Dec 30, 2009

The only music videos that mattered in 2009

No other videos mattered this year...impressive because one of said videos came out in October of 2008.

"Shoulda put a ring on it,” entered our pop culture lexicon and proclamations of being “a free bitch, baby” littered everyone’s News Feed.

Spawning a slew of spoofs since the '08 release, Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it) became the video that wouldn't die (Even the Chippettes did their own take). Beyonce took the ‘less-is-more’ philosophy and ran with it…err, danced with it. A sound stage, three leotards, one mechanical glove and three “single” ladies later—voila! A hit is born. Perhaps the most effective mainstream viral music video ever? I think so.



On the other end of the pop prism, Lady Gaga’s ‘more-is-more’ Bad Romance took advantage of a season’s worth of Alexander McQueen, razorblade sunglasses, a hairless pussycat, latex costumes, a busy Russian bathhouse filled with mobsters, product placement, crystal headpieces, a fur wedding dress, fire, Illumunati symbols (lol) and a personal orbit. Between the visuals and the lyrics, the references were just as random and varied: Nosferatu (and vampireism), Hitchcock, the twist, Bollywood, evolution and the sex trade. Well, she certainly isn’t boring.

2 comments:

vintage muse said...

is it true one of the back up dancers in beyonces video is a man? i heard one of them is a man.

Krystal Cochrane said...

I agree 100%

It is funny how both videos are amazing but so opposite in their approach.