# Songs that have been ruined for you by the music video **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2015, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909 "2015-12-20T07:57:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/21 "2015-12-20T19:01:05Z")
A band as big as U2 may well have a recording contract which allows them complete creative control of their music videos, but that’s more the exception than the rule. Usually, the video is a product of the efforts of recording company executives who solicit concepts from one or more directors and/or production companies, and the musicians themselves may or may not have any input into the process. In my experience, it often seemed to come down to this: whoever has the most standing in their particular field will exert the most creative control. So for instance, when you hire a director like Sam Bayer, you’ll know that he’s better at his job than you are at yours, so pretty much everybody else just gets out of his way and lets him work. The musicians, really, usually seem like just props in somebody else’s play. ---
**Author:** ![Last\_Glacial\_Maximum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@Last\_Glacial\_Maximum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Last_Glacial_Maximum)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/22 "2015-12-20T19:14:40Z")
The Police’s “Don’t Stand Too close To Me”. An interesting song about forbidden temptation that was completely ruined by the video of the group dancing around with silly, black graduation caps on… . ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/23 "2015-12-20T19:53:05Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > I was not aware there was a strong negative reaction to the video you mentioned… As much as I hate to enable **madsircool** evasiveness, that video does leave you wondering WTF? It is unclear what Squire was trying to achieve and it does diminish his “coolness” factor substantially. > [@salinqmind](#): > > Chris Isaak, “Wicked Game”. What an enchanting, melancholy, beautiful song! Loved it! Till I saw the artsy, wretched, soft porn video with some romping topless bimbo on the beach, almost but not quite flashing her tits, tee hee. That crude, coy wanker-fest turned me right off and I’ve lost all love for the song. You mean the video that (according to Wikipedia) won the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Male Video, Best Cinematography and Best Video from a Film, was ranked #13 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Videos, was ranked #4 on VH1’s 50 Sexiest Video Moments, was ranked #73 on Rolling Stone magazine’s “The 100 Top Music Videos”, and was ranked #1 on Fuse’s “40 Sexiest Videos” in 2010? I do not like that one either. They made it to quickly cash in on the song’s surprise success, but I do not think it really captures the theme of love lost. As you note, it plays like generic soft porn. The [original video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cV0IL2Dtok), directed by David Lynch, was more traditional but at least it captured the mood of the song. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/24 "2015-12-20T19:55:20Z")
> [@Last\_Glacial\_Maximum](#): > > The Police’s “Don’t Stand Too close To Me”. > > An interesting song about forbidden temptation that was completely ruined by the video of the group dancing around with silly, black graduation caps on… > > . Are you referring to the original version, or the dance remix? For me, it was Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin”. Great song, terrible video. I must also be the only R.E.M. fan who has never liked the “Losing My Religion” video. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/25 "2015-12-20T20:46:36Z")
It’s Squier, not “Squire”. Google is your friend. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/26 "2015-12-20T21:01:43Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Chris Isaak, “Wicked Game”. What an enchanting, melancholy, beautiful song! Loved it! Till I saw the artsy, wretched, soft porn video with some romping topless bimbo on the beach, almost but not quite flashing her tits, tee hee. That crude, coy wanker-fest turned me right off and I’ve lost all love for the song. Unless that song was getting a ton of airplay on MTV when you were 10-13 years old and for the rest of your life you’ll always have fond memories when you hear the it. My vote is for Somebody That I Used To Know. I first heard it by Walk Off The Earth (and just assumed it was their song), then I went and found their video and was even more amazed and then forgot about it for a while. A few weeks/months later I started hearing it on the radio (by Gotye) and didn’t think too much of it…until I saw the video. That painted up half naked guy cringing around on screen took a whatever song and really made me hate it. It’s still one of those songs that I’ll get up and change the radio if it comes on. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/27 "2015-12-21T00:02:38Z")
Lunatic Fringe just don’t, Just don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/28 "2015-12-21T01:19:15Z")
