Music Video Cliches

Cafe Society
1

Maybe music videos are on so infrequently on VH1 and MTV, no one thinks people will notice. But I notice. Let’s count the number of cliches in this new one by The Fray
The Fray - You Found Me

Panning helicopter shots of city buildings
Singer in a taxi cab
Shots implying the band just picked up and started jamming under the El-train or some rooftop in the industrial side of town
Plain White T’s - Hey There Delilah
OAR - This Town

Creepy dudes in black watching from building roofs
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

Singer and his piano
Five for Fighting - 100 Years
Vanessa Carlton - Ordinary Day

Car accident
Coldplay - Yellow
Adele - Chasing Pavements
Hoobastank - The Reason
So apparently the days of innovative videos like Thriller, Sabotage and Smells Like Teen Spirit are over. From this point forth, all rock videos will look like they were made in the West Village by an NYU film student with a camcorder.

2

Walking down a country road.
Playing drums in the rain and seeing the water splash.
Singing with the fireplace in back just out of focus.

All of these are present in the Fruit of the Loom commercial You Can’t Overlove Your Underwear. Now, I know these guys aren’t serious but when you watch it you realize just how “country” that music video feels. I remember the first time I saw the commercial. I was playing on my computer, having the tv on for background noise, when I heard the first few lines. I thought to myself, “Man, country music is really reaching these days.”

I have to disagree with putting Hoobastank under the cliche for car accident. Yeah, there’s an “accident” in the video, but it’s All about misdirection, which you really do fall for the first time you see the video

3

True. But’s it’s all about the shared visual imagery.