# Videos that nearly ruin the song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914 "2017-11-28T01:25:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [November 29, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/41 "2017-11-29T14:32:47Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > But the song itself has nothing to do with Lewis Carroll. It’s a straightforward song about a romantic breakup in which one partner is desperately hoping for a reunion that isn’t going to happen. > > Thanks to the video, people associate the song with Alice, Something Petty never intended. \*Do \*people associate the song with AiWL? Not snarking, just wondering. Speaking for myself, I heard the song long before I saw the video so my reaction upon seeing it for the first time was “wtf does the Mad Hatter have to do with this song?”. Now when I hear the song, I \*picture \*the video but it never occurred to me that the video was supposed to be illustrative of the meaning of the song. I would have assumed someone as presumably astute as Tom Petty (love ya, Tom!) either meant it to be abstract or, if he feared people would take it literally, he would have resisted going with that theme. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/42 "2017-11-29T16:02:16Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > But the song itself has nothing to do with Lewis Carroll. It’s a straightforward song about a romantic breakup in which one partner is desperately hoping for a reunion that isn’t going to happen. > > Thanks to the video, people associate the song with Alice, Something Petty never intended. The song was written (or at least started) by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics after a one-night stand with Stevie Nicks. It included a surreal experience where he woke up and she was trying on Victorian clothing, which reminded him of Alice in Wonderland. The song was supposed to be for Nicks, but she walked out of the recording session, so it was given to Petty instead. The association was already there, whether Petty intended it or not. ---
**Author:** ![WirelessW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4491bb/32.png) [@WirelessW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WirelessW)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/43 "2017-11-29T18:20:43Z")
In the vein of terrible outfits, the video for _Cult of Personality_ by Living Color features a repulsive yellow spandex one-piece…thing. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/44 "2017-11-29T19:11:08Z")
_[Gooey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIA1XQnAv5s)_ by Glass Animals takes an excellent song and makes it feel gross. It’s like the word “moist” in video form. For a sample, see around a minute and half in as saliva drips in super slo-mo onto the guy’s face and then runs into his ear. Unwatchable. ETA: there’s no advisory on the video, but it might be not be appropriate for some uptight workplaces. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/45 "2017-11-30T00:29:00Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > The [literal version](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f03d464867/total-eclipse-of-the-heart-literal-video-version-original) makes much more sense. I would never nominate it for “videos that nearly ruin the song” (as I feel it helps _make_ the song) but I always enjoyed the [literal version of “Safety Dance”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi7mBzdDHyY) too. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/46 "2017-11-30T15:27:39Z")
No mention of [“Little Talks”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghb6eDopW8I) by Of Monsters and Men? I’m shocked. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/47 "2017-11-30T15:49:01Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I believe the point is, Petty was there during the filming. If he didn’t want it associated with AiW, he could have, I dunno, not filmed it that way? Yeah, this. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/48 "2017-11-30T16:20:47Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Shut your dirty mouth on this one. Shadows of the Night has it all: P51 Mustangs, Judge Reinhold, Bill Paxton, a daring commando raid on a Jerry chalet, and a Nazi with a ponytail. And modern cars driving on the road next to the airfield! Anyway … Note that this about the video vs. the song. Listen the lyrics and try to figure out what this has to do with planes and Nazis. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/49 "2017-11-30T17:58:58Z")
This wasn’t a great song, but it was a decent instrumental by the team of Police guitarist Andy Summers and King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. Fripp only made one video I know of with Crimson, and he made this one with Summers. I saw him on TV once saying he’d never watched any of his videos- that he just remembered he and Summers were surrounded by Asian dancing girls. The host played the video, and Fripp laughed hysterically, saying, “Oh God, that really is silly.” Yeah. And them some. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOiuh2Upa8s) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/50 "2017-11-30T22:07:26Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Damn, missed the edit window. > > I was going to add that there was a rumor going around that Sacha Baron Cohen was one of the dancers in that EJ video but I can’t proof of it right now. Were there any 12 year-old dancers in the video? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/51 "2017-11-30T22:16:35Z")
Talking Heads’ “And She was” is not that great of a song in the first place, and it’s a terrible video. I don’t get its “instant classic” status. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YgSVTdAtNYE/hqdefault.jpg "Talking Heads - And She Was") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgSVTdAtNYE) ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/52 "2017-11-30T23:39:13Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Yeah, any time you’ve got a video primarily composed of a middle-aged white guy doing the goofy, bouncy “80’s dance,” it’s going to be a spectacular train wreck. Also see: > [David Bowie & Mick Jagger - Dancing In The Street](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G4jnaznUoQ) You have to see it without music. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BHkhIjG0DKc/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHeA4AC6AKKAgwIABABGHIgWig-MA8=&rs=AOn4CLBVVsSwcl7PKoDZIDmUJ1H9mayaqA "Dancing in the Street // Silent Music Video") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHkhIjG0DKc) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914/53 "2017-12-01T01:28:41Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > No mention of [“Little Talks”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghb6eDopW8I) by Of Monsters and Men? I’m shocked. Remember the average age of Dopers is probably in the mid-40s somewhere, and nudging upwards over time. Haven’t seen the video of that song, which I love. Thanks for warning me away from it! Elle King, [Exes and Ohs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uLI6BnVh6w). The song has her loving and leaving men around the world, from California to the U.K. and back to New Orleans. The video has her being the queen over a bunch of guys hanging around a trailer at some nowhere spot in the Southwest desert. Not to mention, the video begins with her telling a guy to get out of her car, at midday in the middle of that desert, with no water or human habitation in sight. And the guy just gets out. (I’d be saying, “fuck no, you drive me to the nearest town, and _then_ I’ll get out. A guy could _die_ out here.”) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-that-nearly-ruin-the-song/802914.md?page=2)