For the last few weeks I've been planning on reviewing this song, but its music video has always stopped me. I think I just don't want to give a bad rating to an amazing song, one of which is Swedish House Mafia's last single before their indefinite hiatus. However here goes nothing.
Swedish House Mafia are a three piece dance band from Sweden. They consist of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. They are currently in the middle of their final tour before they go on their hiatus. Their reason for breaking up is that they aren't sure where they want to go next. By the looks of things, they want to do different things. However I reckon this won't be the last we'll see of them, and it's quite possible future collaborations between the members will be on the cards. John Martin once again collaborates with this band, the first song being "Save The World". He has such a great voice, and if he doesn't get around to releasing songs himself I will be left shocked and surprised as he deserves to do well.
"Don't You Worry Child" was written by Axel Hedfors (Axwell), Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, John Martin Lindstrõm and Michel Zitron. The band says the inspiration for the song comes from the beauty of Australia. However if that was the case why do we have footage from Milton Keynes, UK?
Okay I have to admit, I really don't like these types of music video, as you have probably guessed in similar blog posts. I just feel these have been done over and over again, and if you are willing to do a music video like this, at least switch it up!
A few examples that come to mind for switching it up, is DixonBeats & Dante's "Afraid" and Avril Lavigne's "Losing Grip". This music video just shows footage from their concert at Milton Keynes and it leaves me bored.
I totally understand that these music videos are done for their fans. That if you were in the crowd at that time you would be so happy that you'll be featuring in a music video. However it doesn't make it a good music video. If you were going to do this, then at least release it as a promotional video and then a few weeks later release an official music video. Personally, when videos like this come up, I can't help but think "lazy", it's the one word that runs through my mind every time.
Overall a great song, that I love every time the clubs play it. The song definitely deserved that UK number one, and if I were reviewing the song it would be getting five stars. However I'm reviewing the music video alone, and this is a video I see artists releasing every single year, or more often, and I really don't enjoy watching it.
KT Tunstall, real name Kate Tunstall, has been around for quite some time. This song, however, is her highest UK charting single to date. I woke up with this song in my head, thanks to the amazing show "Being Erica" as this song sounds pretty similar to the theme tune which is "All I Ever Wanted" sung by Lily Frost.
"Suddenly I See" was written by KT Tunstall, as expected. The song is a tribute to female power, however it is one of those songs that could mean a whole range of stuff. This is what truly makes a song good. 2 people could listen to a song, both could like it lots, however for one it holds a dear emotional link and makes them stronger, for the other it may make them reflect on life and realise what they've been doing wrong. A song this powerful that can help the whole world deserves to be number one, unfortunately it only got to number 12 on the UK chart.
This music video is a pure performance piece, but what makes it stand out is that they've mixed it up and made it very different to what we are used to. It's a clever concept, and makes it seem symmetrical but they're two different performances of the song, put together. Which shows the variety we might get if we saw her live. Not my sort of thing, but a lot of people will enjoy it, and like how different it will be.
Of course I have a few things I don't like. That guy moving about. I don't know what he is doing, is he taking photos, or is he recording? I'm not sure, so why did they include him? Not only that but he messes it all up when the 2nd band comes through as he is standing right where the first one should be. It's confusing and annoying.
Overall a great song that I have already mentioned, should have been number one. The music video is interesting and different, however not much is going on to really draw my attention. However I like how you can see the looks the two bands give each other. Personally, I would've liked that to have been played up just that little bit more, like they were competing against one another.
Ke$ha, real name Kesha Sebert, has finally released a new single, with it's album to be released next week. I have been waiting for ages, and I'm not the only one. Was it worth the wait? Definitely, have you not even heard this amazing song yet? I'm so glad she's back and I can see this new album "Warrior" performing better than "Animal" ever did. This is definitely one artist who will be around for a long time.
"Die Young" was written by Kesha Sebert, Lukasz Gottwald (Dr. Luke), Benjamin Levin (Benny Blanco), Henry Walter (Cirkut) and Nate Ruess (Lead Singer of Fun.). This is definitely a heavenly song writing team, all of which have appeared on my blog numerous times, but I don't think they have altogether and no wonder this song is fantastic, I really expect nothing less from these song writers. The song is infinitely catchy, it's meaning is to not take life too seriously and live every single day and second like it's your last. This reminds me so much of Nickleback's "If Today Was Your Last Day". The song is definitely going to make the UK chart, and it's slowly climbing up and up, could this be Ke$ha's second number one? It's climbing too slowly, but I wouldn't rule it out, there could be a possibility it could get there.
The music video is one of those that don't quite make sense unless you've watched it over and over. Here's what I thought: 1st Play, I really thought the video was rubbish. 2nd Play, it was a little clearer, but still wasn't sure of what was going on. After watching behind the scenes video and then 3rd Play, it makes perfect sense now. Thankfully we have Behind The Scenes Videos.
There is a storyline to this, Ke$ha is the leader of a cult or tribe, and practically living her life like it's her last day. And clearly just having fun.
I really like the choreography, it shows a side of her that we have never seen in any of her music videos before, and it shows a performance we are likely to see at her tours, and I'm surprised at how great she can dance, reminds me of Britney.
I like the ending, it really works. But I'm not too sure I'm happy about the symbolic imagery to the Illuminati, however, it is one of those things I am never going to be very knowledgeable on, I'm just not that interested. On the other hand I want to congratulate Ke$ha for deciding to make a statement (as always) and if that's what she wants to do then I can't really judge her for it, and no one else should.
