Top 20 Videos - Postscript

Cyndi Lauper

"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (1983)

Even though my video listing is done, I wanted to add a little p.s. I was actually watching this video last night and realised that I probably should have chosen it over 'Time after Time' (though the fact that that is my favourite song probably clouded my judgement).

'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' is an amazing pop video and a pure classic, and proves why Cyndi Lauper should have been a bigger pop star. As much as I love Madonna, and as amazing as she is, Cyndi was always the more interesting of the two with the better voice. But I know that's not what counts in the pop world. Madonna has always taken things VERY seriously (sometimes too seriously I would say) which, to give her her props, is why she's a million times more successful than Cyndi. But Lauper always seemed to keep he sense of fun, someone who you would want to have as a mate (and you could actually imagine that happening with Cyndi Lauper), where as Madonna was the cool kid who would probably never have you in your group. (Well, me anyway).

I don't want this to be a rag on Madonna post, because it's not - I do love her and her talent is unquestionable - I just think it's a shame that the pop world pitted these two against each other in 1983, and only one could win. Cyndi Lauper is still recording amazing music (her 2008 album 'Bring Ya To The Brink' is incredible) but she's certainly not in the same league as Madonna. And that's a shame.

Top 20 Videos - #1

Video #1

Cyndi Lauper
"Time After Time" (1984)

Although my last video isn’t one of the greatest videos of all time from a technical or artistic standpoint, I still think it's an amazing video and deserves it’s place on my list. It’s my personal favourite: Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time”.

The video opens with Cyndi on her bed in her trailer, watching an old romantic Marlene Dietrich film (a scene with her saying goodbye) and quoting along with it. The song then begins and the video essentially tells the story of the lyrics -- Cyndi is a free spirit who is too much for people to handle, including her boyfriend (played by her real life boyfriend in the video). After a difficult decision and a flashback to her mum (played – as always in her videos – by her real life mum) she decides to runaway. Her boyfriend catches her as she’s leaving and decides to come with her, but then bottles it at the station and Cyndi decides to run off on her own. The video ends with Cyndi waving from the window of her train (like an old romantic film). It’s schmaltzy and very 80s, but it’s also quite touching and really lovely. And I adore it.

Top 20 Videos - #2

Video #2

Róisín Murphy

"Movie Star"(2008)

Róisín Murphy records fantastic music, she has style (which is fantastic enough for Lady Gaga to rip off), and she knows how to make a music video. I could have chosen almost any one of her videos - 'Overpowered' (where she lives her whole life as if she's on stage in one of her crazy costumes) and 'Let Me Know' (in which she dances her way through a glum cafe) are two of my particular favourites - but when it comes down to it, there is only one for my left: 'Movie Star', a loving homage to John Waters and his trash films. The video takes its premise loosely from Water's "Female Trouble" - Róisín is a tearaway teen who escapes here obnoxious parents (her mum is, of course, played by an evil drag queen) who despair as she runs off with her freaky friends. The video even features a "Pink Flamingos" era Divine look-alike and the appearance of Lobstora from "Multiple Maniacs" - which promptly sexually assaults Róisín as it did to the real Divine in the 1970 film. It's a fantastic camp classic. What a pity that radio doesn't embrace Róisín Murphy like it does a certain Stefani Germanotta.

Top 20 Videos - #3

Video #3

The Spice Girls

"Spice Up Your Life" (1997)

Oh yes, I'm going there... My next video is from the pop phenomenon that was The Spice Girls - it's "Spice Up Your Life". If you're one of those who would groan at this moment, put aside your feelings and give this some thought and a second look.

The song itself has a carnival feel to it, a theme that the Girls originally wanted to echo in the video... only to have the idea shot down by Virgin Records. The story goes that by this point they were fed-up and couldn't face fighting the record label over the idea, so Geri Halliwell faxed a new idea to the director - ripping the piss out of themselves and the ludicrous amount of attention they had been receiving. What would it be like if The Spice Girls actually WERE hell bent on world domination? It was quite appropriate for the time, as they were at the height of their fame in the autumn of 1997.

"Spice Up Your Life" features a Blade Runner style future, in which the Spice Girls control the whole of a dark and depressing world. They float over the city in a space ship (spice ship?) while the Spice Girls feature on every brand,their faces are on every poster, and their videos air on every screen: Starbucks, Burger King, Panasonic, even their record label Virgin are given the Spice treatment. It's a fun video and shows that The Spice Girls were able to keep things in perspective, as well. I love it.

Top 20 Videos - #4

Video #4

Kylie Minogue

"Come Into My World" (2002)

I've had an appearance by the Queen of Pop (Madonna's "Justify My Love") on my list, and I had to include the Princess of Pop too. My 17th video is Kylie Minogue's "Come Into My World". The video is simple but compelling: Kylie strolling around a Paris city block, looped several times until she's walking - and interacting - with herself. Watching it a few times reveals its many layers; each time a new Kylie emerges, the people in the background are duplicated too. By the time the video reaches its conclusion, there are four Kylies walking through chaos. Yes, the general concept has been done before - REM and Nena Cherry come to mind - but that doesn't take away from the brilliance of this video.

Top 20 Videos - #5

Video #5

Carl Sagan featuring Stephen Hawking

'A Glorious Dawn' (2009)

If you don't know who Carl Sagan is, I suggest you pop onto YouTube and check out some of the videos you can find there. Sagan was (he sadly died of cancer in 1996, aged 62) an astronomer, astrophysicist, and author. Among other things, he worked tirelessly to get the public to engage with science and astronomy, he was instrumental in some key discoveries (with regards to Venus, Mars and Titan), he fought the proliferation of nuclear weapons during the Cold War, he was a key figure in SETI (the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) and he wrote several books including the novel 'Contact'. But his greatest triumph is his 13-part 1980 television series 'Cosmos' (also based on an earlier book). The programme is fantastic, and was inspiration for millions - including a young Brian Cox who based his 'Wonders Of...' series on Sagan's 'Cosmos'.

My next video revisits the magic of Carl Sagan and 'Cosmos'. You would have, without doubt, heard one of the many modern-day auto-tune creations, where someone takes spoken word and runs it through auto-tune to give it a melody. This is almost always done for comic effect, but electronic musician John Boswell has gone further, taking clips of Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' and putting it to music. The effect is genius, choosing some key moments where Sagan talks about (for lack of a better term) the wonders of the universe and the future of the human race. Boswell even manages to add an appearance by Steven Hawking just before the bridge. It's a magic moment that is both modern and retro at the same time. I give you: Carl Sagan featuring Stephen Hawking in “A Glorious Dawn”. (Quick note: This is the re-mastered version of the song, which has added a little instrumentation and makes it sound richer than the original.)

Top 20 Videos - #6

Video #6

Pet Shop Boys

'Being Boring' (1990)

I have been a massive fan of the Pet Shop Boys since the very beginning, and my list in inconceivable without an appearance from them. There are a wealth of options, but I've opted for the gorgeous "Being Boring".

The video is equally lovely... Shot in black and white, the video is quite simple -people frolicking in a hotel, intercut with brief scenes of Tennant & Lowe. It frames the lyrics beautifully, and the opening bit with the written script really draws you in.