joe is not the only artist releasing this song this week, as a matter of fact, The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) cast has released this single too (and their single is in the iTunes chart, so where is Joe?) The song was written by George Michael, and has been covered a number of times, including Cascada, Billie Piper and The Crazy Frog. It doesn't look like Joe has a chance of getting into the chart this week, which is unfortunate as he is a really good singer, which is why he has won two singing competitions so far.

The music video is quite short, would I call it a music video? I'm not sure, it is short and I bet the song on "Classic Christmas" or even on the single, is much longer than this. It suggests that this could merely be an advertisement for his album, but for the time being we're going to presume it's a music video.

It's got a lot to do with Christmas, and I like the use of the snow, it makes it even more celebratory, will we have a white Christmas this year? We've had a bit of snow, so it's always possible... It also looks like Joe is having a Christmas party, but all he is doing is singing rather than having conversations with his friends and family.

There is no relationship with the song and the video, for all we know this music video could have been given to any of his songs on his album, as there is no narrative whatsoever. Also some of the time, Joe is singing and his lips are moving at the wrong time so the music doesn't quite match up. This is heightened right at the end, because what he is singing in the video and what he is singing on the track are different.

Overall this looks like a very simple music video, with not a lot happening and not much of a link to the song. It could have been a lot better, and they could have at least matched what he is saying up to the track a lot better. It's an okay music video but I really don't think it is that good, therefore my rating isn't that high.

Britney Spears - Everytime

Britney Spears has been around for ages, she has released a number of hits, but unfortunately she has yet to gain a number one album here in the UK. However she has had a number of singles that have topped the chart, but "Everytime" was her last number one in the UK back in 2004, and it doesn't look like she will get to the top spot again. Her last two singles "I Wanna Go" and "Criminal" didn't even make the chart, so is Britney falling so fast that there will not be any pieces left to build her back up? Or will she get to the top spot with her next single and manage to release that parachute?

This song was written by Britney Spears and Annette Stamatelatos. This is probably one of the reasons why this managed to get to number one because it is so personal to Britney and she was the one who wrote it, which is different to her new releases because she doesn't sing it with the passion it clearly deserves. This single is amazing and the music video fits in perfectly. Apparently the song is a reaction to Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River", Britney and her younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears, were shocked at the music video for "Cry Me A River" as it showed a side of Britney that she didn't want revealed. So this is more of a comeback, and it works perfectly.

The music video is amazing, I've watched it a number of times and realised it's probably the most emotional music video that was ever made for Britney. There's a lot to like about it, and it gives us a bit of an insight about her, that we wouldn't normally have. Personally, a good music video is sometimes what influences a single to get to the top spot, which explains why this is her most recent number one single to date.

The music video shows her concepts of fame and the behind the scenes reflection on how she really feels. I think it's quite clever how she gets mad at her boyfriend for being angry at the photographer, but really she is angry at the amount of paparazzi that just wants the perfect shot to expose her. It shows a perfect struggle, in which she doesn't want to let her guard down, not even for a minute, because if she does it could be the end of her, or that what she thought back then.

The music video also suggests that she can't put up with it all, and in a moment of hesitation she ends up attempting suicide, this is basically letting the paparazzi win, they've got her right where they want her, and in a world without Britney would music now be the same? I like how we see her running back, as if she wants to be alive and not dead, and then she comes awake with a smile. That smile could be for anything, it could show she isn't going to let her stardom fail her, that she's going to live life to the full. But it could also reference a threat, that this is how easy she can disappear from us all, so back off or else. It's quite inspirational and shows how gutsy she can be.

Overall I like this music video, but it's simple and slow and not much going on. It can be read so many different ways that complaints had been pushed through here and there, but there were people who liked it and didn't want to complaints to prevent the showing of the video. I like it because it shows Britney as herself, we get to see parts of her that the paparazzi has no chance of getting, and I think that is the great bit about it.
Buy on iTunes

The Noise Next Door - Calendar Girl



The Noise Next Door were a three piece pop/rock band that consisted of triplets Craig Sutton, Ed Sutton and Scott Sutton. They became well known for their bright red hair, and they came out around the time "Busted" had split up. Everyone I knew was talking about them, even my brother CamCam, who doesn't take all that much interest in music, especially then, thought they were going to make it big. They were titled as the new "Busted", but things turned sour. And that may have been due to the fact that they got rid of their red hair and put it back to their natural hair colour (I presume, they dyed it brown). Since the day they changed their hair colour their releases didn't get very high in the chart, and just before their album was released (finally after four singles) they were dropped and the fans never got their hands on that album. Since then they have appeared on an ITV documentary in 2008, which I watched, called Identical Triplets: Their Secret World. Since then nothing new has come about, which is very unfortunate, they could have done amazingly if only they had kept that red hair. Maybe they regret it. Will they ever come back? I doubt it, although rumours have been spread. It's definitely the era for reunions, could this be another one? And if so will they make it or break it?

This song is their highest chart topper making Number 11. However if downloads were more popular back then, I reckon the B-Side to their first single "Lock Up Your Daughters" would have managed to make number one, this was because the B-Side was "Ministry of Mayhem", the song of which, was used for the opening sequence of children's TV show called "Ministry of Mayhem", the hosts of which were Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby. "Calendar Girl" was probably my favourite song that they released, and I actually still have the CD Single. The song was written by a number of people, I currently have the CD in front of me, and they've listed the writers as last names only, and so I can't work out who is who, sorry. But I do like this song and it's really catchy.

The music video is really good, while I was watching it earlier, I had a real shock. I mixed up a certain word in the lyrics and it totally changed the whole image of the song. The original lyrics are "And I would bug you everyday by taking your picture", however I thought they sung "And I would f*** you everyday while taking your picture", after a few repeats the lyrics I made up fit so perfectly and I was scared they were the real ones, so I looked them up, and I was totally wrong.

