Spread the Social Love:
In the world of YouTube stars, we have a huge surge of ‘literal’ videos. Yes I know they are all ‘literally’ videos (oh, the misuse of this word hurts me), but it’s a new concept where people take to poke fun at what we’re seeing in the video, whilst singing to the tune of the track. Granted, there are an awful amount of badly recorded, and terrible mimicked lyrics washed over the karaoke version of the single, but to be fair, there are some highly brilliant ones too.
What these ‘literal’ artists manage to do is pick up the nonsensical storyboards that accompany songs, which are so ‘out there’ and random that we can’t help to think ‘huh?’ I can’t help thinking that some of these music videos are created and any song are just smothered on top of it, no matter what it is, if it coincides with the song or not. Is it lazy video makers or is it some visual genius masterminds creating wonderful artistic pieces that are just too sophisticated for our brains? Hmmm.
Bonnie Tyler // 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'
I first came across a ‘literal’ video a couple of years ago when I stumbled across Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, which is bursting with classic 80’s weird imagery, both musically and visually, but unfortunately, probably due to some copywrite infringement or someone not getting the joke, they’ve taken it down. You can still find versions where people have recorded the actual original video, and I hasten to add, they’re terrible and you should avoid as it ruins the whole spectacle.
So if you’re looking for something to bring some cheer this Monday, take a look at the three I’ve chosen below. From James Blunt to Bruno Mars, I’m sure we can all laugh at the hilarity of the videos and the brilliant narrative of the untrained singers.
James Blunt // 'You’re Beautiful'
There’s nothing much going on in this video is there? Let’s be honest and tell it how it is. Even though a lovely love song, albeit ridiculously over played, with the video only focusing on a stripping James Blunt, it makes us wonder if the song was written for James by James, and the person he’s staring at is in fact his own reflection.
Another layer of brilliance that's added to this one is that the dude who's offered his amature singing voice to narrate what's actually being shown on the screen is a little out of his comfort zone with the pitch. Great work on trying to hit those high notes though!
Enrique Iglesias // 'Hero'
I absolutely adored this track when it came out, not because of Enrique, but because it really was a glorious little love song, especially for the ears of the youth. I have to admit that the video here makes a bit more sense and actually reflects what the lyrics narrates, listen up Blunty! However, it’s a bit over dramatic, especially with the rubbish fight scene where we can all tell that Enrique doesn’t actually get slapped in the face. Pretty sure Enrique would never ever allow this to happen and spoil his pretty boy visage.
The ‘literal’ version of ‘Hero’ really dissects exactly what’s going on here… and it’s done exquisitely!
Bruno Mars // 'Grenade'
Did anyone ever get why Bruno Mars was pulling a piano through a tunnel? Is there some weird message behind it symbolising his struggle to hold a music career and have a girlfriend at the same time? We all know that tunnel is symbolic for vagina, so even with my best artists/English literature student hat on, this is all I can come up with.
Surely, if he’s singing about how he’d catch a grenade (hint, that’s the song title) wouldn’t it make more sense to have a war scene and the captured girl in the distance whilst Bruno was dodge grenades and bullets like a demi-god running towards his beloved? Well, at least we get a version that tells it how it is right here.
What these ‘literal’ artists manage to do is pick up the nonsensical storyboards that accompany songs, which are so ‘out there’ and random that we can’t help to think ‘huh?’ I can’t help thinking that some of these music videos are created and any song are just smothered on top of it, no matter what it is, if it coincides with the song or not. Is it lazy video makers or is it some visual genius masterminds creating wonderful artistic pieces that are just too sophisticated for our brains? Hmmm.
Bonnie Tyler // 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'
I first came across a ‘literal’ video a couple of years ago when I stumbled across Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, which is bursting with classic 80’s weird imagery, both musically and visually, but unfortunately, probably due to some copywrite infringement or someone not getting the joke, they’ve taken it down. You can still find versions where people have recorded the actual original video, and I hasten to add, they’re terrible and you should avoid as it ruins the whole spectacle.
So if you’re looking for something to bring some cheer this Monday, take a look at the three I’ve chosen below. From James Blunt to Bruno Mars, I’m sure we can all laugh at the hilarity of the videos and the brilliant narrative of the untrained singers.
James Blunt // 'You’re Beautiful'
There’s nothing much going on in this video is there? Let’s be honest and tell it how it is. Even though a lovely love song, albeit ridiculously over played, with the video only focusing on a stripping James Blunt, it makes us wonder if the song was written for James by James, and the person he’s staring at is in fact his own reflection.
Another layer of brilliance that's added to this one is that the dude who's offered his amature singing voice to narrate what's actually being shown on the screen is a little out of his comfort zone with the pitch. Great work on trying to hit those high notes though!
Enrique Iglesias // 'Hero'
I absolutely adored this track when it came out, not because of Enrique, but because it really was a glorious little love song, especially for the ears of the youth. I have to admit that the video here makes a bit more sense and actually reflects what the lyrics narrates, listen up Blunty! However, it’s a bit over dramatic, especially with the rubbish fight scene where we can all tell that Enrique doesn’t actually get slapped in the face. Pretty sure Enrique would never ever allow this to happen and spoil his pretty boy visage.
The ‘literal’ version of ‘Hero’ really dissects exactly what’s going on here… and it’s done exquisitely!
Bruno Mars // 'Grenade'
Did anyone ever get why Bruno Mars was pulling a piano through a tunnel? Is there some weird message behind it symbolising his struggle to hold a music career and have a girlfriend at the same time? We all know that tunnel is symbolic for vagina, so even with my best artists/English literature student hat on, this is all I can come up with.
Surely, if he’s singing about how he’d catch a grenade (hint, that’s the song title) wouldn’t it make more sense to have a war scene and the captured girl in the distance whilst Bruno was dodge grenades and bullets like a demi-god running towards his beloved? Well, at least we get a version that tells it how it is right here.
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