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.
My iTunes is always on shuffle, and this song came on and I instantly fell in love with the song. I'm currently learning Romanian through Duolingo, and some of the words completely stood out to me during the whole song. It is also extremely catchy... I just had to review the music video. It is extremely basic with both a narrative and performance side to this, with the former quite difficult to follow. Both artists shine in this visual though. Watch Carla's Dreams and Delia perform the collaborative single "Cum ne noi" while we watch various couples display their love for one another in this music video.
Carla's Dreams are an anonymous group from Moldova who have made incredible waves in Romania. They are signed to Global Records and have collaborated with many major singers in the country. They're definitely doing amazingly in Romania and they sure are maximising their popularity in the world over. This is not the only time they've collaborated with Delia; recently they paired up for new song "Inima". Delia, full name Delia Matache, is a long-running musician from Romania who has had a mighty successful career to-date. She was a part of duo N&D, which was formed with Nicolae Marin, from 1999-2003, where they released four albums. As a solo singer, she has released another four albums to-date. This song translates into English as "What We Feel For Each Other", and the English translation of the lyrics certainly spikes my heart in every way, but it's the Romanian language which allows the song to feel personal and very real from both of these artists. It was written by Carla's Dreams while production comes from Sebastian Barac and Marcel Botezan.
This music video was released on the Cat Music YouTube Channel and is mainly a performance piece with scenes and clips from a narrative that isn't easy to follow.
This is completely basic in so many ways, with Carla's Dreams and Delia giving an energetic and hypnotic performance but they are lacking anything interesting unless you count his incredible swirl face-paint and Delia's beautiful make-up. They certainly make the perfect team and Delia has incredible facial expressions throughout.
As for the narrative, there seem to be two couples throughout. The first one sees the guy working hard as the woman decides to release a smoke bomb - hence her face mask - making him see her. They then work together to diffuse, what looks like, a bomb; before working together to escape a room. In total contrast, the second couple are madly in love with one another, teasing and playing and kissing. A pillow fight occurs - don't we all wish to do that one day - and a piano session; these scenes are beyond cute.
Overall, this is a great basic music video but there's nothing to keep us interested throughout the whole thing. This video doesn't go anywhere. What makes it that slight bit worse is that additional piece of material attached to Delia that opens up to display a visual of either the couples or one of the artists; this may have looked like a great idea on paper, but in actual effect, it just looks stupid. Otherwise, it's definitely a watchable music video, although I'd have loved to understand more about the first couple's story because that doesn't make sense. The second couple are just beyond cute and saves this video in every way.
Once again, I'm letting my iTunes randomiser pick the music video I review today. This one got stuck in my head from the minute I heard it today, and lacking any idea of what music video to review, I thought, why not? Especially since I am completely behind on my blog and I seriously need to catch up! This music video is entertaining and the song is such an inspiration to me as things really can only get better! Watch JJ navigate through his day as he gets fired and follows a hot girl into a rave before restarting his day again in this music video for Cedric Gervais & Howard Jones' song "Things Can Only Get Better".
Cedric Gervais is probably best known for remixing Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness". He's one of the top DJs in the world, hailing from France. He has had a number of hits, most of which are remixes or newer versions of popular tracks. He's certainly one of these DJs who come back around and around when it comes to the charts. This song speaks to me on an emotional level. It is a collaboration with Howard Jones, who is a recognisable face in the UK music industry, radio, and on TV. I didn't realise, though, that he was a singer and I am shocked to find out how many amazing hits he has released - I only know him for his TV appearances. He sang the original to this song, which has the exact same title and has a classic new wave style to it, which is expected since it was originally released in 1985. This version was released in 2013 and deserved to be a hit, but it wasn't; whereas the original hit number six in the UK and number five in the US, amongst other chart positions. It was written by Howard Jones.
Directed by Nicholas Cambata, this music video is set in the 1980's but there isn't an old filter to the visual and therefore making it difficult to comprehend that it's set in the 80's. It's a full narrative, with Cedric Gervais making a background appearance.
JJ is our main character and he wakes up to find out that he's been fired by his boss, Sonny. He doesn't seem all that bothered though, and gets up, gets changed, and walks down the street in time to this music as if he has this addicting song in his head. He meets various people on the street before spotting Michelle across the road and following her into this underground club where Cedric Gervais is performing.
This is where we get transported into JJ's point of view and watch the events inside the club unfold as if we are him. Towards the end of this scene, we see a woman blow him a kiss before we return to his bedroom to start a brand new day - or so we thought. It turns out that the day is the same day, repeated. He dons the same clothes and meets the same people on the street, doing the exact same thing. However, what's different this time around, is that Michelle isn't standing on the corner.
