Whenever an artist I liked announced that they are going to be releasing music, one of the things that I always looked forward to was the release of the music videos that would go along with them. For me, music videos are always a great way to understand the mood and feel of the release, and give me an idea of the mindset I should be carrying with me as I listen to the single, EP, or the rest of the album. Here are just a few videos that I believe have greatly changed the way my brain works; in other words, some of my favorite music videos ever.
Honestly, the reason why I wrote this article in the first place was because of this video; it reminded me of just how a video can elevate one’s experience when it comes to listening to a new song. “Midas Touch” by Kiss of Life is a song about how with just one touch or one listen, you will fall in love with the group. I particularly enjoyed how the video utilized the Greek mythology concept throughout it; each of the girls was assigned a character from a Greek myth (Julie: Aphrodite, Natty: Arachne, Belle: Hera, and Haneul: Medusa, if you were curious), and had accompanying sets and visuals that matched their assigned characters. Additionally, there were many references to the myth of Midas itself, including the scene where Haneul turned a man into a gold statue, Natty rode a motorbike while gold coins appearing everywhere, the group ate dinner at a table full of gold, and the girls danced to a crowd of gold followers, all of which I thought were so creative. To be quite honest, this is one of the few songs that I will make sure to watch on YouTube over streaming it somewhere else.
One of the most creative and well-thought-out criticisms of capitalism I’ve witnessed—ever. This video oscillates between 2 different sets: a super cheesy 2000s-inspired commercial advertising some kind of bottled product and an underground lab where lifeless scientists are working day and night to fill the demands that the people above have for the bottled product. I think what makes this video so visually exciting is the acting; all of the over-the-top expressions from the actors involved in the commercial and Rina herself really helps to seal the deal that the constant desire of people to just have more and more is just pointless. Plus, the last image of this video in particular of Rina in the trash can after being all sapped out by the lifeless scientists in order to make the product everyone wants is one that stays permanently etched in my mind; it really helps to hit the point home about how our world really sees people as things that can be trashed and easily replaced.
There are very few things in this world that I truly think are “breathtaking.” This video is one of them. At its core, this video is simple; it is showcasing how at one point, a certain person can be your everything. But, once that moment is up, that partner is just a part of the many moments that are in one’s life. What makes this video really stand out to me are the transitions; each of them seamlessly fall into each other so perfectly it’s almost like magic. Plus, the chemistry between Victoria and the male lead is sizzling; when I learned that they ended up having a kid together, my reaction was simply: “now that makes sense.”
This video holds a special place in my heart due to its old Bollywood aesthetic: from the Indian Central Board of Film Censors warnings, to the parlor scenes, to the cuts of the two lovers playing tennis in a field of flowers and riding motorbikes through lush foliage, to the 70s filter over the video, this video carries an air of nostalgia that just makes my brain very very happy. Plus, the fact that the video depicts two women being in love is just groundbreaking in of itself; there are not many videos out there that depict sapphic women of color in a relationship, let alone sapphic women in a stereotypical Bollywood-movie-like setting. This video was tastefully done, and I like to go back to it whenever I want to shed some happy tears.
5. Kali Uchis- I Wish You Roses
It would be wrong of me to not include a Kali Uchis music video in this article; she is one of the few artists that I really feel has mastered the connection between her music and her MV’s visuals. This video, however, is one of my favorites purely because of the color palette present throughout: the orangey-red primary color being mixed in with the multi-colored red, yellow, and blue roses, the soft color scheme and visuals. They really just elevate the lush sonic experience you are supposed to have listening to the song, and it helps to tickle my brain in all the right places.
6. Fall Out Boy-Thnks fr the Mmrs
One of the things I really enjoyed about my “emo phase” when I was younger was how it felt like all of the bands at the time had really intricate, lore-based music videos; I probably could have written an entire separate article on how bands like My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy have really upped my standards when it comes to music videos. However, with the word count that I do have, I’ll just spend my time talking about how often I think about the “Thnks fr th Mmrs” video. The concept of the video is a diss towards their record company at the time, and demonstrated how they felt their label constantly took control over things and messed things up for the members. However, they used apes to represent their company’s employees, which adds a whole new dimension to how much distaste the members had towards their company; they saw them as people who monkeyed around too much. Additionally, the Kim Kardashian cameo in this video always sends me into orbit because of how random, yet fitting, it is for the whole plot of the video. Overall, it’s a genius concept and one that I think about a lot.
And those are just some of the “brain-chemistry-changing” music videos that I can think of off of the top of my head. Though I am pretty sure I forgot quite a few of the ones that I have enjoyed in the past, especially some from the K-pop and the 2000s emo/scene world, these are the ones that if someone ever asked me for favorites, I will probably rant about.