There's not a lot going on in this video, which is probably why I'm talking about the song more. I like the use of the girls, but you can't exactly tell which one of them they are actually singing this song to, I presume it's the girl at the end who gets covered in snow with the guys. I love their red hair, it's so bright and amazing and I'm surprised they ever cut it off.

I like the wind machines and how they used them, it was clever and kind of revealed to us how they actually do everything, which is really clever, although what it has to do with the song I have no idea. I like seeing the cameras too, it's quite clever how they do everything, although nowadays it's probably a little different.

Now before I wrap this up with a rating to go underneath, I thought I'll make you aware of what has just distracted me this minute. While trying to find out who wrote the song, I came across this game online (click here) that had me laughing for quite sometime, it isn't the best of games, but it's really funny, and I did rubbish, but that was only because I missed one of their hairs and actually clicked on the scroll side-bar on the side.

Overall it's a really good song and it's a real shame they never got the success they clearly deserved and although their 15 minutes of fame was extended for quite some time, they needed a lot more. I will always remember them, and I know CamCam will do too, and I hope that they do return, even if it is just to release that album we are all still waiting for.

Lady Gaga - Marry The Night

Lady Gaga's real name is Stefani Germanotta, which makes it understandable why she goes by her star name. There are two different versions on how her stage name came about. The one Lady Gaga tells is when writing music with music producer Rob Fusari, he thought her harmonies were similar to Freddie Mercury (front man of Queen). Fusari would sing "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen, every time Stefani walked into the studio. "Lady Gaga" was then sent as a text to Stefani, by Fusari that was made by mistake due to predictive text, apparently she replied with "That's it, never call me Stefani again". Click here to read more. The other version was recently posted in The New York Post, that tells us that the name "Lady Gaga" was formed in a marketing meeting, however I like to believe the first one, even if it may not be the truth, besides the article in The New York Post (Click here to see it) says they got this from a source, who's name has not been mentioned... Hmmm... I think the first one sounds much better.

After my first ever debate on this blog, I believe I should return to what I've been meaning to say. Lady Gaga has become a star overnight, and she probably knew that that was going to happen straight away, she is amazing, and from some of the live concerts I've seen, it looks like it would be a gig you would never forget. Some people think she's weird, others like her, and then there's the people like me, who are in between, as she is quite extravagant, but then again that can be both a good thing and a bad thing. At the end of the day, I very much doubt you could walk up to anyone in the street and they wouldn't have a clue who Lady Gaga is. That's how big she has become.

Photo taken from here, I do not own this photo.
- photo by http://idolator.com/
 The song is really good. I first heard it on The X Factor, when she was dressed in something so shocking, especially since it was remembrance Sunday as well. It is shown on the right here, and I am so surprised that there wasn't many complaints, or maybe there was and it wasn't announced how many complaints they received. However she did change out of it half-way through the song, into something much better. I felt the song was just as catchy then. And I just hoped that the music video was good, which it is to an extent. The song was written by Stefani Germanotta and Fernando Garibay. Fernando has worked with quite a few artists, helping with a song here and there, but he has helped Gaga through most of her "Born This Way" album, could this be where a new partnership is formed, and that in the future they will get together more often and create more music? The song is all about her returning to New York (where she was born), she didn't like Hollywood, and it took her a lot of courage to return. She wanted this song to represent where she is with her life.

The music video links in perfectly with the song. However there are a lot of nuisances, as Tink09 and many others have clearly pointed out. The music video is 13 minutes long, and the song doesn't really start until 8 minutes and 47 seconds after you have clicked play. The start is the beginning and it is pretty long and annoying, but it is needed and extremely clever, to be honest I'm in two minds about it, and can see both sides, one could even consider this is what makes the music video one of the best, but does it really?

The very start is pretty funny, and I can't stop laughing at some of the things she says such as "Check this nurse out on the right, she's got a great ass" and as that particular nurse bends down to put the door stopper in place Lady Gaga says "BAM". The music video is an autobiography of Stefani Germanotta, which links with the song amazingly as the song is about her life.

There are many other bits of the introduction, such as her leaving the clinic, and being back in New York, only to get a phone call that tells her she has been dropped from her record company. So she did what any other girl would have done... she "did it all over again".

One particular scene is similar to Madonna's film "Desperately Seeking Susan". It is interesting how certain music videos can be linked in with song. Some scenes show Lady Gaga causing havoc here and there and it makes me surprised at what is happening, no way is this a low-budget music video, and that is exactly what you have to expect from Lady Gaga.

My favourite scene is the choreography dance studio, and you probably thought I'd say that. She is clearly a great dancer, and we are aware of this from many of her past music videos. She knocks most artists out of the park, and it's interesting to see her dance because if singing ever failed her (yeah right), but if it did she could so be a professional dancer. She might even knock professional dancers out of the park too...

This review has become longer than I had expected; when I saw the music video on the music channels this morning (NOTE: music channels cannot show a 13 minute video) they had edited it so that the video is about 5 minutes long, but when I watched it this morning it rarely made sense, so you really need that first introduction. I think the music video is clever, inspiring (but you wouldn't expect anything less from Gaga), and so interesting I could watch it over and over again. The comedic values add effect, strength and power, and so does the introduction. Gaga has pushed the boat out on this one, and I'm in love with that massive hat she wears in one of the scenes, it makes me laugh every time I see it. I have dropped one star based on some people not like the fact that you have to wait a little more than 8 minutes before the song actually starts (however she does hum the song half-way through the introduction).
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