My Top 9 Favorite Black and White Music Videos

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Jenny

EDIT: My top 8 Favorite Black and White Music Video’s OOPS!!!

I really wanted to write something tonight but as I’m still working on several things I plan on posting soon I decided to do something fun while keeping with the theme around here. Now I’m slightly obsessed with the lack of color combination that is black and white. You would stand amazed at my black and white patterned converse collection alone, just got another pair yesterday. (squee!) I love black and white so much I’ve dedicated this site to it.

I was kind of shocked as to how rare the black and white music video is and it makes sense as to why. It is harder to get the same fast visual impact on a viewer without using color. They have to depend a lot more on texture, shading and light play to get a unique look. When it is done right; however the impact can be lasting.

Sadly Men Without Hats never made a music video for “Jenny Wore Black” but if they had (and it would have to be in black and white) just imagine that it would be at the top of this list.

9. Bjork- Big Time Sensuality

There are some that may disagree but Bjork is this low on the list simply because I never really got into her that much. There is something about her that just kind of annoys my ears when I listen to her. This song however is an exception. In the video Bjork’s whole big-eyed innocent thing really works and her hair is just so fricken cute. I think I tried for like 3 weeks pulling my hair out trying to get it to look that way. Never worked. The cityscape in the video looks so beautiful and interesting in black and white and it contrasts nicely with her all white figure.

8. White Town- Your Woman

What is it about this song? When I hear it I just want to start dancing. The music video plays off of the silent film era. The video is slightly confusing but don’t worry there are signposts that will help you find your way.

7. Apocolyptica Featuring Nina Hagan- Seaman

I’ll be the first to admit that Nina’s voice has seen better days than this. She does manage to pull it together though and when she starts hitting higher notes it becomes almost pleasant to listen to. But it still makes my throat hurt. This video however is stunning. Nina looks great (she’s got skulls on her boobs) and the black and white is done just perfectly. I really like how the band is shadowed and the brightness of the lighthouse in contrast with its surroundings.

6. Nick Cave- Red Right Hand

Stereotypical I know. Let’s try and remember that just because a song happens to be overplayed and slightly cheesy it doesn’t mean it’s a bad song. Nick Cave has such a strong presence; he fits right in with the shadows. This video genuinely creeps me out with some of the imagery and effects that it employs which is weird because there are no inherently scary things happening here it’s all about the ambiance.

5. Depeche Mode- Strangelove

“I’ll make your heart smile.” This is one of my all time favorite songs to dance to, I can get down too Dave! Mostly I love this video for the little dancing scenes and the boys do look good in their shiny jackets. The scenes with the model kind of creep me out but not enough to stop loving the video. Embeds disabled sadface. Watch it here!

4. OMD- Pandora’s Box

This is a video featuring clips from the 1928 film “Pandora’s Box” starring Louise Brooks. I don’t know about you but I have had that haircut at least a few times. The song was also inspired by Louise Brooks and named after the movie “Pandora’s Box.” The video is visually interesting and the clips add to the quality of the video. They blend with the modern scenes featuring OMD and ends up tying the two together nicely.

3. Peter Murphy- All Night Long

Oh what is there to say about Peter Murphy? He is a musical god after all. This is a video from Murphy’s solo career which is not as highly recognized as his work with Bauhaus. But his voice is to die for no matter what he is singing. He looks wonderful with fog surrounding him and this is one of my favorite songs.

As a side note my daughter also used to love this song when she was 5 or so, she would sing along with it in the car.

2. Sister’s of Mercy-Vision Thing

This video is creative in the way that it uses the black and white along with special effects to make you interested in what you are seeing even though you can’t really tell what it is that you are looking at. It’s kind of like you are hiding in a closet trying to catch a seconds worth of a glimpse at something really interesting that’s going on but you never get there. This video also really likes to play with inverted black and white, which can be very visually effective. It also has some great one-liners and quotables in the actual song it certainly does not hold back on lyrics.

Those motherfuckers and their motorcades…. * shakes head *

1. Bauhaus- Telegram Sam

Note to all you skinny guys out there: buy some eyeliner and some black skinny jeans, dye your hair black (bleached blonde?) and you will have more women than you can handle. That’s just a thought for you. Such is the power of Peter Murphy Mmm..