Still, JJ decides to see if the underground club is still there, so he follows the same path as the day before. I expected it not to be there, but it is, and once again the club event unfolds. Only this time, when he wakes up, Sonny has called him up and told him that he's getting a double promotion. It's true, things can only get better.
Overall, this music video is well thought out and extremely interesting. However, it doesn't make an awful lot of sense, although it does suggest that things do eventually come your way. It also suggests that clubbing and partying gives you promotions - if only that would happen to me. The song still speaks to me since I only have a Saturday job and have hardly any income at the moment, but I'm determined to change that - things can only get better for me and you and everyone else.
Although this states on iTunes that it was released on 4th December, it actually appeared on the UK iTunes store on the 8th December, hence why I'm using it for this backdated New Release. I also wrote up about this for CelebMix. The song is beyond catchy, with Emberlyon reminding many people of Ellie Goulding. It excites me for the following year, as White Lynx is certainly proving to be a phenomenal Romanian DJ that we all can't help but listen to. Watch this young couple do their best to be together whilst her father or grandfather attempts to stop the relationship from forming in this comical and heart-racing music video for White Lynx's song "Mysterious Thing" featuring Emberlyon.
White Lynx, real name Andrei Prodan, has been making a few waves in the music industry this year by releasing infectious collaborations that we can't stop listening to. This is the second time he has worked with Emberlyon and it just shows what a magical team they make. This song is beyond infectious. I truly believe White Lynx has an incredible career ahead of him. As for Emberlyon, real name Georgiana Eakins, not much is known about her. Regardless, she does sound a lot like Ellie Goulding and that will certainly help her to develop a career in music. I am excited to see what the future brings her. This song was written by Georgiana Eakins and White Lynx.
Directed by Tiberius Margaian, the music video is a full narrative visual that relates to the song to a certain extent. It keeps the audience entertained from the very start to the very end, and that's what we need in a music video.
We watch an elderly man in his home. He leaves and a young couple rushes inside and they are clearly attracted to one another. The old man returns and he is not very happy, at all. It becomes apparent that he is related to the young woman, whether she's his daughter or granddaughter - that is something that isn't made known to the audience.
Various scenes follow, where we watch the older guy try to stop this relationship from forming, although at times he has a smirk, suggesting it is all a game and if the couple can make it past his challenges then he'll approve of the relationship; however, it doesn't turn out that way, and towards the end, he captures the young guy and ties him up - yes, it does look a little on the kinky side, but he doesn't stay tied up for long.
As the old man puts the young guy in the car, the young woman comes across the car keys and races to the car, and beats her relative to the vehicle, locking him out. She's won.
Overall, this music video is engaging throughout. There are some seriously cute moments throughout, like when the young guy tries to cheer up his lover. It's cute and clever, yet gets all the viewers' hearts racing when the old man returns. I would've liked to have seen more of a backstory, and maybe a performance piece thrown in too, but as a whole, this is brilliant.
I'm still FAR behind on this blog, but it's time to continue my catch-up blogs with a Thursday Revisit. So, I thought I might as well delve deep into G-Eazy's past, back when many of us didn't know who he was, and review one of his music videos. Luckily, he released this music video five years ago, just about old enough for my Thursday Revisit. It was his second official single, following "Lady Killers" featuring Hoodie Allen, which didn't get a music video. This marks his debut visual, and it is certainly one that captures the attention of the audience. Watch G-Eazy in a lovely relationship which soon falls apart when he cheats on his girl in this addicting music video for "Marilyn" featuring Dominique LeJeune.
G-Eazy, real name Gerald Gillum, has come a long way since the days shown in this music video. It may have only been five years, but he has made strides in the music industry fully establishing his name. As for this song itself, it shows that G-Eazy hasn't tried to fit in, he is still the exact same rapper with his own identifiable yet unique style; we've all just grown to full-on like it to the extent where he's become popular because we've grown to like his music. As for Dominique LeJeune, she has left the music industry behind, for now. She did release her EP, titled "WAKE" back in 2012 through Bandcamp. Since then she's been gigging and singing, but clearly, this is her biggest song. The song appeared on his album "Must Be Nice".
Directed by Tyler Lee, this music video tells a story from start to finish, although the scenes aren't all in order, which is a great way of showing it. The story starts off showing a lovely relationship between our main characters, G-Eazy and his on-screen love interest. Yet, as we expect, things don't stay the same way.
