Literal Videos

October 6, 2008 1:16 PM

A-Ha's Take on Me, but done literallywith lyrics changed to describe what was happening in the video, instead of the head-scratcher of a 80s video having nothing to do with the song. Also? A-ha still exists and the lead singer still looks the same. This meme of doing new lyrics to go with old videos is novel, previously people made videos to match the lyrics literally.
posted by mathowie (168 comments total)

The first minute of this (unmodded) video for The Sun Always Shines on TV is the sequel to the Take On Me video.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 1:30 PM on October 6, 2008 [7 favorites has favorites]

I am both surprised and amazed that the new lyrics fit the meter of the orginal nearly perfectly.

Bravo internet. Bravo.
posted by The Whelk at 1:35 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

A-ha still exists

and The Ramones don't. So much for survival of the fittest.
posted by jonmc at 1:35 PM on October 6, 2008 [9 favorites has favorites]

Wow, I'd never seen that sequel sequence. Cool.
posted by oddman at 1:36 PM on October 6, 2008

Some days it feels like the only current creative output is a re-imaging (aka mashup) of something prior.

I know that isn't new - Chumbawamba taught me "You can't write a song that's never been sung" well before that bizarre Tubthumping thing happened. I know the Beatles and Stones ripped off older artists - although that feels different to me.

Is there any truth to me feeling, or is it just that because I'm now a little older and directly recognize the antecedents, I feel this more strongly?
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 1:37 PM on October 6, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

This entire song was rewritten to describe what was happening in the movie it was written for.
posted by infinitewindow at 1:38 PM on October 6, 2008

I really enjoyed that. I wish they would redo this one. And countless others, of course.
posted by everichon at 1:40 PM on October 6, 2008

Oh god, this is delightful. I just can't wait for "Goody Two-Shoes," "Karma Chameleon," and "Safety Dance."
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:41 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Is there any truth to me feeling, or is it just that because I'm now a little older and directly recognize the antecedents, I feel this more strongly?

I think it's part of growing up. When I watchold Warner Brother's cartoons as an adult, I am constantly shocked by the amount of parody, references, and in-jokes that flew over my head as a kid.

Nothing comes fully formed. Except Athena.

And Twinkies.
posted by The Whelk at 1:42 PM on October 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Oh god, this is delightful. I just can't wait for "Goody Two-Shoes," "Karma Chameleon," and "Safety Dance."

Well, "Safety Dance" already does it for the line "everybody look at your hands"...

I LIVED through this era of music. Yikes.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:43 PM on October 6, 2008

Thanks to the tenuous connection between your average video and the song it's selling... isn't this exactly how English will be decoded when the aliens have only music videos to work from?

I mean, what else could they be saying?
posted by rokusan at 1:45 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Band montaaaaaaaaaaaaaaage! Excellent.

Great post. Also, here's the obligatory link to the Family Guy parody of the song and video.
posted by Effigy2000 at 1:46 PM on October 6, 2008 [12 favorites has favorites]

Some days it feels like the only current creative output is a re-imaging (aka mashup) of something prior.

Heh - peak melody
posted by mandal at 1:47 PM on October 6, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

Very funny. Thanks for the post
posted by Outlawyr at 1:47 PM on October 6, 2008

"Chris! Where have you been?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"
posted by The Whelk at 1:48 PM on October 6, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

The first minute of this (unmodded) video for The Sun Always Shines on TV is the sequel to the Take On Me video.

This always raised so many questions for me. Like, why can't comic book character/human love ever work? And why does she just stand there chewing on her lip instead of, oh, I don't know, trying to help him or kissing him goodbye or something? And what the hell happened to her hair? It was so cute in the first video.

Also, I hate having been such an avid reader of Smash Hits, but that girl was Morten Harket's girlfriend at the time. Her name is Bunty. It's sad to think what eternal wisdom doesn't fit into my brain because of knowing this.
posted by padraigin at 1:49 PM on October 6, 2008 [20 favorites has favorites]

OK, since this is about taking the A-Ha video literally: I remember the "magical handsome dude/chick from comic/book/movie comes to life in real" thing happened quite a bit in plotlines back when I was a kid. Everytime, it'd just stop at the two characters riding off into the sunset or looking at each other lovingly or something like that and for some reason I couldn't leave the aftermath as happily ever. I always had to wonder "Well, what happened afterwards?" And it wouldn't be like the typical little kid, "Well they got married and had millions of babies!" kind of thing.

Like, I remember after seeing the A-Ha video the first time distinctly thinking, "Hey that's kinda cool...but where's that guy going to live now? I wonder if that guy has any money. I hope he's not expecting to just live with her for free. But he's a comic book person, do they eat real food? Maybe he'd just eat paper food. That'd be cool. He could just crash on her couch or something I guess. But that'd be kind of annoying if she'd just come home to him hanging around the house all the time, like some kind of pet. Would he get a job? Can he get a job? Don't you need like a passport or birth certificate or proof that you were a real person to work? Mom and Dad drive to work. He'd need a driver's license. Can fake people get driver's licenses? I guess they can use the 'I'm an orphan and my orphanage burned down with all my records' excuse. I wonder if his band friends from the comic book world miss him. That's kind of mean of him to leave them like that. I bet his mom and dad are really worried because they don't know where he went to. They probably are really sad because they think he got kidnapped or died."
posted by kkokkodalk at 1:52 PM on October 6, 2008 [124 favorites has favorites]

kkokkodalk, I'm sorry to say that you need to see the paper psychiatrist about your preposterous problems with the practicality of paper people.
posted by sonic meat machine at 1:56 PM on October 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

This always raised so many questions for me. Like, why can't comic book character/human love ever work? And why does she just stand there chewing on her lip instead of, oh, I don't know, trying to help him or kissing him goodbye or something? And what the hell happened to her hair? It was so cute in the first video.
And why is Morten so unlucky as to have such a chronic case of the shits he has to run off just when consummation finally beckons.
posted by Abiezer at 1:57 PM on October 6, 2008

Like, I remember after seeing the A-Ha video the first time distinctly thinking, "Hey that's kinda cool...

