If you are of a certain age, there are probably three seminal music videos that blew your mind at one point in your life: Money for Nothing, You Might Think, and Take on Me .
(Sigh. Okay, fine, and the extended version of Thriller. At least I’ll admit it. Shut up.)
Anyway, my friend Jun (who is also of a certain age) sent me this literal version of Ah-Ha’s Take On Me yesterday. I was amused, and thought I’d share.
BEHOLD!
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The Family Guy parody of this is great too:
I always hated that video because it didn’t make sense to me. Honestly, I kinda feel like I finally understand it now. Could someone do this for Sledgehammer, too?
This is absolutely brilliant – and someone has waaaay too much time on their hands. But still, I wish I would’ve thought of it!
Those were pretty cool. But the one video that I worked hard to burn permanently into my retinas (with modest success) was Missing Persons: Words.
Yes. I’m a pig. (Just ask my wife.)
->A
I worked at a video store in the early 80’s when Thriller came out. The owner played that and Flashdance constantly. Still hate flashdance, but can tolerate thriller.
Don’t forget Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, Wil! It still holds up!
I love it.:)
I like that the singing was actually not bad… All of a sudden I was around 13 again with lots of blue eyeliner.
This was an amazing rendition of Take on Me as well. Thought you might like it.
A-Ha – Take On Me: Literal Video Version
hahah, I don’t pay attention. It’s awesome.
Ah the joys of the 80’s. Staying up late and watching music videos at college. You Might Think was good video but ZZtop’s Legs was better.
“BEHOLD”
An underused word in my opinion, and with that video flashback I am thereby (also underused) identified as that ‘certain age’ as well.
These vids (yes, and Sledgehammer – still loves) are some of the first our family saw in colour!
Ooo. Good call on Sledgehammer. That was a great/funny rendition with good vocals.
All this reminds of way back when MTV played music videos.
I am not of that certain age, however I still love this video. And, how much more intelligible with the new words and subtitles.
Aha. It pains me, as a Swedish-American, to have to give praise to Norwegians but this song is still good. Especially in this version.
“Somebody’s gonna get an ass full of pipe wrench.”
BAAAAAAAHAHAH!
I peed a little.
Clay
Wow, suddenly I was 14 again, with my dad watching that video with me and asking, “What’s that have to do with the song?”
So what happens at the end when some guy with no identification is suddenly living in the real world? Does she put him on her lease? Maybe the girls still lives at home. How is she going to explain that to her parents?
Ahem. Since no one else wants to say it, I will.
Videos that blew your mind? The list must include Rock the Cradle.
This has been making me happy all week.
Well, this and knowing that all of my friends are watching it repeatedly at their workplaces. My history entertains my friends and confuses the professors.
What joy!
Thanks for posting it!
Hey Wil, I know you are a big music lover and I want to try some new artists. Do you have a list anywhere of your favorite stuff? I searched your blog and wrote down a few names. I am going to preview some of it in the iTunes store. Have a nice hump day.
Well your last.fm profile is helpful. I just signed up.
One of my favorite videos of all time. I’m not ashamed to admit, I have the song on my MP3 player. It still makes me want to jump up and dance.
I loved the interpretation, though. I laughed out loud at the “(pipe wrench fight)” backup vocals :o)
In case you didn’t know, the guy that directed this video (Steve Barron) also directed the video for “Money for Nothing.”
For someone slightly under that certain age I have to say I’ve always loved this video. The “literal” version makes me laugh no matter how many times I watch it.
Pipe wrench fight. Killer. And the singer can hit that note. I’m impressed. Off to play the original version!
Oh wow … seriously wow. I must’ve been 14 when I saw them live back in ’86. It was my first live show.
*shakes head*
Okay, back to reality!
I’m right there with you on “Money For Nothing” and “Thriller”, but the third video of my own personal Triad of Awesomeness is “Land of Confusion”.
You might also want to check our the literal version of Tears for Fears – Head Over Heels. I can’t wait to see more of these!