It starts with her in a bed all alone, showing she's not with G-Eazy anymore before we flit into the past where he's making her breakfast. We watch the relationship unfold within the visual. Then we launch into an argument that sees him leaving the house. Memories follow of time they spent outdoors together, taking photos. We then watch as G-Eazy cheating, and his lover finding out.
Now, that's a blow and a half, enough that she drops her beloved camera. The ending sees G-Eazy fix the camera up and leave it on the doorstep for her - so cute. He knows he did wrong and he knows she can't forgive him for it, but at least he fixed what was broken in the hope he can make things right. That's all we can expect of the world. This is a beyond great music video, one I could watch over and over and over again. Oh, why wasn't this a hit? It deserved to have been. It's just a shame Dominique LeJeune isn't in the music video.
This is another YouTube Recommendations since I couldn't think of a music video to review - okay, I could think of loads, but they're all amazing music videos that are going to take me hours upon hours to review, and since I am weeks behind on this blog, I can't afford to spend that sort of time on them, just yet. This one seemed quite haunting and interesting at the same time, so I thought, why not? What I wasn't expecting, was to actually like the song. Watch Kailee Morgue show off her performance vibes in this kaleidoscopic and coloured filter music video for her song "Medusa".
Kailee Morgue pretty much became a viral sensation overnight, with this particular song. She released a clip of herself singing a demo version of this song on Twitter, where it received phenomenal attention to the extent where she went on to sign a record label. This song is one of those ones that gain traction but didn't become a hit, although it still has a chance to hit charts around the world in 2018, like so many other tracks have done in the last year. The song was written by Kailee Morgue and Christopher J Baran.
Directed by Miles & AJ, this music video is beyond basic, showing off Kailee Morgue's performance ability. She's quite stunning with some brilliant scenes throughout, although none that fully relate to the song and she doesn't really bring that much energy.
You would expect a Greek mythology type of music video for this song; and, although Kailee Morgue has green hair - which some could presume is a reference to Medusa who had snakes for hair - the music video doesn't correlate to the song. There are some haunting figures throughout and a bath filled with dark water - a possible reference to the opening lyric - the rest of the video falls flat.
As for Kailee Morgue's performance, she does bring it during certain parts, but it's not engaging and doesn't keep the audience entertained. She doesn't really feel the lyrics all that well. Maybe, she's not comfortable in front of a professional camera, filming her debut music video. Whatever it is, she is bound to be someone who will improve as time goes by. With a song like this, she'll be a name to remember in the upcoming years.
This is certainly one of my favourite tracks from Amir's new album, titled "Addictions". This track was the lead single from the album, and the music video is quite bright and completely interesting. I haven't seen it until today, which is shocking since he was one of my favourite contestants from Eurovision 2016. It charted well in France, which is no surprise there, and it has over 13 million YouTube views. This video certainly relates to this song and people who don't understand what he is singing - including me - can understand from this visual. Watch Amir move into a house with his partner and then later have an argument, which then ends up with them making up in this loving music video for "États d'amour".
Amir, full name Amir Haddad, is best known for representing France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with "J'ai cherché". He scored 257 points which put him sixth in the Grand Final. He later went on to collaborate with OneRepublic on the French version of their song "No Vacancy". His career is soaring up high in France, and his album did pretty well in France, Belgium, and Switzerland. I truly believe Eurovision helped him to launch his career and he's certainly one to watch. Before the contest, he auditioned for season three of The Voice: la plus belle voix where he placed third. This song charted at number 15 in France and even managed to hit number 14 on a Belgium chart. It was written by Amir Haddad, Renaud Rebillaud, and Nazim Khaled.
Directed by Francis Cutter with choreography coming from Kyf Ekamé, the music video stars Amir and his love interest, actress and dancer, Caroline Blot, moving in together. As the camera circles through various settings in this place that they're moving into, time moves on and we see their relationship unfold.
We watch as they move in, with a box and rearranging furniture. This then turns into setting up the house, with the product placement of Nordnet, and setting the table for a meal; to Caroline Blot getting ready in the mirror. It's all happiness and smiles with an energetic dance scene, full of love and cheerfulness, which is nailed by both Amir and Caroline Blot.
But things do take a turn for the worse. There's friction in the air which then intensifies into an explosion of sorts. They are clearly not enjoying each other's company anymore. The following choreography is angry and full of hatred, but still in a loving way, enough where they get over this tiff and continue on with their lives, happy to be together.
Overall, this music video easily relates to the lyrics of this song and manages to tell quite the story. There are performance scenes throughout that see Amir in a monologue-like scene expressing his feelings towards this song, bringing that extra special twist to the visual that is completely passionate in every way.
