Appreciating the art of music videos
The music video for “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” by Katy Perry fundamentally changed my appreciation for music. I have rewatched it more than 30 times. Every summer, when I am bored — usually in the two weeks of freedom I have between being done with my summer job and starting school again in September — I turn to YouTube. Summer always feels like the perfect time to be nostalgic and celebrate the music I loved growing up. The music video for “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” is such a fun piece with beloved guests like Rebecca Black and Glee stars Darren Criss and Kevin McHale. There’s an unrealistic makeover segment, a trashed house following a truly crazy party and much more chaos that makes this one of my favorite music videos.
Music videos can let us see a more creative and personal side to artists. They take the lyrics and expand them into a story. In an era dominated by the popularity of TikTok and short media, music videos are a method of entertainment that artists should be investing more in.
Six months ago, Gap unexpectedly broke the internet with their jeans campaign advertisement starring global pop girl group, KATSEYE. The dance choreography to “Milkshake” by Kelis took over the internet, and the video went viral. Their elaborate yet smooth dance choreography with the popular song made the video a fun watch. Although really, the video carried a great cultural impact starring 6 multicultural women — something that can feel like a rare advertisement move. Many saw this collaboration as a response to the earlier American Eagle jeans ad with Sydney Sweeney, which sparked controversy for its hint at eugenics.
The American Eagle video concludes by saying “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” Critics felt like this message and play of words were promoting an exclusionary beauty standard — that of a blonde, blued eye woman with Sweeney as the face of the campaign. In the original full video, Sweeney also said, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.” The American Eagle video now has over 11 million views on Youtube, where as the KATSEYE music video-like advertisement has 65 million views.
Now, earlier this week, Gap released a similar music video-style ad starring Latin reggaeton star Young Miko. The clothing company seems to understand music videos can be a great hyperfixation for many like me. They can set trends or start conversations, as these Gap advertisement videos have done. Music videos can make us laugh, cry or cringe. They allow us to not only hear the music we love, but also feel the lyrics, adding a visual element to a song. So let’s look at a few music videos across the ages.
Avril Lavigne, like Katy Perry, knew how to make a fun music video. Her video for “Complicated” is a perfect example. The video begins with Lavigne skating up to her friends and proposing they crash a mall. The lyrics that emphasize relaxing and stopping ungenuine behavior come through in the scenes that follow. She and her friends try on silly outfits, run around the mall, race miniature cars and act completely carefree. The song’s message — to uncomplicate things and be your authentic self — comes through in the chaotic, free-spirited video.
The video’s aesthetics also make it memorable. I love the classic 2000s skater outfits. Lavigne is known for popularizing pop punk in that era, and the look of the music video with accessory chains, spiked bleached hair, ties worn on top of tanks and, of course, skateboards are a perfect visual representation of the genre. Lavigne stands out in my memories from some of my other early 2000s pop girls with her punk aesthetic. Her videos and lyrics echo a message of being carefree, careless at times, and enjoying life on your own terms. It’s easy to understand why this video has over 850 million views on YouTube. And “Complicated” is hardly her only music video worth revisiting, as Lavigne’s videos for “Girlfriend” and “What the Hell” are equally entertaining.
Most of my favorite pop songs growing up have viral music videos. Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” video has over 1.8 billion views on YouTube. “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO has over 2 billion views. Maroon 5’s “Sugar” music video has over 4 billion views. Music videos used to show elaborate story lines with aspects like apocalyptic sets, crashing weddings, plot twists and large dance mobs. Most videos were far from simple — giving fans more than a song worth replaying but also a video worth re-streaming. It’s clear listeners cared for these music videos and viewers like me continue to revisit these short productions. Moving past the 2010s, recent music video releases show the art form is far from dead. Pop singers especially continue to treat music videos like elaborate short films.
One pop star today who consistently delivers dynamic, fun music videos is Sabrina Carpenter. Personally, I am not her biggest fan, but I started listening to her after watching the music video for “Feather.” The video opens with a funeral sign saying “He was just okay,” immediately setting the video’s tone of sarcastic dark humor. Throughout the video, different men behave foolishly. At the start, several men follow Carpenter down the street, trying to talk to her while she walks with her headphones on, completely ignoring them. Then, as they try crossing the street after her, they are run over by a truck.
The video also features Disney star, Milo Manheim. After he secretly takes a photo of her in the elevator, Carpenter pretends to flirt with him and distracts him. He, too, then ends up dying in an “accident” when she holds onto his tie, the elevator doors close on him and he is smashed. Carpenter has a trend of killing and punishing the male characters in her music videos, also seen in “Please Please Please” and “Taste.” Personally, I love the juxtaposition in her music videos between her glamorous outfits — over-the-top colorful clothes, cute hairdos and chunky tall heels — and the gore and chaos of the video’s plot. My favorite take from Carpenter’s music videos is her depiction and use of female power. Men can be fun additions to a video’s plot, but they often do not need to be the focus or star — they can be disposable in a sense. She takes control of her plot.
Manheim may just be a lucky charm for music videos. He recently also starred in Sombr’s “Homewrecker” video. Given Sombr’s music is typically more mellow and melancholic, I did not expect such an entertaining watch. In it, Manheim plays an unlikeable film producer, while Sombr is an actor who is secretly in love with comedian, model and social media influencer Quenlin Blackwell’s character, who is also Manheim’s girlfriend.
Set in the production of a Wild West film, viewers can watch Sombr’s character long for Blackwell’s character, while also seeing Manheim flirt with other women on set. Eventually, Sombr and Manheim break into a fist fight, but the video has a happy ending as Sombr and Blackwell ride off into the sunset. It is a beautifully cheesy and dramatic video. If there’s one thing to take away from this recent music video release is that artists are trying to engage with listeners through videos again. Sombr’s music video shares an elaborate story with a love triangle, costume pieces aligned with the setting and a beautiful set. Furthermore, it also shows how influencers continue to collaborate with music artists, as he chose Blackwell to star as his love interest versus an actress.
I could go on and on about iconic music videos. I did not even discuss Taylor Swift’s short film for “All Too Well,” Ariana Grande’s Mean Girls star-studded “Thank U, Next” or even Role Model’s simple, but heartfelt, video for “Look at That Woman.” Music videos are a powerful art form, one that deserves to continue to survive and evolve. Thankfully, many pop artists have successfully continued to create music videos that elevate their lyrics and emphasize the storytelling behind music. Even in our current society, where TikTok clips and trending audios can dominate conversations, artists like Carpenter and Sombr are proof that longer music videos have not been forgotten. Singers are re-investing in this art medium seeking to connect with fans, share deeper messages behind elaborate or comedic narratives and, overall, spark conversations among viewers.