Really. I just remember thinking "Jeez, this sucks." And I was, like y'know, alive then.
posted by jonmc at 1:57 PM on October 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Kkokkodalk's comment makes me wonder why we don't have Best Comments like they do on the green.

Also - I believe kkokkodalk may require a cookie.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 1:58 PM on October 6, 2008

Ok, this was hilarious.

(A-Ha deserve better than their rep as a one-hit-wonder. There's some really good songwriting in their non-hit tracks, like "Blue Sky" on the first album, and "The Swing of Things" and "Manhattan Skyline" on their second album. Ok, they did kinda go downhill from there, but they have a fairly prominent place in the 80s collection on my iPod.)
posted by dnash at 1:59 PM on October 6, 2008

After watching the video for the first time in many years, I remember my huge crush on that guy and how enamored I was with the fact he was drawn and became human for her. Maybe that's why I always want to put eyeliner on my husband. I always feel the need to draw on him...
posted by czechmate at 2:00 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

You and me both, padraigin. Oh man. The space taken up in my brain by that stuff. (Neil Tennant wrote an article about Madonna for Smash Hits and then decided this pop stuff wasn't so hard after all! Depeche Mode like to eat profiteroles while talking to music journalists! Robert Smith's wife's name is Mary!)

That said, I would run away from home with Morten Harket right this minute if given the chance. Sorry, boyfriend dear. He's about the only 80s pop star to have gotten even better looking with age. (Sorry, Dave Gahan). And that VOICE. He can still hit the high notes...VH1 had him on recently during some 80s marathon.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 2:00 PM on October 6, 2008

(Oh, and "Take On Me" is my cell ringtone.)
posted by dnash at 2:00 PM on October 6, 2008

kkokkodalk: Kids over think the darndest plates of beans.
posted by educatedslacker at 2:00 PM on October 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Yeah, 2008 Me is pretty practical of the ramifications of having a boyfriend from Comic Book Land, but 1985 Me was all "It'll be sooo cool. We'll live in Paris!"

A comic book boyfriend was actually more realistic for me at the time than a real one, though.
posted by padraigin at 2:01 PM on October 6, 2008

Typing the word 'kkokkodalk' nearly broke my keyboard.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:03 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I reiterate: DUDE IS ALMOST 50 AND LOOK AT HIM.

(melty melt melt melt squeeeeeeee)

Poor non-paper-boyfriend had to witness me rewinding that best-of-the-80s clip with him in it about 5 times last month during the Labor Day music marathon on Vh1.

Also, the rest of Hunting High and Low is to blame for me liking oboes to this day.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 2:06 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

This was okay, but I appreciate it most for bringing up a discussion of the amazing TOM video. Easily the strongest and most nostalgia soaked piece of the 80's (born in '77) for me. There was a similar "sketchy drawing comes to life" element in the overlooked young adult graphic novel from Marvel comics called "Someplace Strange". Written by Ann Nocenti, drawn by John Bolton". The idea was probably ripped off directly form the Ah-Ha video.
posted by JBennett at 2:08 PM on October 6, 2008

(melty melt melt melt squeeeeeeee)

Dreamy, for reals.

I'm pretty happy in general with the way a lot of my 80's rock crushes have aged. I could watch Sugartown all day long just to get a little John Taylor/John Doe old man lovin'.
posted by padraigin at 2:12 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I reiterate: DUDE IS ALMOST 50 AND LOOK AT HIM.

(melty melt melt melt squeeeeeeee)

and they say men are pigs. Dee Snider could kick his ass and he used makeup better and made better videos.
posted by jonmc at 2:13 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Dude has a certain amount of a Patrick Swayze thing going on. Awesome video.
posted by kingbenny at 2:14 PM on October 6, 2008

I reiterate: DUDE IS ALMOST 50 AND LOOK AT HIM.

When I wrote the post originally, I wrote "A-ha still exists and the lead singer is still hot" but I did't want to open up a debate whether a 49-year old guy is still good looking, or whether or not it's ok for a guy to say that about another guy, but man, the dude's super hott.
posted by mathowie at 2:14 PM on October 6, 2008 [23 favorites has favorites]

Ever wish songs just sang what was happening in the music video?

The implication of this statement sickens me. Good thing the video caused me great mirth.
posted by owtytrof at 2:16 PM on October 6, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Man, I can see this concept taking off; I would love to see this applied to some of the good looking but more cryptic videos of the last few years. Pretty much anything by Korn comes to mind.

Bullet flying through the air, now it's breaking a lava lamp, it just keeps on going...

Or something.
posted by quin at 2:16 PM on October 6, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

I'd think housing a paper person would be pretty easy. You could just fold him a couple of times and put him safely between the pages of the dictionary.
posted by Nelson at 2:16 PM on October 6, 2008

and they say men are pigs. Dee Snider could kick his ass and he used makeup better and made better videos.

And Dee Snider is, from all available evidence, a bright and articulate guy. But Dee Snider only looks good for Dee Snider. This is one of those things they mean when they say "but the little girls understand".
posted by padraigin at 2:17 PM on October 6, 2008

mathowie, I have to beat you up now. not for thinking another guy's hott, that's fine. but for being a dude and liking A-Ha. That's unforgivable.
posted by jonmc at 2:17 PM on October 6, 2008

But Dee Snider only looks good for Dee Snider.

actually, Dee (an admittedly ugly dude) has a hot wife and they've been married for over 20 years. Top that Nordic synth-pop boy!
posted by jonmc at 2:19 PM on October 6, 2008

I will take the pig moniker happily if it means I get to make out with Morten Harket, jonmc. I'm just sayin'.

Also, Dee Snider = so totally not my type.

I did't want to open up a debate whether a 49-year old guy is still good looking

There is no debate, mathowie. None at all. He cannot be touched without silicone gloves, he's so hot.

Also, jonmc, if you think Dee Snider has good taste in makeup, you might want to go work at the M.A.C. counter at the downtown Boston Filene's -- they're just your style. ;)
posted by bitter-girl.com at 2:21 PM on October 6, 2008

"Pipe wrench fight!"
This makes me giggle uncontrollably.

Great stuff - that takes some real talent to pull something like that off convincingly, using the original rhythm of the music and the video cuts and still being funny doing it...

