A couple months ago I was watching Palladia on Directv. Palladia shows great concert films, performances, and events like Glastonbury. Places I would love to go and see live, but as I've gotten older, much more enjoy from my couch. Less people, less mud and better views and sound.
I was busy cooking dinner or something and it was just serving as background noise that I could look over at times to see what was happening. Whatever I was originally watching was already over, but the TV was still on and stuff was still playing. I suddenly heard a song I wasn't familiar with, but recognized the voice. I walked over to my TV and it was a video for a song by The Killers called "Shot at the Night" from their Direct Hits album. The song itself was great, but I wanted to see the video. I hit rewind on my remote and started from the beginning. From the moment the song began, the visual grabbed me to the point that I had to sit down and watch. I did this about 4 more times in a row.
The song, like I said, is fantastic, but this visual that told a story to this song was even better. A beautiful story, with great direction and acting. It actually tugged on my heartstrings in such a way, that this song has became my obsession for months. The combination of the video and song did everything I love about the how the two mediums can complement each other to elevate the feeling to a whole other place you never knew existed. The video for "Shot at the Night" is (to me) a short film and not a music video. A story of a working class girl from Las Vegas, who works at a hotel where people come in and out and both her and the visitors are just faceless and interchangeable objects in a 24 hour period. The girl (portrayed by Bella Heathcote), represents (and totally nails) a naturally beautiful, lonely girl who's life is a repetitive, uneventful cycle of just her and her cat. She goes to work, goes home and then back to work. Until one day, while driving the strip of Las Vegas in her beat up, old used car almost hits a young man as she daydreams while behind the wheel. The two lock eyes for a brief moment, they smile and she continues to her soulless job. As she continues her daily duties, she once again almost hits this same young man, this time with her housekeeping cart. It's a deja vu moment for the two that is kismet. The young man, (perfectly cast Max Minghella), invites the young housekeeper to join him and his friends for the evening. The young housekeeper goes in the room with the girl that is with the young men and she pulls out a dress for the evening for them to go out. The young housekeeper then reveals herself a Cinderella story. They leave and she goes out to live outside of who she is for her "shot in the night". The visuals of the two new found lovers is so romantic as they experience each other with such passion, I felt like I was experiencing that magical feeling with them.
As this is all happening, you have Brandon Flowers singing the song from above in a room overlooking the Las Vegas night like a Greek chorus or narrator. His presence is perfect for this story.
What I love so much about this is that the song, (when I listen) gives me a romantic feeling that I could paint into any situation, but this story (written and directed by Roboshobo) feels like the song was written just for this story. The video served the purpose I always felt a great video was made for. It took my emotions for a song to the next level.
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When music videos first came out, it was such an exciting time. As a kid watching MTV at 12 years old, I was just starting to go to shows, but prior to the music video, I would spend hours a day listening to an album, looking at the album cover, reading the lyrics, liner notes, reading magazines like Rolling Stone, Creem, Hit Parader anything that could take me further into the world of these songs and voices. Waiting for concert films or the actual acts to do a concert to come to town, so I could experience what I have spent so much time looking at still photos.
Images in magazines of Gene Simmons spitting blood, Pete Townesnd doing a windmill or Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton jumping (what looked like) 10 feet in the air. The music video now allowed me to see this. I would then spend my time between watching videos and reading liner notes. The level of passion for a song was beginning to go to another level. Of course, with this new level of connection, I would start making mix tapes for girls and send them musical love letters...That's another story.
When the music video first came out, there was so much trial and error of what to do with this medium. The concert performance that brought the pages of the magazines to life. Seeing David Lee Roth do his martial arts kicks, NWA taking you to Compton or even Tom Petty telling you the story of Eddie as he took you "Into the Great Wide Open". Sure, there were more stinkers than winners, but it was a work in progress.
This new art of being able to mix the feeling of a song to a visual became a new experience that to this day I can't explain in words. My first experience of this was the film "Over the Edge". The soundtrack was adolescence of the late 70's explained in 11 songs. In the 80's teen films were amazing, because the music placed in a film was doing this emotional enhancement by raising the bar of a moment with a song. Certain directors were masters of this. John Hughes comes to mind immediately. The use of "If You We're Here" by Thompson Twins at the end of Sixteen Candles or "Don't You Forget About Me" at the end of Breakfast Club were as important to the scene as what was happening on screen. The song never had to literally fit the scene, just hold the same feeling of what you were watching, whether it was a melody or a chorus. John Hughes used "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush in his (not as successful) film She's Having A Baby as there is uncertainty of the birth of this couples child. The tone and vocal of Kate Bush, took this frightening and joyful moment and made you feel it in your soul. John Hughes was a master. There are other directors that share this same level of importance that music plays telling (or feeling) a story . Cameron Crowe and more recently, Zack Braff with Garden State and Judd Apatow (and all affiliated directors). There are many more, but I can't think of them right now.
Television has been the place that has been carrying the creative flag of well done placement of music to a feeling in a story. The beauty of this has been that it's been an amazing place for new artists to be discovered and exposed. Judd Apatow and Paul Feig were so good at this in the brilliant "Freaks and Geeks"that they held off from putting out the box set until the songs used were all cleared. The use of the songs were as important as the dialogue. One scene that comes to mind, was a scene where the character "Bill" comes home after school to reveal that he is an only child of a single mother and (like many kids of the 70's and 80's) was a "latchkey" kid. He comes home, makes himself a sandwich, and watches the Dinah Shore show as Gary Shandling performs Stand Up. The scene has no dialogue and is sound tracked by "I'm One"by The Who.
This is magic. Another moment of sheer brilliance and could not have closed and wrapped up a series better was the use of Sia "Breathe Me" to close Six Feet Under. I don't know one person who wasn't effected to the point of crying and being saddened when it was over. I was in a dark haze for 2 weeks. Without the use of the song, I really don;t know if it would have been the same. Nor, do I care. Because, this is how I feel it had to be.
The soundtrack and the music video lost their way when it became about a financial win. Soundtracks in the 90's started this with music "inspired by" soundtracks, putting together soundtracks to place their new acts on for exposure and handing over B sides of their A list acts. This from my experience, was not due to the supervisors, but the label dictating placements. The "Inspired by" songs were dumped into a soundtrack that are never even heard in the film or had any association other than using film artwork. The Matrix, Spiderman, Hunger Games, etc... and the music video became a product placement source. You watch any video and for no reason, someone opens a Sprite or grabs some Beats Headphones. The passion and magic was removed.
I'm sure there are lots of videos out there that aren't any of the above, but unfortunately, the places you can see them have gone away. MTV used to be so great at this. From 120 Minutes, Headbangers Ball, Yo! MTV Raps..there was a way to find new music in all genres and feel new music. Palladia and AXStv hopefully will bring this back. I'm not talking about the TRL rotation of the same videos, but blocks of discovery.
"Shot At The Night" has given me hope as much as Brandon Flowers and The Killers continue to give me hope for long lasting bands who will continue to make great albums.
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