8/100 Video - "Angel" – Massive Attack (1998)

"Angel" by Massive Attack is one crackerjack track.

Starting with an ominous percussion, the song builds progressively as more instruments and layers are added. During the long bridge, a menacing guitar solo grinds away as the industrial beats rage onwards.

The epic chase video is incredible, as the band members follow Daddy G in a car lot until the latter half when half of Bristol shows up for a grand chase scene in slow motion.

Rob Robinson737 provides the best explanation for the video in the YouTube comments, a metaphor for facing one's fears:

"The video is about running away from your fears, the longer you run away from them the greater they become until you reach to a point from where you can no longer run as if there is no land left for you to run on and there it is your greatest fears stood there right in front of you, and then you realize that these fears are just an illusion and that you confront them head on and then they are frighten of you at the moment you start chasing them."

9/100 Video - "Smooth Criminal" - Michael Jackson (1988)

 

A few years ago I rediscovered "Smooth Criminal" while on vacation in the Mayan Riviera during an impressive 'Michael Jackson' tribute by the evening entertainment staff.

The choreography is outstanding in this theatrical video.

MJ demonstrated several elements that became his business cards: "anti-gravity tilt", finger-stitched fingers and a bandage on his sleeve. 

For the "anti-gravity tilt" technique, Jackson is leaning at a 45 degree angle from the vertical axis without the apparent use of restraining devices. During the shooting, hidden belts were used for this.

I'll even argue this track is Michael Jackson at his creative peak.

"Smooth Criminal" borrows elements from Thriller's blockbuster singles: the groove of "Billie Jean", the attitude of "Beat It" and the production of "Thriller", mashing them into a delicious blend.

Jackson flies through the verses with such speed the lyrics can be challenging to discern in places. 

The energetic chorus, the brilliant bass line and the attention to detail in both song and video all add up to one epic work of pop art.

The only remaining question: is Annie still ok?

10/100 Video - "White & Nerdy" - Weird Al Yankovic (2006)

I enjoyed Weird Al's work in the 80s (especially "Eat It"), but "White & Nerdy" is by far my favourite.

"White & Nerdy" by Weird Al Yankovic is a parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin", a gangsta rap song.

The song pokes fun at the white guys who want to be black and gangster, even though they are actually geeks and nerds.

The video is bloody brilliant.

For me, the funniest part of this parody and video is that Weird Al is actually a pretty good rapper. Although his subject material comprises ridiculous things, his delivery is quite serious.

There are several high-profile cameos in the video:

- The first pair of gangsters in the video are comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.

- Seth Green, in the action figures bit.

- Donny Osmond dancing in the background, and behind Weird Al.

For cool trivia about the video, visit this webpage.

11/100 Video - "Everything You Do Is A Balloon" – Boards of Canada (1996)

The two brothers that make up this enigmatic group have said the name for "Boards of Canada" originates from educational videos made by the Canadian National Film Board in the 1960s and 70s. We Gen-X-ers will recall these films were once shown to us on a real projector in the elementary school AV room.

These short films tend to feature a lot of analog synth sounds, another core foundation of the BOC sound.

Although there are no lyrics for "Everything You Do Is A Balloon", the ambiguous title itself makes you think of endless interpretations.

The video makes me think of my carefree childhood, despite the ominous fates of most of the kids riding bicycles in a nameless suburb of Middle America. 

The clip fits so perfectly with the epic progressive of the synths and percussion. 

And the retro animation is super haunting and nostalgic. Like a twisted, after-hours episode of Sesame Street.

I was blown away to learn that the video was not originally made by the artist, but rather sampled from a 1963 bicycle safety movie called "One Got Fat".

12/100 Video - "Rio" - Duran Duran (1982)

Those of us in junior high at the time will remember the playful decadence in this cutting edge video. 

Some watched for the girls. Some watched for the boys. Some for both. We all came for the fantasy and breath-taking scenery.

What sometimes gets lost in the shuffle is that the fab five played the instruments and wrote the songs. "Rio" sports one of the catchiest bass lines of all time.

"Rio" hooks us in with the grandiose intro before giving way to a bouncy, maniacal John Taylor bass line and Andy Taylor's timely guitar riffs, setting up the iconic singalong chorus about the mystical Rio dancing on the sand. The song changes gears a few times, including an amazing sax climb before the last chorus.

Back to Rio: does she really exist? 

Well, yes...as a metaphor. 

According to SongFacts, Duran Duran explained on the VH1 show True Spin that Rio is a metaphor for America, and the song expressed their desire to succeed there, which they of course did.

I'd always thought LeBon said "...evidently run you down... in the lyrics during the bridge : "Hey now (wow) look at that did he nearly run you down. Before Google we experienced dozens of similar examples. 

"Rio" is still a favourite at Duran concerts, and often during an extended version when Simon LeBon introduces band members to the audience. I was fortunate to have seen it played in the encore of their 2011 gig at Montreal's Bell Centre.