Oh, and I encountered something vaguely similar before (only without a video, just using self-descriptive lyrics), in Title of the Song by DaVinci's Notebook:

Declaration of my feelings for you
Elaboration on those feelings
Description of how long these feelings have existed
Belief that no one else could feel the same as I
Reminiscence of the pleasant times we shared
And our relationship's perfection
Recounting of the steps that led to our love's dissolution
Mostly involving my unfaithfulness and lies
Penitent admission of wrongdoing
Discovery of the depth of my affection
Regret over the lateness of my epiphany

(Chorus)
Title of the song
Nave expression of love
Reluctance to accept that you are gone
Request to turn back time
And rectify my wrongs
Repetition of the title of the song

Enumeration of my various transgressive actions
Of insufficient motivation
Realization that these actions led to your departure
And my resultant lack of sleep and appetite
Renunciation of my past insensitive behavior
Promise of my reformation
Reassurance that you still are foremost in my thoughts now
Need for instructions how to gain your trust again
Request for reconciliation
Listing of the numerous tasks that I'd perform
Of physical and emotional compensation
CHORUS
Acknowledgment that I acted foolishly
Increasingly desperate pleas for your return
Sorrow for my infidelity
Vain hope that my sins are forgivable
Appeal for one more opportunity
Drop to my knees to elicit crowd response
Prayers to my chosen deity
Modulation and I hold a high note...
CHORUS

posted by PontifexPrimus at 2:22 PM on October 6, 2008 [20 favorites has favorites]

Also, Dee Snider = so totally not my type.

Well, that may explain why Twisted Sister's audience was (and remains) 99.9% dorky dirtbag males like myself. But they still made better videos! Fuckin' A!
posted by jonmc at 2:24 PM on October 6, 2008

I will say though, reading Morten Harket's wikipedia entry, that he seems disturbingly fertile. bitter-girl, if you ever bump into him, mind you don't catch pregnant.
posted by padraigin at 2:28 PM on October 6, 2008

And all I can think is that the "Channel 3" logo in the "Sun always shines on TV video" looks like a giant penis.

It's 1985 all over again.
posted by seanyboy at 2:30 PM on October 6, 2008

Ok, I was going to meh and snark all over this but I, too, was impressed by the caliber of the lyricist/singer to really keep to the original song. And then the pipe wrench fight... "My own wrench!" that just kills, right there.
posted by cavalier at 2:30 PM on October 6, 2008

He's beyond hasselhott.
posted by snofoam at 2:32 PM on October 6, 2008

"Disturbingly fertile"? I'll be careful, I swear.

(books flight to Norway)
posted by bitter-girl.com at 2:33 PM on October 6, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

I will say though, reading Morten Harket's wikipedia entry, that he seems disturbingly fertile. bitter-girl, if you ever bump into him, mind you don't catch pregnant.

5 kids? With 3 women? Is this so extreme?
posted by kingbenny at 2:36 PM on October 6, 2008

The hallway scene where Ellen Barkin's charcoal sketch boyfriend turns human is "re-imagined" from Ken Russell's film "Altered States" (NSFW naked hug w/ actress crack).

And jonmc, let's admit that the Ramones were never exactly "the fittest" band around.
posted by longsleeves at 2:39 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

"This guy's gonna get an assfull of pipe wrench."

I lol'ed.
posted by ZakDaddy at 2:40 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Ha, ha!

"Is this your house?"
posted by Pecinpah at 2:43 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Holy smokes, that was awesome. We are on the threshold of a new era. Ooooh, I hope someone does some Cure videos...
posted by Ron Thanagar at 2:43 PM on October 6, 2008

Really. I just remember thinking "Jeez, this sucks."

Yeah, but that's all you ever remember thinking about anything.

And I was, like y'know, alive then.

A note for anyone who might be confused by this: "Alive" is the word that jonmc uses to mean "shitfaced drunk".
posted by Parasite Unseen at 2:43 PM on October 6, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

Y'know what this song needs? MORE COWBELL PIPE WRENCH.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 2:46 PM on October 6, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

He's about the only 80s pop star to have gotten even better looking with age.

Rick Springfield.

Phil Collen.
posted by Lucinda at 2:51 PM on October 6, 2008

When songs in a movie describe what is happening.
posted by otolith at 2:52 PM on October 6, 2008

Really hit the high notes. Which is something, as well as providing good yucks.
posted by From Bklyn at 2:53 PM on October 6, 2008

5 kids? With 3 women? Is this so extreme?

It's the kind of thing I'd log on the "con" side of the list. I mean, if we're taking him seriously as Paper Boyfriend Material.
posted by padraigin at 2:55 PM on October 6, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

DUDE IS ALMOST 50 AND LOOK AT HIM.

Wow, Kurt Russell mated with KD Lang? That is a shock.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:55 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Some days it feels like the only current creative output is a re-imaging (aka mashup) of something prior.

Actually there's a ton of good music around now, you just have to look for it a bit. Unlike the 90s, which was just a shitpile.
posted by drjimmy11 at 2:56 PM on October 6, 2008

Morten Harket is afflicted with the pop star syndrome though. Rampant weirdness fostered and nurtured by sycophants. He goes off on these airhead-meets-ill-advised-zen tangents during interviews that delight the masses.
posted by flippant at 2:57 PM on October 6, 2008

Awesome. I was hoping there were additional lyrics during the "band montage" where he sings that the drummer and the guitar player are twins -- something I blurted out while watching this video and for which, my sister will never let me forget.
posted by nikitabot at 2:57 PM on October 6, 2008

Also, this is funny but the idea that not literally representing the lyrics makes a poor video is somewhat... not correct.

You don't want to be totally random, there should be a THEMATIC connection, but there is nothing lazier and cheesier than a video that literally depicts the song lyrics word-for-word.

And this goes double for film soundtracks. If I see one more scene of someone looking for respect soundtracked by Aretha singing "Respect," I'm gonna punch a music supervisor in the dick.
posted by drjimmy11 at 2:58 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

that girl was Morten Harket's girlfriend at the time. Her name is Bunty.

