To follow up “Call Me Maybe”, here’s another really fantastic video that’s been running through my head. This is really the first song from Selena Gomez that I remember hearing - and I don’t know if it’s because it’s a dancier tune or if it’s a temporary pitstop for her style - but I like it. This is one Top 40, Disney machine song that I was never ashamed to admit I love.

First, Selena Gomez is totes gorge. The first 20 seconds of this video kind of creep me out, but when she looks up at :21, I’m hooked. Then there’s the series of chin-thrust-sly-glance-head-tilt at :24 / :27 / and :32.

Then, my friend tells me this video references a bunch of other music videos from songs of years past - but even missing all of those references, you can still totally get the sense of humor Gomez has here. The tongue-in-cheek wink.

Finally, I still just get a kick out of imagining this song being sung about JB. And I just love the two together and that’s just made even stronger by watching her have fun in this video.

Bonus: I recommend following this up with “Boyfriend” (by, duh, JB) because it really makes a great pair. JUST LIKE THEY DO.

Honorable mention: The whole chorus sequence at 2:02 until about 2:35. Also, I don’t follow enough gossip to know if Selena Gomez usually wears her hair big or flat, but I hope big. The big hair on her is killer.

wicked-grin:

strangegods:

emmyangua:

timelordy-teganbreann:

thatsnotwatyourmomsaid:

i was watching this gif while listening to this song and found it oddly entertaining..

i can’t stop looking at it

thought this was stupid, but then…then i clicked and i cant stop staring.. 

help

I’m trapped. Trapped forever.

YES

i kept waiting for them to do something different

even tho i know how gifs work

and i’ve seen this one before

I’m pretty sure I could be given a hypnotic suggestion right now and bark like a dog for the rest of my life.

(Source: larrystylinsonbro)

psychotropicpolitics:

I wrote my final in American studies on this video last year. Good to revisit.

I think I have thoughts about this video but I can’t even wrap my head around them. Just. What. And also: why I need to continue my education.

wicked-grin:

The Maroon 5 video has got great dancers, but whenever I see Adam Levine I’m overcome by the need to punch him. I find his voice irritating. Kollaboration NY 2011 kills it. A great song.

I’m a fan of this song, but haven’t seen the Maroon 5 version yet. Seeing this cover, I’m not sure I have any reason to. I’m not a fan of performance based music videos, but I couldn’t turn away from this one.

This is my new favorite Anne-Hathaway-thing. And I love Anne Hathaway.

(via dannielle via the daily what)

(Source: thedailywhat)

I’ve been listening to this song for two months non-stop, but it wasn’t until yesterday when prompted by my BFF did I see the music video.

My whole life, when I’ve been really frustrated, it would want to boil out in some destructive manner. As a kid, this meant when my sister annoyed me I punched her arm. As a teenager, it meant that I would just stomp my feet and yell into my pillow - much less effective, but eventually tire out. In college this meant one time my friend and I hung a sheet on her fence, filled balloons with paint, turned on the Beastie Boys, and ran at the sheet popping the balloons and spreading the paint. That was probably the most fun/effective way to release my tension that made me want to smash guitars and TVs.

What I’m saying is: Dude, I can relate.

With the exception of Facebook, I’ve been avoiding the internet for four months. Not on purpose but when you don’t read prolific blogs for a week, it becomes too much to catch up after two weeks and by the time you hit a month it’s just more stressful than it’s worth and you realize it’s time to take a breather. Of course when I peek back in it’s as though I’m 18 and navel-gazing with the best of them.

But really, listening to “Cosmic Love” this morning wearing my new cardigan just got me out of my head in a really necessary way.

Caragh’s description of what this song did to her below is pretty spot on for my first listen-through.

whydoihaveablog:

I’m like, “fuck you and fuck her too.”

I can’t explain what this song did to me, because I didn’t like it for the first 5 seconds, and then I kind of liked it, and then I really liked it, and then I was chair dancing, and then I started it from the beginning and got up and danced around the room while picking up my dirty laundry.

This song will be great for two months and come around again in some summer comedy in 2050 about the summer of 2010.