So funny story, in my head this video is in all black and white not just in parts. So I wrote this blog planning this to be my end song but turns out upon a re-watch that it’s not all in black and white and my head was wrong. I’m lame I’m aware. This is MY blog so I guess I’m only cheating myself. Oh and you the reader J. I hope you don’t mind and hopefully after you watch this video it will be black and white in your head too. Forgive me please!

Continuing on, this video is everything goth should be it’s a cover song and I don’t even care to learn who sang it first because it is just too damn good.

I’d love to hear about your favorite black and white (or color) music videos, if you disagree with my choices just remember I could have ended on Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.”

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Goth Fish??

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Jenny

Wha??

So here I am very innocently watching the Disney Channel (it’s a guilty pleasure) when I see this:

The episode is entitled “The dark side of the fish” from the show Fish Hooks.

If gothiness has invaded the Disney Channel what could possibly be next?

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All About Smee!!! 10 Things I learned from my Grandma (66-75)

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Jenny

It’s a return of All About Smee!! If your not familiar this is where I attempt to make this blog personal by letting you “the reader” know some things about me that you could probably care less about. So I said I was going to go to 100. Yes, 100 useless facts about me, I believe I ended last on 65? I dropped this idea for a while; I think the last one was in November? Not sure.

So if you don’t know me personally you may not know that my Grandma Rose past away this last December. She was wonderful, hardworking and she taught me a lot. She lived with my family until I was 16 and then she went to live with my Aunt. I consider her to be a huge influence on the person I have become today and I wanted to share with you why. I’m going to try to keep this as un-chicken soup as possible but when you are talking about some one that you love dearly the mush is probably inevitable. So the following is a list of things I learned from her during the time I was given to spend with her.

66. She taught me to read at the age of four. I don’t know if reading by four is considered unusual but the skill has certainly paid off over the years. From as far as I can remember back my Grandma regaled me with made up stories of Mickey and Minnie mouse, she read to me constantly and the habit kept. While I don’t read as much as I like to I always immensely enjoy sitting down, picking up a book and not putting it down for the next 8 hours or so. I think that’s why I don’t read as much as I used to; it’s because I can’t stop once I start and books are longer now than they were when I was 10.

67. Going along with the above, she taught me that steamy romance novels do serve their place in the world.

68. She taught me that it is not ok to serve corn on the cob (and only corn on the cob) for dinner and that it’s better to laugh then to cry.

69. She taught me that even a person who grew up in a different time than I did could still find a way to be accepting and polite to people she may find different.

70. She showed me the strength and perseverance that people have within them. My Grandmother was diagnosed with MS in her 30’s. She still maintained a full time job, ensured that her 4 kids beds were made and dinner was on the table. Whenever I think I’m having a difficult time keeping my family together I think about the things that she went through in her life and it puts things in perspective.

71. She introduced me to card games. She taught me how to play poker when I was 7 and she taught me how to play/cheat and lose (sort of) gracefully at cribbage.

72. She made music a part of my life from the very beginning. She indulged my undying love of Michael Jackson making me tapes off her neighbor’s record album over and over again because I kept burning them out. She indulged my silly made-up dance numbers always attentive to my need for an audience.

73. She taught me faith and religion. My Grandmother was a devout Catholic. Even though the religion part really never stuck with me. The theories involved in religious practices weighed heavy in shaping my moral character and the way I interact with the world on a daily basis. In other words; I know right from wrong and it’s kept me out of prison so far.

74. I learned it’s ok to cuss as long as you mutter something un-intelligible first “Fanavalashit!”

75. I saved the sappiest one for last. My Grandmother taught me about unconditional and undying love. I was not a very nice person when I was going through my teenage years and I’ve said some things that I will always regret. But she never gave up on me, she was always there when I needed her and she still called me (along with my sister and cousins) her favorite. My Grandmother also lost her husband when I was 6. My Grandpa was the love of her life and she kept his memory with her always.

My Grandmother taught me many things, certainly too many to list here. But I hope to always pay tribute to her memory and remember her as the strong, tuff, funny, wild, smart woman that I knew. I will always remember the things she taught me and I will always keep her in mind when my life isn’t turning out the way I thought it would.

 

One last thing: Drive Gypsy!!!

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