Billy Idol controversy:

According to a-ha's site, "Shortly after the video was completed, Morten was dumped by Bunty Bailey...for Billy Idol."

According to Ms. Bailey's MySpace page, "the rumours about billy idol are rubbish," but she was in a Billy Idol video.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:07 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

First verse was a little weak, but it really picked up in the second. "Band montage!"

(I may have liked the narration of the instrumental part best, though. Diner waitress: There ya go, right in the trash!" Girl: Wheeee! Pipe dude: Arrr, I told you to stay away from my magic frame!"

And yeah, A-ha dude is super hott. And yes, I was there. (Well, not in sketchy-comic-land -- watching MTV at my friend's house who had cable.)
posted by desuetude at 3:10 PM on October 6, 2008

We should dub him "McMelty".
posted by neblina_matinal at 3:14 PM on October 6, 2008

This Song Is Gonna Make A Great Video by the Vacant Lot.
posted by bonefish at 3:18 PM on October 6, 2008

I will say though, reading Morten Harket's wikipedia entry, that he seems disturbingly fertile. bitter-girl, if you ever bump into him, mind you don't catch pregnant.

Strange. I'd heard that he's a paper tiger in bed.
posted by googly at 3:20 PM on October 6, 2008

That. Was. Awesome!

So was this. Though I'd love to get a copy without Mad Dog and Billy Bob letting me know when it was funny.
posted by odinsdream at 3:20 PM on October 6, 2008

That is just glorious.

bitter-girl.com wrote: (Neil Tennant wrote an article about Madonna for Smash Hits and then decided this pop stuff wasn't so hard after all! Depeche Mode like to eat profiteroles while talking to music journalists! Robert Smith's wife's name is Mary!)

That's pretty much what goes on in my head, occasionally interspersed with the lyrics to John Wayne Is Big Leggy. Smash Hits was powerful stuff.

Also, me and my sister got seriously told off when my Mom and Dad took us to this craft centre on the way home from the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, and we snuck off to spend all our pocket money (25p each!) on leather shoelaces, to wrap around our wrists just like Morten Hacket. Ah, Morten Hacket.
posted by jack_mo at 3:26 PM on October 6, 2008

actually, Dee (an admittedly ugly dude) has a hot wife and they've been married for over 20 years.

Unfortunately, Dee is now willing to take it.
posted by mkn at 3:28 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Finally, a metafilter thread debating the musical talent of A-Ha. Truly a thread for the ages!
posted by blue_beetle at 3:32 PM on October 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Not that I'm a great judge of these things, but Ivan Doroschuk seems to have aged fairly well (see kinda crappy image 3/4 way down the page).
posted by maxwelton at 3:39 PM on October 6, 2008

Thanks to the tenuous connection between your average video and the song it's selling... isn't this exactly how English will be decoded when the aliens have only music videos to work from?

I mean, what else could they be saying?

In 20XX Ultimate collapse happen. The exodus to space and beyond began and the earth world left to ruins. Time moved and the ex-earthers evolved and forgot about their former home.

Officer Stavros: Captain these earth plates have magnetic binary codes. Some codes cover series of images others seem to correspond to sound waves. Our scholars have determined that earth code literal means "magranit" or "directly descriptive" as these old earthers would say.

Captain: I see bring up video on monitors.

Stavros: Is possible can do.

Captain: By Rigel Beta! Fight with pipe doesn't mean to struggle against pipe. It means to struggle against fellow old earther armed with pipe.

Stavros: So as you can see captain! Odin Sigma's prophecy was correct.

Captain: It was as I had hoped thanks to this rosetta stone (a term which I somehow know) we might have a chance against the gray-scale motor gang of the Pheonix Cluster. Do you think that Demetri X in the armory could replicate those old earth weapons?

Stavros: The technology is alien but simple it should not be difficult.

20XXI: Cut to flag with picture of stylized pipe wrench it is planted on a galaxy or something.

Fin
posted by I Foody at 3:45 PM on October 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Synthpop still sucks.
posted by jonmc at 3:47 PM on October 6, 2008

"What kind of hallway is this??"....hee.

I would love to have that diner trash can. One of those all wire ones - so cool. Want.
posted by iconomy at 3:58 PM on October 6, 2008

And that VOICE. He can still hit the high notes...

Trivia: Morten Harket held a note for 20.2 seconds in a-ha's 2000 song "Summer Moved On", believed to be the longest note in music chart history. Video.
posted by ericb at 4:10 PM on October 6, 2008

"I'm gonna kick some ass with my own pipe wrench" is, quite possibly, the greatest single lyric of all time.

However, I'm not convinced that it's accurate. It has always seemed to me that that shot was of one of the bad guys raising his pipe wrench up in front of Mr. Ha's face, not Mr. Ha raising his own pipe wrench. The latter possibility never even occurred to me, any of the many, many times that I have seen this video.

And now that the possibility has been pointed out to me, I still think it's wrong.
posted by Flunkie at 4:10 PM on October 6, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

I'm looking forward to the video of Sinead O'Connor singing "Nothing Compares 2 U" where most of the lyrics have been replaced with "I'm still staring at the camera."
posted by lore at 4:14 PM on October 6, 2008 [6 favorites has favorites]

A lost shooting list and background dialog for one of your favorite 80s videos...

OPEN: Deserted dockside alley behind a warehouse
FADE IN: Band.

Steve: Hey, you guys don't have instruments.
Neal: I know, isn't it awesome. When I air guitar really low like this, girls are going to think I'm, you know, big.
Jonathan: I don't think it's possible for my jeans to get any tighter, but man, can I play the invisible keyboard.

Focus in: Girl in leather. White leather pumps, black leather skirt. Killer ass.

Focus in: Band, playing invisibles again. Steve in muscle shirt and rock mullet. He looks cool. Damn cool.

Alternate dramatically between these last 2 shots until...

KEYBOARD SOLO.

Jonathan: Dear god, I'm awesome.

Return to alternating shots of Girl in Leather and band.

