Music videos can be political, artistic, thought-provoking, creative masterpieces…. or they can be funny as heck spin-offs. Here we share some of the most original and hilarious musical takes in our favourite music video parodies.

Weird Al Yankovic – Eat It
King of the parody, Weird Al has been doing this for decades… check out his 1984 spin on Michael Jackson’s Beat It.

Newport ((Ymerodraeth State of Mind)
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ ode to New York was remade and dedicated to dozens of cities and towns worldwide, but the funniest by far has to be Newport in South Wales.

US Navy – I’m on a Boat (more…)

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The new Lady Gaga video with Beyonce came out last week, and I was just now able to sit down and watch the whole thing – the explicit version, which I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into by clicking the little play arrow.

I’m still not sure what I think of the whole thing. Shocked, that’s the first feeling that comes to mind. I know MTV no longer plays music videos, and the whole music video idea seems to have faded out to some extent. But what Lady Gaga and Beyonce have done is much more than simply a music video; It’s a short film. It’s nearly ten minutes long to start, and I’m kind of left thinking about their motivation for the project.

Billboard had the following to say about it: “Lady Gaga and Beyoncé unveiled the video for their “Telephone” collaboration on Thursday night (Mar. 11), and it more than measures up to the hype. Directed by Gaga’s “Paparazzi” video helmer Jonas Akerlund, the “Telephone” clip is chock full of intrigue, prison fights, makeout scenes, mass poisoning and plenty of skin-baring versions of what you might call “outfits” (if strategically placed caution tape counts as such).”

(more…)

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Oh those Superbowl Ads…

There was quite an eclectic group of musicians and songs appearing throughout the Superbowl ads this past Sunday.  Looking back on it I was really shocked to find out just how many high profile artists and their songs were featured. In this BillBoard article you can see all of the commercials again that we’re about to talk about, as well as the full article.

“In between the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl and the Who rocking the big halftime show, a few good commercials featured quality music or cameos by our favorite artists. Check out some of the best ads below, and visit Adweek for the full Super Bowl commercial lineup, quarter by quarter.”

I had a few personal favorites of course… Being a Chicagoan and remembering as a child (barely), the Chicago Bears winning the Superbowl in 1986 – the Boostmobile ad featuring some of the original members of that winning Bears crew, and a new twist on the original Superbowl Shuffle was quite funny.  Hey – I’ve still got the original on VHS…

Back to the major artists featured: There was Kiss featuring Mini-Kiss.  It was awesome to see Mini-Kiss with their counterparts while singing “Calling Dr. Love” was pretty ingenious.  How many tribute bands get to rock with the originals, and in such a high profile manner.  Mini-Kiss just got some serious exposure. The VW commercial was quite catchy too, and at the end when Stevie Wonder also spots a red VW as it drives by and gives Tracy Morgan a punch is priceless.  Go VW – I kinda wanna drive one now.

The car theme continues with Kia as they used Heavy’s “How You Like Me Now” showcasing the Sorento with Yo Gabba Gabba characters’ party trip.  Honda featured Kool & the Gang’s “Funky Stuff” while advertising the Honda Accord Crosstour. Audi, not to be outdone, joined the ranks and featured a revised version of Cheap Trick’s “Dream Police” as “Green Police;” to introduce the eco-friendly Audi A3 TDI.

Beyonce even joined in the fun on a commercial for Vizio. I really enjoy seeing all the artists or their music being reinvigorated through these ads.  The ads are a ton of fun themselves, and are primarily why I watch the Superbowl, but seeing so much of the music included in these ads this year, really made me stop and think.  It’s interesting that this idea of placing your music in advertising outlets or on TV shows used to be taboo – you were a sell out.  Now it’s readily acceptable as a means to get your music heard and/or as a way of creating another revenue stream for the business side of your art.  I’d much rather see these originals come back out than cruddy library tracks that don’t really make the connection or keep your attention like these tracks do.

All in all, I thought these were all great. Which ad was your favorite?

T.Lynn

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