New video from @JanelleMonae (for the fantastic track, “Cold War”). Watch and prepare to feel human again at 1:37 through the end. While her expressiveness is enough to keep your attention, it also forces you to really listen to the lyrics. As many times as this track has cycled through my playlists this was the first time I really sat and absorbed what she was singing. There were too many for me to quote each one here, so just digest it at your own pace.

Relatedly, you can see similar range in Monae’s twitter account. Many celebrities are typically one note - they either promote themselves, promote their causes, or offer some glimpses into their own lives/personality. (Though if they are the last, they may also include any of the former - but not usually the other way around). All with varying degrees of engaging with fans. The more they shut out their own lives from their feeds, the less they engage usually.

Monae does a lot of tweeting about her work and creative community (Wondaland), but in a great twist will often through out questions or asks for inspiration and motivation. Then she’ll re-tweet many of the replies. It may be quotes, or links, or today when she asked fans how this video made them feel. Thus giving a platform not just for herself and her collaborators, but also her fans who otherwise may be left unheard. (@SophiaBush does similar to help promote her political/environmental causes and as fans send her new ideas and resources she’ll share them out).

And while an endless stream of re-tweets and inspirational messages may get tiresome after a little while, Monae will also pepper her stream with jokes and offhand observations. Which in turn let fans know her just a tiny bit more and help strengthen the community she’s fostering outside of her creative goals.

In this case she asked fans to share their own reactions while watching this music video, what Monae aptly calls an “emotion picture”:

Reading through the reactions from fans that Monae shares, they run the gamut and each one can make me reconsider myself.

Basically: no matter the medium, Monae continues to impress me with how she balances her messages, art, and human sides. In this case, human = vulnerability with a touch of laughter.

ETA: Monae has since tweeted that there will be an emotion picture for each track on ArchAndroid (pick the album up now if you haven’t already) and that, “re: “cold war” Initially we planned another treatment, but decided our “minds” shouldn’t get in the way of our honest emotions..this time.” Good choice, Team Monae, good choice.

“Baby” by Justin Bieber, My World 2.0 (also NPR’s song of the day on 4/14)

Monkey Sees, an NPR hosted blog, has posted an essay on the tension between high culture and low culture using Justin Bieber as a starting point. This is worth attention, actually, whether you like Bieber or not.

I know in other internet places I’ve confessed my fascination and love for Justin Bieber. Friends and I have discussed at more length than one would probably expect his music, his style, his dance moves, his persona. And I did stay up way past my bedtime last weekend to see him on SNL. (He wasn’t funny. He was 16.)

So imagine how tickled I was Wed morning to hear this story about him on NPR’s Morning Edition. They talk about everything that I’ve mentioned - how his music belies his roots and his age; how he’s wrangled social media and is one of the first pop stars to do so (others who have have done so post-fame, rather than as a road to fame). The summary doesn’t do justice to what’s discussed so I recommend listening to it yourself.

This is the song I’ll be going around about in my head as I fall asleep. It’s so crazy - catchy as hell and the lyrics just make me spin.

My boy builds coffins and I think it’s a shame
That when each ones been made, he can’t see it again
He crafts every one with love and with care
Then it’s thrown in the ground, it just isn’t fair

I think it was a year ago that I asked the world why I don’t have this album yet. Well, here it is one year later and I never need to ask that question again. Thank goodness.

When I was in Top Pot the other evening, picking up half a dozen doughnuts that we don’t need in my house, this song came on. And the doughnut men were talking about how they need to sing it together at karaoke during the next karaoke night. Doughnut Man #2 was given the part of the chorus while Doughnut Man #1 said he’d handle the verses.

So obviously I came home and downloaded it. Because it’s one of those songs that I forget about until I hear it. And when I remember it I remember I like it and would like to have it. But I never realized this meant I liked anything by Styx. When I went to get this song from iTunes I also bought “Mr. Roboto”. Mostly out of nostalgia and I wasn’t disappointed when it looked like iTunes had an error and didn’t process the song; but then I got the receipt today and I guess I do own that one now too. Which means I have two Styx songs.

I think I’m going to do Elton John next. Elton John ca. 1972 and Styx live in the same part of my brain.

This is the only album I’ve been able to listen to all day. I suspect the week will be the same.

This song is the definition of ridiculous.