Eddie Money - “Think I’m in Love” The song is good mid-tempo rocker. The video goes at a slow pace by comparison which seems to drag the song down with it, and then has a lame “twist” at the end. I can enjoy the song if I block the video out of my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/29 "2015-12-21T02:18:54Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > I’ve got an inverse example for you: I was kinda “meh” about “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler until I saw the utterly bizarre music video. Now I’m a fan. It’s funny because I came in here to post that the Literal Video parody made it so I could no longer take this song seriously anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/30 "2015-12-21T02:27:53Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > And then I saw the [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNJwu-YkQlc), which is essentially the lead singer sitting around looking hot, and has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the song. It really annoyed me, for some reason. I’m not a country fan and didn’t watch the whole video, but it looked like while a lot of it is just the singer looking pretty it does show her going through a box of mementos – love letters, a dried corsage, a class ring, etc. That seems directly related to the lyrics in which she reminisces about her high school sweetheart. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/31 "2015-12-21T03:47:21Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Chris Isaak, “Wicked Game”. What an enchanting, melancholy, beautiful song! Loved it! Till I saw the artsy, wretched, soft porn video with some romping topless bimbo on the beach, almost but not quite flashing her tits, tee hee. That crude, coy wanker-fest turned me right off and I’ve lost all love for the song. \ What? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/32 "2015-12-21T06:00:49Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > Lunatic Fringe > > just don’t, > Just don’t. The Red Rider song? That video must have had a budget of about $25. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/33 "2015-12-21T11:57:49Z")
For a few 80s videos, they unwisely decided to add some sound effects – that is, here and there letting you hear the ambient sounds of whatever action is taking place onscreen. This ruins the song for me, as I can never again hear it without those stupid noises running in my head. There were several of these, but the first one that comes to mind is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ [You Got Lucky](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mtLpZWNyM0I). Creaking doors and jangling boot spurs? Yechh. Not Petty’s best song anyway, but still. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/34 "2015-12-24T08:49:32Z")
I can’t say it ruins the song, but if you listen to Bowie’s new single _Blackstar_ without watching the extremely creepy video, it’s a gorgeous, gorgeous song. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/35 "2015-12-24T10:14:17Z")
Beavis and Butthead were elated to hear the start of Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law.” Eventually they decided that while the song kicks ass, the video sucked and so IIRC they “changed it.” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/36 "2015-12-24T10:44:42Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I must also be the only R.E.M. fan who has never liked the “Losing My Religion” video. Make that two. That song was on heavy rotation during my one brief MTV/VH1 binge nearly 25 years ago. And the video pretty much ruined the song for me. I can’t stand the song to this day, even though I like pretty much everything else R.E.M. has done. But that’s really the only song where that’s happened for me. Nowadays, if I YouTube a song and the video is detracting from my enjoyment of the song, I look at some other web page while the song plays. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/37 "2015-12-26T01:46:15Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > I loved it! Check out the literal version of “Take On Me”-it’s better. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/38 "2015-12-26T02:15:31Z")
They’re still making music videos? I have never found a song was “spoiled” by a bad video. On the other hand, I routinely hit the mute button whenever a TV commercial comes on and the soundtrack is a rock/pop song (even ones I don’t particularly like). I am not going to associate that song with your shitty product. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/39 "2015-12-26T03:00:16Z")
[QUOTE=salinqmind] Chris Isaak, “Wicked Game”. What an enchanting, melancholy, beautiful song! Loved it! Till I saw the artsy, wretched, soft porn video with some romping topless bimbo on the beach, almost but not quite flashing her tits, tee hee. That crude, coy wanker-fest turned me right off and I’ve lost all love for the song. [/QUOTE] > [@Wallaby](#): > > \ > What? In case you want to know, the girl in the video is supermodel Helena Christiansen. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909/40 "2015-12-26T20:37:13Z")
If it’s worth anything, Opus the Penguin shares your pain: > **[Bloom County by Berkeley Breathed for February 27, 2010 | GoComics.com](https://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/2010/02/27)** > > February 27, 2010 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-have-been-ruined-for-you-by-the-music-video/740909.md?page=3)