A song is meant to tell a story: in a way it is another medium of storytelling. While this may be lost on artists, like Kesha, there are several songs that could be made into films. All it takes is a look at one of their music videos and a little imagination. If you come up with anymore or simply think I am not making any sense, whatsoever, call me on it.
4 – RIHANNA – WE FOUND LOVE (FT CALVIN HARRIS)
The video takes place on what looks like a council estate in England, suggesting that if this was a movie, it should be given to a gritty British director. The song basically talks about a couple, who have obviously fallen on hard times. They take comfort in each other, hanging out in an empty apartment with the bare minimum and smoking several cigarettes at once. It also implies that they spend most of their time, popping pills and being on a high.
I think that would be a fun relationship to explore in the cinema. A couple whose love is so strong it is tearing them apart. You can imagine a worried mother and an angry father behind the scenes, trying to get Rihanna out of this rut (and Rihanna is technically an actress now, after ‘Battleship’, so she could even take the lead role on herself). However, the female lead won’t get out of her downward spiral, because that would mean giving up the man she loves. It would certainly be more entertaining that the happy-go-lucky couples we see in everyday chick flicks.
3 – NO DOUBT – DON’T SPEAK
This song is, in a way, fairly post-modern, as it not only serves as an incredible tune (in fact, one of the best songs of all time), but it gives a clever insight into the music industry itself. The music video shows the band being torn apart, because Gwen Stefani, the vocalist, is taking all of the credit from the band. She isn’t doing this intentionally, but the music industry is cutting the rest of the band out of the picture. They, obviously, get a little annoyed and the band end up falling to pieces.
I think that story would make a good movie. The band doesn’t necessarily have to be No Doubt, but it needs to be a band with a cover star. Hell, make up a band and get a bunch of actors together. I would happily pay to see a movie to find out if Tom Hardy can hold a tune. It would be a film celebrating music and the bands that bring us this great hits. But it comes at a cost: their friendship. I think that would be an interesting pitch for a movie, especially if the music was done right.
2 – TENACIOUS D – F*** HER GENTLY
Sorry, but I can’t really post a link to this music video, as it is hardly for the younger eyes. However, let me explain what happens in detail.
The music video is basically the Devil having sex with his wife (hence, the absence of link), and, as you would expect from the Prince of Darkness, he is a little ‘enthusiastic’. Cue Jack Black and Kyle Gass flying in like twisted cherubs and teaching the Devil to be a little gentler when love-making. However, before long, as one would expect from Jack Black, the cherubs get carried away and end up f***ing the Devil’s wife (in the biblical sense). The Devil gets mad, defeated and the remaining characters go up to heaven to bone.
Comical drawing sex aside, that could be made into a pretty funny comedy (probably starring Seth Rogen – not because he is any good, but because he is in every comedy in America). A couple goes through marriage problems and decide to see a sex instructor to spice up their love life. However, the sex instructor falls in love with the wife and hilarity ensues. You could play around with the idea of who the ‘bad character’ is with the scenario, of if you even want one, and probably come up with some interesting ideas.
Failing that, a porno…
1 – KATY PERRY – ONE THAT GOT AWAY
The video opens with an elderly Katy Perry trapped in a loveless marriage. When she gets a minute alone, she reminisces on a past lover, who she had a whirlwind affair with, when she was much younger. They crashed parties together and kind of mirror the relationship between Rihanna and that guy, who looks a little like Chris Brown if you squint, we looked at earlier.
And that’s the intriguing thing about this video. Katy Perry talks about how amazing this guy is yet they never seem to have a romantic connection. In fact, they spend most of the music video, bitterly arguing about nothing at all. That seems like a fun idea to explore: Katy Perry’s character mentally unable to distance herself from this gothic lover, which is corrupting her later life. A little bit like a twisted ‘P.S I Love You’.
There is another reading of the video, which would make a good movie, but I couldn’t dare take credit for it. I heard about it in an episode of ‘Hate by Numbers’ by the brilliant Gladstone, one of the finest American comedy writers out there. The relevant part of the link below doesn’t start till midway through the video, but I urge you to watch the whole thing, because it’s worth a few laughs. So I will leave you in the capable hands of Gladstone for the rest of the article:
Oracle of Film 