Fin.
posted by thanotopsis at 4:21 PM on October 6, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

This reminds me of one of my favorite-ever Anecdotes That I Read on the Internet Somewhere, Possibly This Very Site, in a thread about the posters' first rock-concert experiences. Someone wrote that she'd been permitted to attend an A-Ha show in junior high (middle school for you whippersnappers). She and her friends shrieked in ecstasy through the whole concert, then the band departed the stage. The girls turned to one another exclaiming that they could not believe the band had not played "Take on Me." Did they forget? It was their big hit!

House lights go down again. TAKE ON ME OMG OMG OMG.

Thus were she and her friends introduced to the concept of the "encore." Imagine what that must have been like if you were a) a 13-year-old girl b) in love with Morten Harket and c) not expecting it.
posted by cirocco at 4:24 PM on October 6, 2008 [7 favorites has favorites]

The continued popularity of A-Ha among women is the strongest anti-feminist piece of data I have yet discovered and I reserve the right to use it in any thread about gender henceforth, forthwith and ...lots of other words with 'th' in them.
posted by jonmc at 4:33 PM on October 6, 2008

Just shows you how far ahead of his time Sir Mix-a-Lot was.
posted by Smedleyman at 4:35 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

The continued popularity of A-Ha among women is the strongest anti-feminist piece of data

On the other hand, it could be a feminist data point, since it illustrates gender equality by showing that women have as bad taste as men.
posted by jonmc at 4:42 PM on October 6, 2008

That was pretty awesome.

Back when that A-Ha song came out, I was just starting to run junior high school cross country, and our coach was the "cool teacher," Mr. O'Donnelly. He was so young that he still had acne, and he let our team listen to the all-hits all-the-time radio station on long van-rides without getting too grumpy.

We had three favorite songs: "Take On Me," Word Up by Cameo and The Rain by Oran "Juice" Jones.

When I'm running without my Ipod, at any one time there's a 33% chance that I'm humming "Take On Me" to myself. If I'm sprinting, the probability is closer to 60%.
posted by freshwater_pr0n at 4:45 PM on October 6, 2008

Just shows you how far ahead of his time Sir Mix-a-Lot was.

Brother, you ain't kiddin'.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 4:45 PM on October 6, 2008

MetaFilter: pipe-wrench fight
posted by bwg at 4:47 PM on October 6, 2008

Jon, you seem a bit sensitive about this a-ha thing. Maybe another band from the 80's will cheer you up.*

* How much did it cost to produce this video? $200?
posted by maxwelton at 4:54 PM on October 6, 2008

maxwelton: if you want to cheer me up with '80's pop, you picked the wrong band. this is my pet (sort of) synthpop band.
posted by jonmc at 4:58 PM on October 6, 2008

but man, the dude's super hott.

Don't worry. You have not jeopardized your near professional heterosexual status.

I too note that that Ah-HAH dude is double-H HHawt. And yet I still feel a mighty twinge in my loins for the ladies. Like for Markie Post for instance.

What?
posted by tkchrist at 5:01 PM on October 6, 2008

HEY JONMC DO YOU BY ANY CHANCE LIKE THE RAMONES, POSSIBLY BETTER THAN YOU LIKE A-HA

I JUST WANT TO ASK BECAUSE I'M NOT REALLY CLEAR ON THAT POINT AND I WAS HOPING YOU COULD MAYBE ELUCIDATE A LITTLE

SO THAT I WOULD BETTER UNDERSTAND YOUR FEELINGS ON THE SUBJECT

IS WHAT I WAS THINKING
posted by cortex at 5:02 PM on October 6, 2008 [36 favorites has favorites]

*gives self teenage lobotomy, sits in corner drooling quietly*
posted by jonmc at 5:11 PM on October 6, 2008

And Dee Snider is, from all available evidence, a bright and articulate guy. But Dee Snider only looks good for Dee Snider.

Pay no attention to jonmc, padraigin.

He keeps writing "Dee Snider," but what he means is clearly "Lemmy."

We all think Lemmy is hotter than Morten Harket. I do. The Lord does. Deep down, so do you, padraigin and bitter-girl... if you know what's good for you.

I mean, who'd want to be on the wrong side of Lemmy by thinking someone else is hotter? Madness, utter madness.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:24 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I would never deny the hotness of Lemmy. But I've always been a mole woman.

(see, this proves I have depth!)
posted by padraigin at 5:34 PM on October 6, 2008

You wanna know a big lie? You know how in movies about the 1980's all the music is Ah-Hah, Eusasure, Bananarama, and Culture Club, or— if they want to be edgy— The Pistols, Violent Femmes, The Minutemen, and The Clash (or later The Pixies).

Well bull fucking shit.

Most people still listened to the worst of the late 70's "classic" or Butt Rock. AC/DC. Or, god forbid, April Wine and Toto. Or worse, the Pointer Sisters or Night Ranger.

To me, going to college in the early 1980's in a tiny little eastern Washington redneck town, all the former bands were "alternative", certainly not mainstream. The difference between the Ramones and Ah-Hah was really non-existent. That was ALL college alternative outside of the big markets. And we loved it all. Because it wasn't fucking Foreigner or Night Ranger.

I was a college raidio DJ in 1982-1984. And when we would "go to town" IE leave the protection of the liberal arts department and venture into Spokane you had to go down back alleys and do special knocks to find any place that played anything that was remotely "80's music." We were very much underground there. It was like fighting in the Resistance in Paris in 1941.

I distinctly remember going to a house party in Spokane in 1983 and asking the chick who lived there if I could DJ for a while. She was, like, so impressed by my Sting Mullet and multiple pierced ears and motorcycle jacket that she said "Yeah man, rock us out."

So I put in my special mix tape that started with Add It Up by the Femmes. And it was on approximately 45 seconds before some huge red-neck stormed up to me.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT FAGGOT SHIT!" And tore the AIWA tape deck out between the turn-table and receiver. At which point he noticed my pierced ears and and started screaming "FAAAAAA-GOTTTT!" at me four inches from my face over an over until we put Skynyrd back on. "THAT'S RIGHT! Fucking American Music! You faggot!"

