Remember the good old days when MTV only played music videos? I sometimes can’t remember if they ever really did or if it was just a disillusioned fantasy. Perhaps it was just a myth, like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and prancing unicorns. Now with the increasing use of various social media channels like youtube.com, the popularity of music videos is once again on the rise.
There was a time when record labels sunk a huge percentage of their budgets on music videos alone. It was a constant effort to make your video bigger and more outrageous than the last. But are these the true factors of what makes a good music video?
In my opinion, it’s sometimes the simple things that make the most impact. Especially when it comes to humor. I read somewhere that humor is the most effective platform in commercial advertising. So I wonder if the same would hold true in music videos.
Enter ‘Exhibit A’. A friend of mine sent me a music video from the rock group A Day to Remember. By itself, the name of the song is probably one of the strangest in recent history. (“I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?” is a reference to a line from the movie A Night at the Museum.) What I like about this video is the band’s ability to poke fun at themselves, downplaying their tough-guy images and getting their tails kicked in a not-so-friendly game of kickball by a bunch of elementary aged kids. What does this have to do with rock and roll? I couldn’t tell you. But at the very least, you’ve got to give them credit for the gratuitous use of the Rockstar Energy Drink “cheerleaders.”
I guess my point of view is that I don’t always want giant explosions, wild costumes or elaborate CGI. I don’t always need to have tragic storylines and human rights issues thrust in my face. Sometimes I just want three or four minutes of lighthearted silliness to give my brain a break and escape my own everyday issues. Was A Day to Remember’s video stupid? Probably. But was I thinking about the national debt or unemployment rates? Definitely not.
Here are some other examples of humor-infused rock videos through the years:
• “My Way” by Limp Bizkit… because who doesn’t want to see Fred Durst in a caveman outfit?
• “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness… because who doesn’t want to be molested by a muppet-style space squid?
• “Learn to Fly” by the Foo Fighters… because your video is automatically awesome when you include Tenacious D.
• “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys… because this video single handedly explains why the mustache went out of style.
So what do you think? Do funny videos rock your funny bone? Or just your gag reflex? Tell me what kind of videos get you going. Drop me a line in the comments section.
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