The early years of MTV produced some truly unforgettable videos, so it figures that more recent generations of musicians who are familiar with them would incorporate elements of them into their own video work. The four videos included here have inspired tributes from artists in more recent decades, and each of these homages involves a creative take on the original. We’re not talking about videos that merely parody the originals, but ones that make use of the elements from the originals in a truly integral way.
Videos by American Songwriter
1. a-ha, “Take on Me” (referenced by “Caught in the Middle” by Paramore)
The 1985 video for a-ha’s No. 1 smash has received close to 2 billion views on YouTube. With its morphing of animated sketches and live action, a-ha’s video was both entertaining and ground-breaking, so it was only a matter of time before another musical act would pay tribute to it.
Paramore did just that with the video for their 2018 single “Caught in the Middle.” Unlike in a-ha’s video, there is no part of Paramore’s tribute that takes place entirely in live action, but the homage becomes clear in the middle of the second verse, as lead singer Hayley Williams walks out of a trippy, tropical background into an empty white backdrop where she and her fellow band members, Taylor York and Zac Farro, turn into animated sketches.
Two other things that “Caught in the Middle” has in common with “Take on Me” are an infectious melody and a compelling lead vocal performance, yet somehow it failed to place on any Billboard chart. At least the Computer Team-directed video has been watched more than 10 million times on YouTube.
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2. Robert Palmer, “Addicted to Love“ (referenced by “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by Shania Twain)
Palmer’s video for “Addicted to Love” ranks among the most unique and best-known music videos ever made, so it’s hardly surprising that it’s been referenced in several other videos, including Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing” and Bowling for Soup’s “1985.” That said, Shania Twain’s video for “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” is an almost perfect recreation of Palmer’s video, right down to the expressionless models, white instruments and the sunset backdrop.
One big difference between the two videos is that Twain’s “band” consists of male models, turning the premise of Palmer’s original on its head. Also, while Twain begins the video dressed in a suit, she peels off layers of clothes as the song progresses. The video for “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” was directed by Paul Boyd, who also directed the video for Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”
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3. Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime“(referenced by “Exotic Monsters” by Penfriend)
Talking Heads’ official video for “Once in a Lifetime” is by far their most popular and influential. David Byrne’s jerky movements from the video are right up there with his oversized suit from the Stop Making Sense concert documentary as some of the band’s most enduring visual images.
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British indie-rock artist Laura Kidd, performing as Penfriend, didn’t set out to pay tribute to Talking Heads as she was planning her self-directed 2021 video for “Exotic Monsters,” the lead single from the U.K. Top 30 album of the same name. Kidd explains to American Songwriter, “I’m not a dancer, but I’m a big fan of choreographed movement in music videos, so I wanted to figure out something simple that would look good.” She pored over numerous videos on YouTube looking for the right move when she came across “Once in a Lifetime.” She realized a reference to Byrne’s arm-chopping motion was exactly what she was looking for. You can see Kidd and her husband, Tim Bailey, do their version of the Byrne chop at various points throughout the latter half of the video.
Incidentally, having their video referenced in another artist’s video is not the only thing that ties Talking Heads to Robert Palmer. The late British singer/songwriter actually performed on “Once in a Lifetime,” playing guitar and percussion.
4. Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)“(referenced by “The Thrill Is Back!” by The Paranoid Style)
With 125 million views on YouTube, Journey’s video for “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” may be popular, but it was widely criticized around the time of its release. It was shot on a wharf in New Orleans with the band performing the song in different spots, often with only “air” versions of their instruments. A woman walks up and down the wharf, occasionally encountering the band and looking either defiant or disinterested. Even the video’s producer, John Diaz, called the concept “inane.”
The most amazing thing about The Paranoid Style’s shot-by-shot recreation of Journey’s foray into choreography in their video for “The Thrill Is Back!” is not that they chose this video to replicate, but that the director suggested it because he loves the original. The video was directed by Full Frontal with Samantha Bee producer Miles Kahn, who tells American Songwriter, “What I love is that the band truly commits to the bit. They were this amazing live band and the director stupidly made them mime their instruments, but they overcame that boneheaded choice and just f—ing went for it. The image of the keyboardist playing a keyboard inexplicably attached to a wall and staring down the lens of the camera is forever etched into my adolescent brain.”
The Elizabeth Nelson-fronted band, joined by comedians Jordan Klepper and Mary Houlihan, leans hard into the original video’s goofiness, and as a result, they make a great song from their Rolling Disclosure album truly memorable. The only question the video begs is, how did Nelson get Steve Perry’s checkerboard tank top?
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
