http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6605833/2015-10-best-music-videos-taylor-swift-maroon-5-sia
ANALYSIS
The first music video that Billboard put up as one of their top 10's was the Sia - Elastic Heart.
This music video uses Frith's idea of 'Conceptual', as it showcases a younger female, representing the singer 'Sia' and an older male, Shia. This video personally was very interesting for me to watch as it made me think about the actual deeper meaning behind it. In my opinion, I think this song and video presents mental illnesses and how it makes one feel locked in a cage. On one route, the younger child could be helping her father break out of the cage but fails. Another route could be that the two actors represent Sia's mixed personality. Overall, this music video is very intriguing and would also be in my top 10 music video choices.
The second video that Billboard chose as a part of their top 10 is Maroon 5's - Sugar.
This music video used a different route to any other music video as the band, Maroon 5, went to as many possible weddings in order to 'surprise' the bride and groom. It is a very light hearted and sweet music video which shows the kind nature of the band, essentially reflecting upon their personality. Overall, this music video was a success but would however not be in my top 10 only due to the fact that it lacked in story (narrative), an aspect that majorly appeals to me.
The third music video which Billboard had chosen is Taylor Swifts - Bad Blood.
This music video is definitely in my top 10 as it uses a highly entertaining narrative of many strong women teaming up to battle one another. The fact that the music video has many cameos in it also, broadens the audience as they possibly wait in anticipation to see their favourite female celebrity appear. The use of special effects, hair and makeup, emphasises the strong personalities that each woman has, marking it almost as an anthem for feminism.
The fourth music video which Billboard had chosen is Kendrick Lamar's - King Kunta.
Kendrick Lamar is undoubtedly one of the most creative and talented rap artists today. With the fact that this song itself is one of my favourite hip hop songs of all time, this music video is also in my own personal top 10. This music video showcases the artist in his hometown, emphasising his popularity, resembling a 'King'. Furthermore, I think that the old school hip hop vibe appeals to rap and hip hop audiences, making it a successful music video. Overall, the lack of effects or 'props/locations' epitomise Kendricks talent as opposed to how fancy his music video is. As the video resembles a 'homemade' video, it allows the audience to almost time travel back to the older days of good hip hop music, something that I admire.
The fifth music video that Billboard had chose to be a part of the top 10 in 2015 is FKA Twigs - Glass and Patron.
This music video is definitely conceptual and arguably very provocative. I do not entirely get the full meaning of the video as the beginning of the video, personally threw me off, especially because I have not seen this video before. However, towards the end, I realised that the singer gave birth to a dance troupe who are 'vogueing', hence the lyric "hold that pose for me". Overall, the music video is very creative and artistic but it would not personally be in my top 10 because I do not feel that the narrative is as strong as the visuals.
The sixth music video is Carly Rae Jepson - I Really Like You.
As I have not seen the music video before, I was really surprised that Tom Hanks was the star of a pop music video. The editing style of the video was very basic, however I did like the part where they were texting eachother. Overall, this music video had a childish nature to it so it did not particularly suit my taste. In addition, although I would not personally choose this video as a part of my top 10, I do appreciate the fact that it is light hearted and different from the rest of the music videos that are currently out.
The seventh music video that Billboard have chosen is Shamir - Call it Off.
This music video is completely different to the music videos that have currently been released as it showcases the artist morphing into a puppet. Although the song and overall genre is something that I would not listen to, truthfully, it was an entertaining music video to watch. Overall, the bright colours and concept was more entertaining than a lot of other music videos with its weird and wonderful elements.
The eighth music video is from Beyonce and Nicki Minaj - Feeling Myself.
Due to the fact that this video is not available on YouTube and only on Tidl, I cannot properly analyse it. However, snippets of the music video was placed on YouTube and from those snippets, I can tell that a lot of effort was put into the visuals as opposed to an actual storyline. The video more or less emphasises the two strong and independant women's beauty as well as their confidence.
The ninth music video is by Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best.
The song itself is not appealing to me personally as it is a rock genre, however the music video is quite entertaining. The clowns give it a more juvenile appeal to it, yet it still did not appeal to me.
The tenth music video is Madonna ft Nicki Minaj - B*tch I'm Madonna.
This music video is definitely one of my top 10's because of how fierce and confident Madonna is, i.e. The Queen of Pop. She embodied the saying 'age is just a number' as her dancing as well as her physical appearance, as youngers say, 'slays'. The editing style is fast paced, just like the song and uses a variety of props and dance. Overall, this song epitomises the party scene and is very appealing to a young audience.
