In this post, I wanted to explore grand, theatrical music videos. There is nowhere else really to start but with Meat Loaf, even his song titles ooze theatrics, like “Life is a Lemon and I Want my Money Back” and the archetypal Meatloaf song “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”.
The video gets off to a powerful start with a motorcycle engine revving gruffly and guitar screeching, subsiding into the iconic piano accompaniment (emulated by Architecture in Helsinki recently). It makes use of all the blue-lights, shadows and pyrotechnics available and every candle from every Stevie Nicks video. Lyrically, the video is repetitious. It could be argued the point is never reached. What won’t he do? Who knows, it has never been defined.
The statuesque beauty featured has a great time bathing sensuously in clinging wet fabric and being devoured by a massive bed, cue writhing lesbians. It is worth noting at this point that the female vocalist is not the legged beauty featured. She only received a minor payment for her contribution to this song and no credit or recognition.
This video is as theatrical as they come, a modern play on Beauty and The Beast well-known fairy tale. This video uses all the tricks in an early 90s music video director’s arsenal – light play, smoke, mirrors, alternate dimensions, pretty girls, ugly blokes, lesbians, all to keep a highly repetitious, overly-long, dramatic musical epic as interesting and engaging as possible. For one, this writer is totally hooked!
To contrast The Loaf with a more contemporary theatrical video, Knights of Cydonia by Muse is a perfect example. Muse are not known for making the best music videos or spending much money on them for that matter, look at Plug In Baby, CGI effects from MS Paintbrush. Conversely, Knights of Cydonia is a triumph, resembling a futuristic ‘Spaghetti’ Western complete with kitsch moustache.
Chanting and Beach Boy-esque guitar starts off the fun. Low-end special effects fit seamlessly with the feel of the video. Cydonia, a futuristic western outpost dominated by a ruthless despotic ruler, holding the blonde beauty against her will, enter our handsome cowboy protagonist. He starts to mix things up, fighting with the locals and a passionate bedroom romp, look carefully for 70s film director and film crew appearing in the mirror inadvertently (or intentionally?) at their bedside.
As we reach the chorus, the action starts, with Muse’s lyrics like ‘No one’s going to take me alive” and ”You and I must fight to survive”, mouthed by the hero, pushing the strong anti-authority message, as does our beauty, while on the gallows from her over-plumped lips.
This video has it all! Attractive heroes, Kung Fu fighting, an oppressed town, a strong anti-authoritative message, lasers, sex, action, communists and a metal clad unicorn! Knights of Cydonia is a welcome departure from Muse’s under-average usual music videos.
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