Stay (Rihanna)
Video released in: February
Most possibly singing about her turbulent relationship with Chris Brown while sitting naked in the foetal position in a bathtub, this video is still a YT biggie. In much of the video she is seen submerged in water while Mikky Ekko, co-writer and co-producer of the song (with Justin Parker), hangs around contributing a few flat notes to the song.
Memorable line: Not really sure how to feel about it/ Something in the way you move/ Makes me feel like I can't live without you/ It takes me all the way/ I want you to stay.
YouTube hits: 175.1 million
The Abramovic Method
(Lady Gaga)
Video released in: August
Lady Gaga doesn’t need any motivation to go over the edge, which did, once again, in a bizarre project with Serbian artist Marina Abramovic (whose previous projects include standing like a statue for six hours while people poked her!). When the Born This Way singer recently said she would “strip herself bare” to find inspiration for her new album ARTPOP, she wasn’t using a figure of speech. In the video for Marina’s project, Lady Gaga appears naked walking through a garden. The video is part of a campaign that has been launched on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter and it hopes to raise $600,000.
YouTube hits: 115,365
Blurred Lines (Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell)
Video released in: March
“I just wanted to make a really silly, funny video and then the director said, ‘What if the girls are topless?’,” said the American R&B singer about his video in a recent interview. Robin, in fact, went on to say that he released the video after showing it to his wife (actress Paula Patton), who went “bananas over it”. Now, what could possibly be wrong with this thought: “You’re an animal, baby it’s in your nature/ Just let me liberate you”?!
Memorable line: What do they make dreams for/ When you got them jeans on/ What do we need steam for/ You the hottest bitch in this place/ I feel so lucky
YouTube hits: 140.2 million
Love Illumination (Franz Ferdinand)
Video released in: July
Scottish four-piece indie rock/post punk band Franz Ferdinand uses abstract imagery and animal masks to make their video stick out. And for good measure they throw in an almost-naked woman feeding a man cherries and later the same woman carries a man’s head on a tray! Appetising, huh?
Memorable line: Sweet love illumination/ Sweet, sweet love elevation/ Outside, fresh other side/ But inside love, you will be alright
YouTube hits: 873,573
Made To Love
(John Legend)
Video released in: August
The R&B and hip hop Grammy-winning singer has perfected the art of getting away showing naked women in music videos. He skilfully depicts nudity just about enough to keep the video YT-worthy. Lovers entangle and a feast of fleshy close-ups is this video’s USP.
Memorable line: Oooh, have you ever known/ We laid your eyes on/ The perfect work of art/ I knew right from the start/ Oooh, I was never sure of a God before/ But I know he must exist/ He created this…
YouTube hits: 2.2 million
Tunnel Vision (Justin Timberlake)
Video released in: July
A video of topless women and an all-covered-up Justin Timberlake was first banned by YT but then the ban was lifted in the name of art. And perhaps for the sake of his wife Jessica Biel he has no shots of himself dancing with the models.
Memorable line: A crowded room anywhere, a million people around, all I see is you there/… Yeah a million people in a crowded room/ But my camera lenses only been set to zoom/ And it all becomes so clear…
YouTube hits: 6.1 million
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Twerking Bangerz
After making the world twerk to We Can’t Stop, Miley Cyrus has announced the name of her forthcoming album (releases on October 8) –– Bangerz. She posted on Twitter: “If you don’t know why my record is called Bangerz, you’ll know as soon as you hear it.” And following the announcement something happened that has become a rage among celebrity singers… a snippet of a “leaked” track appeared, which also features Britney Spears. The track? You guessed it… Bangerz!
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Grand stand
He is still unsigned and has no manager. Yet, country singer Steve Grand is the current flavour of YouTube with his self-funded video for the song All-American Boy. What makes it special? Steve is as openly gay in the video as he is in life. In the last two weeks he has notched up over 1.9 million views and helping him to the score are some campfire scenes and a kiss. Can he covert the single into an album? Let’s wait and watch!
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Rahman’s Rabindrasangeet
You’ve heard him chant Ekla cholo re, churn out Bengali-flavoured tunes and now hear A.R. Rahman belt out Chitto jetha bhoy shunnyo uchcho jetha shir, gyan jetha mukto jetha griher prachir, his first attempt at singing in Bengali and setting to tune Tagore’s immortal lines.
Rahman has gifted his listeners Jagao Mere Des Ko, which he recently composed and sang for Coke Studio@ MTV Season 3 and was uploaded on YouTube on August 13.
In the ‘Behind the Music Video’ for Jagao Mere Des Ko, he explains: “When I was searching for some inspirational quotes I found Rabindranath Tagore’s amazing quote, ‘Where the mind is without fear’. It’s just celebrating those beautiful words, which had vision, 100 years back… I’ve never taken so long to learn a song. It’s not about the song but about the pronunciation…”
The words of Tagore were later taken up by lyricist Prasoon Joshi who “internalised it and gave it the Hindi essence”, adds Rahman. The video has already garnered 6,33,694 views.
Which is the hottest music video you have seen? Tell t2@abp.in
