Lady Gaga is an icon. This cannot be denied. She has an incredible following. This too, cannot be disputed. And while many other larger-than-life entertainers have fan followings that are more dedicated to them than many of them are to themselves, I rarely, if ever, have seen the breed of fans that Gaga can claim. The video above is just one of many vows of allegiance to the Mother Monster.
What’s so interesting about it is that it seems to have no other purpose than to praise and/or worship Gaga and ultimately express some level of loyalty. While many fan videos for songs are composed of colored screens with lyrics scrolling across them, or some mishmash of publicity photos poorly chopped together, this video, well, I’ll say it took me a minute to realize it wasn’t Gaga.
Clearly, some time and effort was put into it. From the set to the choreography, and even the editing of the footage was impressive to say the least. It may not be the best video I’ve ever seen, but it’s light years beyond some of the videos I’ve witnessed from “up and coming” rappers who I’m sure had bigger budgets.
That all being said, enjoy the work of Lizalo Galama and the other Dutch men and women that helped her make this video.
I genuinely was moved by this video. In today’s society, it’s rare that artists take such a personal stance on polarizing topics in their crafts.
There once was an age where every song, movie, gathering had an underlying or over-arching cause associated. People knew how they felt about issues affecting others, and they wanted to do something to further action for those causes. Through the decades, messages were increasingly difficult to find in music and movies. We seemed to move into this dead period in music where songs were mindless in terms of subject matter more often than not, and [American] movies only took on causes when they were attempting to vilify other nations and cultures.
I appreciated that she not only told her story of personal loss, but she visually depicted it for those who did not previously get the message and put the entire scenario in its appropriate, relatable context. Then, she added the call to action, which, to me, was the “icing on the cake.” At that point I felt the chills come on, and I knew that I wanted to share this video with others not only to bring attention to the video, but to present it as an exhibit of someone who is using their platform and reach as an entertainer to make the world a better place.
By no means am I saying that other entertainers are not doing this, but I am saying that infusing that message into their chosen medium is far more powerful than simply making a song/movie about nothing, then coming to speak at a conference about bullying, for example. I don’t believe that celebrity in itself is a responsibility, but I do believe that it can be used more responsibly and more strategically. I hope that this, and the few others examples I am aware of currently, are an indication of a growing trend in sparking social change through popular media. Only time will tell.
Kelly Rowland - Motivation (Official Music Video) w/ Lil Wayne.
I will give it to Ms. Kelly, she is not one to give up easily. She has been doing all that she can to ignite a viable solo career in the US since the official disbandment of her former group Destiny’s Child back in 2006. Although she has been able to sustain a healthy following internationally with her more dance-centric sound, it seems near impossible to replicate that same success at home, but it has not been for lack of trying.
Thus far, Kelly has released 2 studio albums (Simply Deep in 2002, and the barely promoted hence less successful Ms. Kelly in 2007), won 2 collaborative Grammys for her duet “Dilemma” with Nelly and “When Love Takes Over” with David Guetta, and been featured in a number of television shows and films. Despite her unrelenting perseverance to make her mark on the US market, none of these accomplishments have made the heavy impact she’s looking for.
Recently, songs like “Commander” that became a number-one song on the Hot Dance Club Songs Billboard chart, and “Gone,” the new song and video she made with Nelly, have shown that she has the versatility that an artist should have. The problem is that the “X-Factor” in the music has been missing. She sounds great because she has talent, but the songs themselves are simply lacking.
I support her in all her endeavors, but I really want to see more. I know that she has the potential, but she needs the right management and artistic direction to guide her to the light. Unfortunately, as has often been the case, the timing of this single release is poor. She only has one month before Beyoncé makes her alleged return to the music industry and sucks the oxygen from the planet again. We’ll see how this goes.
Until then, enjoy the sexy and sensual Ms. Kelly Rowland.
A Nelly and Kelly reunion had been rumored for a while before the release of their single “Gone” a few months ago. Featured here is what seems to the be final cut of the video directed by Marc Klasfeld.
Finally, there is a video that matches the song it is created for; they are both equally underwhelming. I’m not sure if this song bloomed from the friendship Nelly and Kelly built and have maintained with one another, or from record executives who were trying to recreate the success the two found with their 2002 single “Dilemma.” Either way, they both could do much better.
The song and the video are cute, but they both are excessively full of clichés. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m simply tired of songs that have a chorus consisting of a single repeating word, in this case “gone.” The video shows a clear overuse of slow motion which I thought went out of style with the R&B videos of the late ’90s. And unless we’re bringing back the artistic and musical qualities of those songs, let’s leave the past in the past.
If either of them really want to revive their careers, they are going to need to do better than this. It’s sad to see people that actually have talent squandering it on projects that aren’t worth the time put into them (or maybe they didn’t put much time in this at all..). Regardless of the future, the present is what it is. Enjoy.
I can say I’ve been waiting on a video for this song since I first heard it over 3 months ago. The song by itself is probably one of the best on Kanye’s album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and not only because it’s loaded with features from people who may never be on the same song ever again (Alicia Keys, Elton John, Rihanna, John Legend, Kid Cudi, Ryan Leslie, Fergie, The-Dream, Charlie Wilson, Elly Jackson, Alvin Fields, Tony Williams, and Ken Lewis). It’s a well-produced song with an array of elements that work well together and make a listener expect an epic visual representation to equal the song’s grandeur. Sadly, like many other music videos of recent, it took too long to release for it to be so severely lacking in so many areas.
I am not saying that the video isn’t visually stimulating. Frankly, it was one of the most stimulating pieces I’ve seen in a while for all the wrong reasons. But, after seeing this video for “All Of the Lights” and the alleged, unofficial video for “Monster,” a few questions are raised.
Did Kanye pour all of his creative energy into the album and the subsequent mini-movie for “Runaway” leaving nothing left for the rest of the album’s videos? Or, has he shown that he is best in short-form endeavors as seen in the creative intrigue expressed in his “Power” video?
Either way, I’ve learned two things: Rihanna does not mind wearing little to no clothing, and I should stop expecting great music videos.