My revenge was to stay until after they all left, help the chicks clean up, put on Depeche Mode, and fuck his girl friend to it. Twice.
posted by tkchrist at 5:36 PM on October 6, 2008 [30 favorites has favorites]

PS. Not AC/DC'ist.
posted by tkchrist at 5:39 PM on October 6, 2008

The difference between the Ramones and Ah-Hah was really non-existent.

tk, you're my man, but...no. The Ramones rocked and A-Ha didn't. A-Ha were teenybopper pop with synths, nothing more. Equating the two bands makes no sense. This is what happens when you base things on criteria other than musical.
posted by jonmc at 5:39 PM on October 6, 2008

and I like April Wine. I simply remember that all that horrible synthpop shit was what clogged the top 40 when I was in high school and for a hormone soaked teenager, it wasn't cutting the mustard. and the alternative scene at the time meant stuff like the Cure and the Smiths which didn't do it either, which is where metal (and later punk, classic rock, garage rock, hip hop, and everything else) came in.
posted by jonmc at 5:41 PM on October 6, 2008

The Ramones rocked
posted by Flunkie at 5:55 PM on October 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

The Ramones rocked

May I say one thing? Okay: LOL.

Well played, sir. Well played.
posted by tkchrist at 6:00 PM on October 6, 2008

In fairness, on the positive side, at least it's different than the other Ramones song in existence.
posted by Flunkie at 6:06 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

So, just to be clear, jonmc, you think that A-ha is so much more awesome than The Ramones, right?
posted by chiababe at 6:07 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

You guys. You're gonna give him a stroke.
posted by tkchrist at 6:11 PM on October 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Not unless he looks like Morten Harket.
posted by Brockles at 6:11 PM on October 6, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

*cranks "Who Will Save Rock & Roll", retires to couch with beer*
posted by jonmc at 6:12 PM on October 6, 2008

Did this remind anyone else of "Mad Movies with the LA Connection"?
posted by pxe2000 at 6:12 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Standing in the Spotlight is one of the most ridiculous things ever created. I am still unsure how to process it.
posted by mrgrimm at 6:18 PM on October 6, 2008

Not unless he looks like Morten Harket.

No. More like Dave Grohl with a hangover.
posted by jonmc at 6:28 PM on October 6, 2008

Oh, pxe2000, I love you so much.

Every so often, I tried to find those on the 'tubes and couldn't. I used to watch that on late night TeeVee in Louisville back in the mid to late eighties and used to howl with laughter. It'll be interesting to see if I still find it as funny. MST3K used to sorta tickle the same funny bone, but not nearly as often or as hard.

There goes the rest of my evening.

Oh, and Bunty has aged pretty well herself... 22 year-old me was pretty hawt for her back in 1985...
posted by OneOliveShort at 6:52 PM on October 6, 2008

Hah hah.
posted by AppleSeed at 6:59 PM on October 6, 2008

and The Ramones don't. So much for survival of the fittest.

Really. I just remember thinking "Jeez, this sucks." And I was, like y'know, alive then.

and they say men are pigs. Dee Snider could kick his ass and he used makeup better and made better videos.

mathowie, I have to beat you up now. not for thinking another guy's hott, that's fine. but for being a dude and liking A-Ha. That's unforgivable.

The continued popularity of A-Ha among women is the strongest anti-feminist piece of data I have yet discovered and I reserve the right to use it in any thread about gender henceforth, forthwith and ...lots of other words with 'th' in them.

On the other hand, it could be a feminist data point, since it illustrates gender equality by showing that women have as bad taste as men.

tk, you're my man, but...no. The Ramones rocked and A-Ha didn't. A-Ha were teenybopper pop with synths, nothing more. Equating the two bands makes no sense. This is what happens when you base things on criteria other than musical.

jonmc: always the consumate music thread asshole.

Why must you be this way, jon? You're, what, forty now? Isn't it time you grew up from this "my band is cooler than your band" bullshit?
posted by five fresh fish at 7:02 PM on October 6, 2008 [6 favorites has favorites]

Very well done video. Thanks for the post.

And if "This guy's gonna get an assfull of pipe wrench," doesn't make it into TF2 somehow, I'll be very disappointed.
posted by Cyrano at 7:13 PM on October 6, 2008

The continued popularity of A-Ha among women is the strongest anti-feminist piece of data I have yet discovered and I reserve the right to use it in any thread about gender henceforth, forthwith and ...lots of other words with 'th' in them.

jonmc, sweetie, we can have a big epic feminism is like this thread if you want, or you can just stop worrying your pretty little head about it.
posted by desuetude at 7:34 PM on October 6, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

This is so weird. The other day the knob on my car stereo broke, and in the midst of trying to wrangle it into submission, the settings got stuck. So now the only song that plays from my iPod is A-Ha's Take on Me. On repeat.
posted by iamkimiam at 7:42 PM on October 6, 2008

Isn't it time you grew up from this "my band is cooler than your band" bullshit?

Especially when your band isn't Boards of Canada.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:43 PM on October 6, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

I liked how A-Ha defined themselves by their group name as "the act so lightweight you don't even have to use your vocal chords to say its name". Similar to Air Supply. Truth in record labeling.

I had the odd fortune of spending a little time behind the scenes of KROQ Radio in L.A. (one of the stations that, for better or worse, defined "80s Music") in '84-'85. There were some serious internal battles there over what the "ROQ of the 80s" sound would be... by the time I got there, Rodney Bingenheimer and the Local L.A. Punks had already been pretty much squashed, and Richard Blade and the BritPop gang had the ears and short-hairs of Legendary PD Rick Carroll (but they didn't abandon the "Put Any Song in Hot Rotation for 3 Weeks if It has the word "Sex" in the Title" rule until '87 or '88). But I hear that even Blade turned the studio monitors down when "Take On Me" came up on the playlist.

I just hope this video does not lead to an out-of-control meme... replacing the RickRoll with the HaRoll would be a step backwards.
posted by wendell at 7:58 PM on October 6, 2008

Well, ROU_Xenophobe, only if it's this photo of Lemmy, which my boyfriend has informed me he would like blown up for our living room wall as a kind of litmus test when people come over.

Also, to reiterate and possibly give jonmc that stroke tkchrist is predictin' -- hey, guess what? I think Morten Harket is hot.

(Sorry, couldn't resist).