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6342db2270
It’s a video, what’s there to “get”? It’s a pretty simple story – Animated Boy meets Real Girl, Girl gets animated, Boy gets kills, Boy comes back to life and beats himself silly in Girl’s kitchen to become Real. Nonsense? Sure. But that’s OK.
I *heart* a-Ha, BTW. And yes, they are still around.
I’m not sure what the certain age is meant to be, but I’m 23 and I can remember Money For Nothing blowing my mind when I was young.
There is a very distinct possibility that it was the very first music video that I ever saw, and has been the awesome standard to which I now hold all music videos . . . and not a great deal has managed to match it.
“So what happens at the end when some guy with no identification is suddenly living in the real world? Does she put him on her lease? Maybe the girls still lives at home. How is she going to explain that to her parents?”
The answer to your question is in this Ah-Ha video
High-larious. And I’m of a certain “older” age. (Man, I hate to admit that…)
OK, so now I am suffering from serious celebrity blog clash.
Last week you posted something from Neil Gaiman’s blog. Which I read. Today you post this, which was posted recently in Graham Linehan’s blog (if you don’t know Graham Linehan, he’s a comedy writer from the UK, who wrote such wonderful series as Father Ted, Black Books and the IT Crowd (which I believe has just started playing in the US)).
All I need now is for you to start quoting something from Lore Sjöberg, and my circle of celebrity blogs will be complete.
The three videos that specifically blew me away were:
In Bloom – Nirvana
Cherish – Madonna
Garden of Eden – Guns ‘n’ Roses
Of course, the night that I saw these three videos was one of the two times in my life that I took shrooms. But they were *amazing!*
J. D.
They did it to Tears For Fears’ “Head Over Heels” too. Not quite as good as the A HA one, but still funny. Very well done.
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6342db2270
“certain age”
Wil we are not THAT old…yet! LOL
I’m a few years behind you, Wil, and one music video stands above all else in blowing my pubescent mind:
Heh heh… thanks for the trip down memory lane! Don’t feel bad about Thriller… we all liked it and we all danced it. If someone says otherwise, they’re LYING.
I’m a little under that certain age…but I’ll put in another vote for the inclusion of the Sledgehammer video on that list.
Also, in case anyone is interested, I came across an interesting sequel to the video the other day: http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/10/09/take-on-me-the-sequel/
Hah!
This was posted up on (James L Grant) FlemCo’s livejournal a few days ago. Very funny.
Gotta agree with other comments…Sledgehammer was a damn cool video.
What? You forgot Sledgehammer?!?!?! That’s like trying to sell on Orc Barbarian sword as a “Giant Ninja” sword, my fellow prisoner.
Hee, I love it! Band montage!
Wil’s my favorite junior high best friend I never had the nerve to tell I had a crush on.
Who doesn’t remember the event of Thriller’s debut on MTV?
I can only say what I said when my friend Soo posted this:
Two lines that belong together:
“Band Montage!”
“Makes me wanna crumple somethin’.”
The funniest part of that entire piece is at the end,when an advertisement for pipe wrench ass kicking clothes appears. Priceless.
I am slightly older than a certain age (I was 21 when this was originally released) and, it pains me to say, loved this song and video in the original versions. Though this version is good too.
Favorite part? The voiceovers during the instrumental part. High-larious.
I am slightly older than a certain age (I was 21 when this was originally released) and, it pains me to say, loved this song and video in the original versions. Though this version is good too.
Favorite part? The voiceovers during the instrumental part. High-larious.
The music video of Thriller is the greatest music video ever. I though that was a commonly-known fact to everyone except MTV.
Agree wholeheartedly with your three (four!) choices but must add two:
Herbie Hancock’s ‘Rockit’ and Duran Duran’s extended version of ‘Girls on Film’.
Both blew my mind for all the wrong reasons….
Wow…this was one of my favorite videos as a kid and it brings back some memories. Suddenly I’m 9 years old again, watching MTV and/or VH1 with my teenager sister. She’s hoping that they’ll play a Menudo video, but “Take On Me” comes on instead. She grumbles in annoyance and goes to get a New Coke while I happily watch the cool motorcycles, relieved that I’ve been spared 5 more minutes of my sister’s obsession with Ricky Martin.