24/100 Video - "Allies" - Blue States (2007)

"Allies" by Blue States is a downtempo track with a mesmerizing melody.

I happened to stumble upon the video while checking out some of the band's material beyond their Nothing Changes Under The Sun album.

What a great discovery! 

The video starts by showing four videos of the same man waking up and leaving his apartment for a day at the office. 

After a few seconds pass, four different scenarios unfold leading to hilarious and/or catastrophic results.

The first scenario ends abruptly, with the man getting hit by a bus, then shown dead in the hospital. 

The second scenario shows the man being kidnapped and left in the wild, naked in the woods, and sleeping on the ground.

The third scenario sees the guy get fired, but then ends up meeting a girl by walking into her while rounding a corner. 

The fourth scenario shows the man following his mundane schedule from dawn to dusk. No, he didn't get killed, but nothing extraordinary happened to him either.

The message: a reminder that on some days we have little control over our lives. 

25/100 Video - "Virtual Insanity" - Jamiroquai (1996)

The optical illusions in the eye-catching video for "Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai were not made using computers.

You will see in several shots, chairs or couches are fixed to the walls so that they appear to be standing still, when in fact they are moving.

Video director Jonathan Glazer describes how the walls move on a stationary grey floor with no detail, to give the illusion that objects on the floor are moving. 

Singer-dancer Jason Kay confesses to having become ”a bit dizzy” during the carefully choreographed shoot.

26/100 Video - "You Spin Me Round" - Dead Or Alive (1985)

 

Back when I was a 16-year-old and glued to Video Hits every weekday at 5 pm, my mom would often cruise into the living room to catch a glimpse of the latest hits.

"Geez, Boy George is looking kinda rugged these days!"

"Yeah, Mom. He's a pirate now. Pretty cool, huh?"

This video demands your attention with its vibrant colours, the disco ball, rotating band members and Pete Wagg wagging fingers and swaying hips across the screen.

And what a track! From the opening beats, "You Spin Me Round" by Dead or Alive is a relentless assault on the senses. The dance inferno didn't sound like anything else charting in the spring of '85. 

The "You spin me round like a record, baby" chorus is equally inane and brilliant, the groove catchy and cheesy, and the whole production over the top. No wonder The Wedding Singer embraced it. 

I'll also always think of Corey Mock from our Dartmouth High days when I hear this iconic dance track. Corey absolutely loved this tune, the only guy I knew who enjoyed it more than I did! I can still see him grooving on the dance floor to it. RIP buddy.

27/100 Video - "Wicked Game" - Chris Izaak (1989)

The sensual video "Wicked Game" by Chris Izaak is a dreamy classic. 

Like all great melancholy numbers, the song is hauntingly beautiful.

And like with every song and video, we will all have our own interpretations.

A dream? Fantasy? A break-up? 

Some of us will see a fantasy world: an extended Calvin Klein commercial.

Others will view it as a heartbreaking break up. 

Pop culture fans will associate this song with Rachel and Ross's date in the museum. And the track is a bit of foreshadowing... if you look at it from Ross's perspective.

Chris Izaak said during an interview that the song is about a strong attraction to somebody that is not necessarily good for you.

28/100 Video - "Sabotage" - The Beastie Boys (1994)

A fusion of rap, rock, punk and metal, "Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys is one powerful tune.

The video is worthy of the overused 'epic' descriptor.

More of movie trailer of a long lost cop show from the 70s, the video reels you with its colourful characters, non-stop action and chase scenes. 

Like many viewers, Beavis and Butt-Head were also confused by the whole thing: 

"This is gonna be cool when this video finally comes out," Beavis says. 

The slightly smarter Butt-Head tries to correct him: "This is the real video, dumb-ass."