Overall an amazing song, that is definitely number one worthy, but it looks doubtful that'll it'll get there, however we'll have to wait and see. The music video is pretty good, it relates to the song amazingly, but I feel that it takes too long for people to actually get it, and this could be something that prevents people from watching it a second time, and therefore Ke$ha could lose a few sales here and there, which is mightily important when you get high in the UK Chart.
After reviewing Fergie yesterday, I realised that I have never reviewed The Black Eyed Peas, so you can imagine the horror that struck my face at this revelation. So today I shall make up for not reviewing this band, by reviewing my favourite music video from these guys.
The Black Eyed Peas are a four piece band consisting of Will.I.Am (William Adams), Fergie (Stacy Ferguson), Apl.De.Ap (Allan Lindo, Jr.) and Taboo (Jaime Gómez). They have been a massive success all over the world, and I bet everyone knows who they are, if someone doesn't have a clue, they have clearly been hiding under a rock for way too long. They are currently on a hiatus (second one now), how long this will last no one knows, but they will be returning in the future, and they will not disappoint.
"Don't Phunk With My Heart" was written by William Adams, Stacy Ferguson, Printz Board, George Pajon Jr., Full Force, Anadi and Indeewar. The song samples a few different songs which are: "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by Lisa Lisa And Cult Jam with Full Force & "Ae Naujawan Sab Kuchh Yahan" and "Yeh Mera Dil Pyaar Ka Diwana" by Asha Bhosle. It was my favourite song back then and I wasn't happy that it only made number 3 on the UK chart, it really deserved to have gone higher. I also like how they have linked the song in with the music video.
I really can't fault this video at all, it is based on TV shows such as The Price Is Right, The Dating Game and Love Connection (I have only heard the first one, the others were American only TV Shows). And I like the whole concept, especially the teleports and how they go on different dates each time.
I also like how the members in the band all play different characters, some of which play more than one character, which makes it extremely interesting to watch. Will.I.Am plays himself, Voodoo Thursday and the drummer in the live band. Fergie plays herself only. Apl.De.Ap plays himself, the guitarist and the announcer. Taboo plays himself and the keyboard player.
I can't fault this video apart from the unfairness of Voodoo Thursday, and I remember hating him as a child when I first saw this video. I'm all into fairness, and I think Fergie should've worked out what Voodoo Thursday was up to right at the end, but then again some people are in denial of the whole events.
Overall, a great song that I can't help but still like today, seven years after it's release. The music video is definitely top-notch, and I reckon it would be hard to find a better video from that year, however that's my personal opinion and there might well be a better one from 2005. But I can't find anything wrong with this one, so you can all clearly imagine what rating I'm going to give it.
Fergie, real name Stacy Ferguson, is another artist to have never appeared on my blog. She first found fame (a little bit at least) in a three-piece girl band called Wild Orchid, the band's success stayed only in America and soon dissipated. But this wasn't the end of Fergie, no way. She found fame a second time when she joined the band The Black Eyed Peas (unfortunately they too have never been on this blog, this really needs rectifying soon). The Black Eyed Peas have been going strong and went on a hiatus a few years back, this was where Fergie's solo career hit it off. The band then reformed for a few albums, but once again they are on hiatus. I can see a new album ahead for Fergie and I can tell it's going a smash hit. As for the collaborator, it's fellow The Black Eyed Peas band member Will.I.Am, real name William Adams. He has had huge success and it's become bigger and better for him in the most recent years. The sky is not the limit for these artists, they'll go into alien territory fairly soon.
"Fergalicious" was written by William Adams and Stacy Ferguson, however it samples "Supersonic" by J. J. Fad and "Give It All You Got" by Afro-Rican, and therefore the respected song writing credits for those songs also are credited for this song. These are Dania Maria Birks, Juana Michelle Burns, Juanita Lee, Kim Nazel, Derrick Rahming, Fatimah Shaheed, Karl Bartos, Ralf Huetter and Florian Schneider-Esleben. The song is very catchy and as soon as I hear it, it is stuck in my head for the rest of the day, pretty much like it has been today. The song got into my head yesterday as Alexandra Stan's song "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" was playing on my iTunes and that song samples "Fergalicious". For those who are unaware, I heard the song off her album "Saxobeats" that got released last month in the UK.
This music video reminds me a lot of a fairly new music video by Katy Perry Featuring Snoop Dogg "California Gurls". I'm really surprised that no lawsuit has come up, as they are quite a like.
I have to be honest, I'm not too sure if I like the video or not. The song is similar to her other songs including "Glamorous", but the music video is so different, and shows this fun, sexy side of Fergie that we rarely get to see. I advise you not to look at the YouTube comments as some are quite disgusting to read, and a little over the top.
I haven't got much to say because if I go into any more detail I will be comparing it to "California Gurls" and I don't want to do that. However this does seem like they've decided to parody that Katy Perry Featuring Snoop Dogg music video, on the other hand Fergie and Will.I.Am released this video before Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg did, so clearly The Black Eyed Peas members found a time machine and zoomed forward a few years and took inspiration from what they found. Or Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg decided to make this video better. Whatever the conflict, they're both pretty good videos.
Overall an amazing song that should've charted a lot higher than 62 in the UK. The music video reminds me so much of another one, so much so that it has got me comparing them, which is the last thing I should be doing. The video could've been so much better, but it does look like a low budget, and what they have managed to pull out of the hat (or should I say cake?) is really good.
