# Literal music videos **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2015, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296 "2015-05-18T09:20:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aghris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@Aghris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aghris)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/1 "2015-05-18T09:20:15Z")
Apparently this has been a thing for a while already, but I just found out about it: literal music videos. The recipe: 1. Take a well known music video, the more abstract the better 2. Write new lyrics, based on what is literally happening in the video 3. Dub the video with the new lyrics. Bonus points if you can actually sing (but not necessary). Some of my favorites: [Total Eclipse of the Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsgWUq0fdKk) (Get outta my way, I’ve got to pee / never mind I just went on the floor / now I need to find a mop) [Safety Dance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQU_hVR4K6Q) [I’d do Anything for Love](https://vimeo.com/99921535) (My mattress is made of gypsy sluts) Any other good ones I missed? ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/2 "2015-05-18T10:27:46Z")
Look up a YouTube vlogger named Tobuscus. He’s famous for his Assassin’s Creed literal trailers, but my favorite is his take on Hitman. (Even nuns go to shoe sales. And prison.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/3 "2015-05-18T10:56:52Z")
> [@Aghris](#): > > Some of my favorites: > > [Total Eclipse of the Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsgWUq0fdKk) _“Arthur Fonzarelli’s got an army of clones!”_ ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/4 "2015-05-18T12:11:38Z")
> [@Aghris](#): > > [Total Eclipse of the Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsgWUq0fdKk) Unfortunately, you’ve started with the masterpiece of the genre. After you’ve seen this one, all other examples will be but a pale shadow of its greatness. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/5 "2015-05-18T12:35:29Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Unfortunately, you’ve started with the masterpiece of the genre. After you’ve seen this one, all other examples will be but a pale shadow of its greatness. true, but there are other good ones. I like [I Believe in a Thing Called Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK4GkQ_DhIk) and [You Spin Me Round](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KHdS3EiBGk) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/6 "2015-05-18T12:46:18Z")
[Take On Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HE9OQ4FnkQ) ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/7 "2015-05-18T12:53:31Z")
I saw the thread title and imagined it the other way around: take the sound (the individual notes, the key of each individual chord, etc) and map them to something visual, then use that as your music video. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/8 "2015-05-18T14:21:47Z")
Yeah, like a shot of a heart being eclipsed… ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/9 "2015-05-18T15:19:35Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Take On Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HE9OQ4FnkQ) This was my introduction to these and still one of the best. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/10 "2015-05-19T05:36:41Z")
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” was pretty literal to begin with. Look at how they represented, “Turn around, bright eyes.” And yes, I thought that sort of thing was what the thread would be about, and I immediately thought of that case. That’s what I came in to say. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/11 "2015-05-19T06:56:10Z")
Well, I’ll be damned. I would have never thought that “You Spin Me Round” would have been the slightest bit entertaining as a literal music video, because I didn’t recall that the original video gave you a heck of a lot to work with, but it was a keeper! As for recommendations, [“Head Over Heels”](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6342db2270/head-over-heels-literal-video-version-from-dustfilms) by Tears For Fears is a pretty good one. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/12 "2015-05-19T07:42:16Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > I saw the thread title and imagined it the other way around: take the sound (the individual notes, the key of each individual chord, etc) and map them to something visual, then use that as your music video. There’s a literal video for [Video Killed the Radio Star](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OqRSbI0iDs) that’s pretty good, and it’s exactly not what any of you are thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/13 "2015-05-19T18:45:54Z")
[One Week](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/edf12055a7/one-week-literal-video-version)is pretty good too. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/14 "2015-05-19T19:08:06Z")
I almost freaked out for a minute because I was literally, this very morning trying to remember the name for these kinds of videos. Unfortunately what I was actually thinking of are the ones where they show the words as they sound. The one I had in mind was Indian and I want to say it sounded like “Benny Lava” (?) I probably saw it posted here, now that I think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/15 "2015-05-19T19:18:23Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I almost freaked out for a minute because I was literally, this very morning trying to remember the name for these kinds of videos. Unfortunately what I was actually thinking of are the ones where they show the words as they sound. The one I had in mind was Indian and I want to say it sounded like “Benny Lava” (?) I probably saw it posted here, now that I think about it. Are you thinking of the misheard-lyrics version of [O Fortuna](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gub0s9YVqQ) from Carmina Burana? ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/16 "2015-05-19T19:42:29Z")
No, he’s talking about [this](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL217-5XHnpx1Tb3FRXqWmPZX2UV4m2I-2). The original upload by Buffalax of the ‘Benny Lava’ song is no longer online, though. A possible term to use from Japanese for that sort of thing is [Soramimi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soramimi). ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/17 "2015-05-19T19:50:48Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Are you thinking of the misheard-lyrics version of [O Fortuna](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gub0s9YVqQ) from Carmina Burana? No, but that is awesome! So the thing I’m thinking of \*is \*called “Benny Lava”! Bummer that it’s not available anymore. I remember it giving me a serious case of the giggles. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/18 "2015-05-20T01:11:54Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > There’s a literal video for [Video Killed the Radio Star](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OqRSbI0iDs) that’s pretty good, and it’s exactly not what any of you are thinking. That’s exactly what I thought the thread title meant before I opened the thread. Hilarious and pretty well done! ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/19 "2015-05-20T04:33:32Z")
> [@Aghris](#): > > [Total Eclipse of the Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsgWUq0fdKk) The gayest guy on Earth Would call this over the top ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-music-videos/720296/20 "2015-05-24T19:57:27Z")
My favorite is no longer on youtube but here is [Hero](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/5d730cfddc/hero-literal-video). The lines _want to engulf your entire chin_ and _shouldn’t these cops be helping me_ are my favorites