Stuck in your head

Gnarls Barkley's performance of 'Crazy' at the MTV awards may be the most addictive 'music video' I've seen. The song itself is great; just gets in your head and stays there. But the performance gives it a whole added dimension; even though it's live, the director did a great job of creating flow. Cee-Lo and his smooth voice is blended perfectly with the audience/the band/the words on a screen. And although in the abstract the Star Wars garb might seem odd, it totally works.



The Times did a long piece on Danger Mouse/Cee-Lo=s Gnarls Barkley headlined The D.J. Auteur , trying to make a case for DM (who made the 'Grey Album') being the first music director in line with Woody Allen and the other great film directors.

I don't know about all that; but I now do agree with this line:

On the surface, Cee-Lo looks like the vortex — he wrote the lyrics and sings the vocals on every song, including "Crazy," a single on the cusp of becoming the demographically limitless song of the moment (i.e., a 2006 version of OutKast's "Hey Ya!").

Ah, the great hit song (often in summer) that comes out of nowhere and infects everyone....

Thanks to the magic of YouTube, I stuck in below some other songs of that ilk. Not sure if 'Crazy' has the simple repetitiveness necessary, but it definitely has the catchy rift. Some of these I discovered via Bill Simmons' The YouTube Hall of Fame ESPN.com article.

Michael Jackson
The clip shows him performing Billie Jean for a 1983 television special, Motown 25. He's incredible, just so entertaining, can't take your eyes off him and his moves. Near the end he does the moonwalk for the first time, very briefly, making the already-wild audience gasp. He repeats it again right at the end.




Miami Vice pilot
This is all Simmmons--he talked about it in an article a few weeks ago, and his description of the matching of music to scene in today's article is right on. You very rarely see such perfectly-timed takes in tune to the beat. I never watched the show, but if it was anything like this, I can see why people loved it.



Macarena
It's like the multicultural video of the future... one of the biggest summer hits I can remember, and the perfect soundtrack for the 1996 Democratic Convention, down to the two guys in suits (it's like they were channeling Regis). Ah, those were the innocent days.



Thoia Thoing
I guess it's no longer the video R. Kelly's most known for, but it's really well-made, and the song--especially its title line--is incredibly catchy. Colors in the video are great, as is pacing, even the 'storyline' is well-done. Particularly like the segment where he's wearing the LeBron James jersey, his movements are so in tune, along with the sword choreography that follows and the dojo scene. Remixing musical and cultural references is one of the best ways we have of experiencing and re-evaluating 'other'.



I'm Gonna Be
Has there ever been a better melding of band and movie? The odd-looking and earnest Proclaimers, with the transcendent Johnny Depp and the perfectly-cast Mary Stuart Masterson. I always forget Benny and Joon when I list my favorites; in particular the diner roll scene and the ones in the park are really well-done. Goofy; but totally accomplished.



Breakfast at Tiffany's
I was reminded of this Deep Blue Something song and the rest of the songs on this list by Napster's One-derland playlist. The lyrics are interesting; it's true, sometimes all it takes is that one random connection, the rest flows. Oddly enough, nobody's remixed it with scenes from the movie....



How Bizarre
I think I like this mellow OMC 15 song one the strength of the opening guitar riff, the languid accent of the opening line, and the way they say the title lyric. It's conveys so much--the accent, the downsweep, the enunciation. I'd never seen the video before finding it on YouTube, it's funny how literal it is--like a bunchof guys just decided to get together and crank it out.



Tubthumping
These one-hit wonders are great; maybe more artists should fade from consciousness after they say what they have to say. Again, I like the accidents... the listing of drinks at the beginning is great, as is the intertwining horn solo. What the heck does Chumbawamba mean anyway? What's with the megaphone? This could be the official song of the World Cup... just add the word 'eventually'.



Weapon of Choice
The first time I saw this video was in a museum. The Cooper-Hewitt had an exhibit called New Hotels for Global Nomads, this was stuck in a gallery along with architectural models of hotels of the future. I watched it twice... that Christopher Walken is the perfect example of how compelling stillness contrasted with motion can be. Watching it again, I imagine Pat Riley in his role. I think the song's just okay, this one's really all about the choreography matched to space; and the funny ending.



Hey Ya
Maybe the best mix of music and video of the last few years. 'Act like you got some sense.' The green, the Beatlesesque feel (with some Elvis thrown in), inventive effects, the facial expressions and body language of the various Andre 3000s. The way the family dances, how the crowd moves (and shakes it), the call and response. And, of course, the song, with its infectious beat and fun chorus. Watching it again, am struck by how old-fashioned it is in some ways--you can actually see faces on the camera cuts, everything is linear and makes sense, and it's all easy on the eyes.