Also, since I dyed the top of my hair blonde, every morning when I wake up with goofy hair (which is pretty much every morning), the first thing I hear in my head is Flock of Seagulls "I Ran." Dang.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 7:59 PM on October 6, 2008

A Flock of Seagulls Hair?!? Have you seriously considered shaving it all off. Seriously. It's an option.
posted by wendell at 8:05 PM on October 6, 2008

I'd be disappointed if jonmc ever missed an opportunity to explain how our favorite bands suck. It's fun, and I'm not just saying that. It reminds me of my record store years--guys like him were how I learned how to enjoy music on multiple levels.
posted by padraigin at 8:05 PM on October 6, 2008

I've been struggling not to do this, but I have failed. I am sincerely not proud of this, but the urge has become unbearable:

(see, this proves I have depth!)

Everyone does when Lemmy's through with them.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:26 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

guys like him were how I learned how to enjoy music on multiple levels

Yeah, like the enjoyment you get from playing something only because you know the other guy in the store can't fucking stand it.
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:34 PM on October 6, 2008

Oh yes, but I credit them with my bizarre love for Steely Dan, and surely at least one of them has fond memories of that first Bikini Kill record.
posted by padraigin at 8:37 PM on October 6, 2008

Here is a barometer for you're "feminism" data, jon.

A quick poll of my wife found ... wait... that's POLL, not pole... but that gives an idea for later... any way SURVEYING my wife I find this:

Morten Harket = Hot in the 1980's. Still Hot.

Bruce Springsteen = Hot in the 1980's. Hotter now.

Jonny Depp = "My god Pirates of Carribean or not take my pants off now."

Micheal Phelps = "Mouth shut. Shirt off. Hot. Otherwise: No"
posted by tkchrist at 8:37 PM on October 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Could be worse, Wendell. I could have Dexy's Midnight Runners hair or Shane MacGowan teeth.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 8:37 PM on October 6, 2008

Oh. And.

Circa Rocky Horror Tim Curry = " So hot my pants exploded."
posted by tkchrist at 8:38 PM on October 6, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

My revenge was to stay until after they all left, help the chicks clean up, put on Depeche Mode, and fuck his girl friend to it. Twice.

Just when I though that story couldn't get any better, you kick it up a notch. Well played, sir.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:13 PM on October 6, 2008

A-Ha's Take on Me, but done literally

Loved that.
posted by nickyskye at 9:35 PM on October 6, 2008

How come the Motorheads have a Lemmy, but the Lemonheads have no Moty?
posted by OneOliveShort at 10:21 PM on October 6, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Shit. My colleagues are going to think I'm crazy tomorrow when I keep singing "PIPE WRENCH FIGHT (pipe.wrench.fight)" all day.
posted by exlotuseater at 11:29 PM on October 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Ummmmm, Morten Harket is still hot? He looks like he's got some Robert Z'dar (GIS link) action going on. But, he can hold a note.

And the literal video was a hoot. I can only hope that takes off as the major new meme.

Unfortunately, after a single traumatic exposure, Dee Snyder = Strangeland forever for me.
posted by Samizdata at 11:44 PM on October 6, 2008

Oh, and I remember going to one of the dates on the very last Ramones tour.

Old men take a long time to heal mosh bruises, BTW.
posted by Samizdata at 11:47 PM on October 6, 2008

Aw, this was amusing, thanks.

I went to see a-ha in Oberhausen, Germany in 2000, with another American friend. The hall was really filling up, and I said "Wow, they are popular here!" and my friend said, "So is David Hasselhoff."

Ouch!

Here's Morten Harket singing in Norwegian: Tilbake Til Livet
posted by ysabella at 12:00 AM on October 7, 2008

Synthpop still sucks.

The great thing about sweeping statements like this ("Rap is crap!") about music is that you can then safely ignore anything else the person says on the topic, secure in the knowledge that you aren't missing anything interesting.
posted by rodgerd at 12:01 AM on October 7, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Synthpop still sucks.

jonmc, I normally dig your rock and common man talk and all, but you've done yourself a disservice by doing pretty much what the indie snobs do here.

A-Ha were teenybopper pop with synths, nothing more.

I don't think you know of which you speak. If you were to accuse them of being overly emotive or dramatic and often a tad or more short of truly finished lyrical content, I might believe you'd listened to more than the top 40 radio hits, but underneath that tip (and admittedly the hair, and the cheekbones...) they've got an iceberg body of work, some of which has some pretty decent songwriting, and certainly not all of which is light or lightweight.
posted by weston at 12:13 AM on October 7, 2008

Where do I sign up to be woman #4 carrying child number six?
posted by dabitch at 12:15 AM on October 7, 2008

I hate that song, and I hate that video... but I liked the literal version. Haha!
posted by Nattie at 12:33 AM on October 7, 2008

Contrasted with when Dead or Alive sang "Spin Me Round". That's pretty much what they did in the video. I mean, they spun around, and stuff.

Ah, the good ole days of truth in advertising...
posted by darkstar at 12:40 AM on October 7, 2008

Synthpop still sucks.

Jesus, this guy is so tedious. Perfect example of what happens when the guy with the totally boss Camaro full of dubbed Bob Seger cassettes and the jean jacket complete with Judas Priest back-patch decides he's Knowledgeable About Music(tm). RAWK N' ROOOOLLL! Fucking yawn.

Anyway, this video was totally hilarious. I pretty much lost it somewhere between "pipe wrench fight" and the diner waitress grumbling during the instrumental break. I miss these 80s videos that were completely obtuse and had nothing to do with the song and would therefore lend themselves to something like this. Hell, I miss videos. Do they still make them? Are any of them anything besides more of the lame pop-rap formula videos that The Roots expertly parodied over 10 years ago?
posted by DecemberBoy at 12:43 AM on October 7, 2008

Hell, I miss videos. Do they still make them? Are any of them anything besides more of the lame pop-rap formula videos that The Roots expertly parodied over 10 years ago?

Blur's video for The Universal is probably a little old to satisfy your complaint (and Green Day used to do some fun videos). Fur Patrol's Precious is pretty, um, odd and only tangentally related to the song.
posted by rodgerd at 1:06 AM on October 7, 2008

Band Montage! I was surprised this was actually funny.
posted by Mastercheddaar at 5:47 AM on October 7, 2008

Whew! This thread got exciting. Flunkie I wanted to chime in and agree on second viewing that yeah, hey wait a minute, he's being threatened with the helmet dude's pipe wrench.. not his own.. which leads more dramatic tension to the idea that he's in terrible danger and she must rush home to see what happens to him.

You know, though, I bet they saw this too but somebody came up with "my own wrench" and it's just so delicious that they had to keep it/reinvent it.
posted by cavalier at 5:55 AM on October 7, 2008

A-Ha were teenybopper pop with synths, nothing more.

It doesn't matter what instruments you play, and it doesn't matter who your fanbase is. All that matters is the music. So strip away the instrumentation, and the musicians, and the arrangement, and the fans, and all the other cultural baggage attached to the song, what you are essentially left with is that "dunna na nuhnt-duhnt, DUHNT DUHNT da nunna-nunna" hook, which is totally awesome.

(pipe wrench fight)
posted by 23skidoo at 6:02 AM on October 7, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

You're gonna have to fight me for him first, dabitch.

WITH A PIPE WRENCH.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 6:26 AM on October 7, 2008

Synthpop doesn't suck.
posted by stargell at 7:16 AM on October 7, 2008

Indeed it does not.
posted by jack_mo at 8:11 AM on October 7, 2008

I lay awake till 2 am giggling about this. Assfull of pipe wrench indeed. Awesome.

When the video first came out, I did think that Morten had his own pipe wrench, but the more I watched it (and believe me, I watched it over and over and over) I came to believe that the panel showed Morten being menaced by the other guy's pipe wrench. But that's a minor quibble, and I'm willing to go back to my original impression. Because without that, there'd be no pipe wrench fight.

Piiiiiipe wreeeeeench fiiiiiiiiight (pipe! wrench! fight!)
posted by cereselle at 8:14 AM on October 7, 2008

Also, if I were smarter, I'd come up with a literal song for this, because WTF?
posted by cereselle at 8:18 AM on October 7, 2008

That doesn't match the WTF of the Hurra Torpedo version.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:57 AM on October 7, 2008

cereselle wrote: Also, if I were smarter, I'd come up with a literal song for this , because WTF?

Yeah, I can't imagine anyone writing lyrics that would fully convey the raw unadulterated WTFness of the section where the fencer removes his helmet, then removes it again and it turns out to be full of piss. (Also, I could've sworn there was a live bear dressed as a choirboy at some point in that video, but it appears not. My childhood mind obviously decided it wasn't weird enough, and thought inserting the memory of an extra bear would liven things up a bit!)
posted by jack_mo at 9:58 AM on October 7, 2008

As long as we're talking about the 80s, heres my 270 video song playlist from the 80s.

One 80's video that a youngun pointed out was disturbing was Oingo Boingo's 'Little Girls' video. I dunno, back in the day (80s) that concept didn't seem disturbing, now you wonder if you'll be meeting up with Chris Hanson while listening/watching that video. (The lead singer of the said band went on to be come a well-known composer of music and television soundtracks)
posted by edman at 11:07 AM on October 7, 2008

Oh. My. God. I remember seeing that Turn Around Bright Eyes video when it first came out, and somehow only now do I see how unfrickinbelievably WTF it is. A literal version would probably kill me laughing.

Also: I like A-Ha and am male. Neener neener I win.
posted by Michael Roberts at 12:54 PM on October 7, 2008

I like A-Ha and am male. Neener neener I win.

I like Morten Harket and am male. Neener weiner I win!
posted by ericb at 1:01 PM on October 7, 2008

"if you know anything about our band, you know that one band in particular shaped our path and our future"
that's right. it's little chris martin and "one of the greatest keyboard players of all time" - "mags"
posted by trulyscrumptious at 1:36 PM on October 7, 2008

I like the Reverend Horton Heat and I'm ... not in the right thread.
posted by cavalier at 1:51 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I think Bright Eyes was the first video I ever watched.

Also, Little Girls is freaking the hell outta me. WTFPEDO?!
posted by five fresh fish at 4:38 PM on October 7, 2008

but she was in a Billy Idol video

Am I the only one that still thinks Billy Idol's music is actually pretty good and holds up well? Dude could snarl.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:17 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

You know, I'm realizing that I'm really relieved Morton Harket turned out well and looks good for his age. Because his face kinda reminds me a smidgen of Jan Michael Vincent for some reason. Who... ummm... reaaallllly didn't fare so well.
posted by miss lynnster at 10:53 PM on October 8, 2008

Am I the only one that still thinks Billy Idol's music is actually pretty good and holds up well? Dude could snarl.

Saw him live 2 or 3 years ago. Dude can still snarl. And Rock.
posted by inigo2 at 6:10 AM on October 9, 2008

And I'd probably add Billy Idol to that list of pop stars who've gotten better looking with age.
posted by sculpin at 5:39 PM on October 9, 2008

The 80s where not Depeche Mode and Blue Sunshine and Culture club. They where awful, Boston-ish jam bands and hair metal. Please remember this.
posted by The Whelk at 5:51 PM on October 12, 2008

They where, where they? Were that it were so.
posted by five fresh fish at 8:32 PM on October 12, 2008

How about a little Tears for Fears "Head over Heels".
posted by Tenuki at 7:29 PM on October 15, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

How about a little Tears for Fears "Head over Heels".

Is that Dave Coulier?
posted by Lucinda at 1:03 PM on October 16, 2008

It is ALWAYS Dave Coulier. And "Heads Over Heels" is head-and-shoulders better and funnier than "Take On Me", possibly because he source material is already kind of self-aware-ly silly.
posted by wendell at 6:08 PM on October 17, 2008

Tears for Fears is one of my absolute favorite bands. The literal-video treatment was great.
posted by oddman at 6:22 PM on October 17, 2008

Two new ones: Under The Bridge and Head Over Heels.

Lacking pipewrench, but still excellent.
posted by edd at 5:58 PM on November 3, 2008

Oh and somehow I missed one of them's old. But still, Under the Bridge.... I'll just go now.
posted by edd at 6:01 PM on November 3, 2008