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Various actresses are seen topless dancing with Rammstein band members in this music video. The breasts are censored with black censor bars. This video explores sexual fetishism.
Katy Perry – California Gurls
With “California Gurls,” Perry, whose real name is Katheryn Hudson, hit number one in the US and many other countries with her 2010 single. It was a juggernaut, and its accompanying video is equally as campy and playful. Mathew Cullen directed the clip, and its visual language comes from pop artist Will Cotton. The imagery suggests sexual titillation, but it never actually goes for it. It’s just a whole bunch of sugar-coated fun, too cloyingly cheerful to offend anyone.
The music reflects the California fantasy, too. The unholy troika of Max Martin, Dr. Luke, and Benny Blanco pull whatever they want from past pop eras—’70s disco, ’80s synthpop, ’00s house—and put it all in service of the kind of catchy melody that’s custom-designed to stick in your head forever. While Courtney Love moaned about the “apocalypse of California” in her song “Paradise City,” Perry’s vision is more Dionysian, an eternal party of a life where nothing matters and all girls are fine, fresh, and fierce.
The video, which is full of girls freaking in Jeeps and running across candy beaches, stars Perry in a blue wig and dot candy dress. She is joined by a bunch of young women who are so stunning that Snoop Dogg (who was included on the track because he’s a “cool cat”) wishes he could be them. Several California landmarks are also shown, and the whole thing is enough to make you wish that your world was made of candy.
Luis Fonsi – Despacito
Luis Fonsi’s 2017 hit Despacito may be one of the biggest songs of all time—it’s a RIAA-certified x13 Platinum and between Spotify and YouTube has over 9 billion streams. But the song also has a personal significance for Fonsi, who was born in Puerto Rico and still owns a home there. Filmed in La Perla, a shanty town on the Atlantic coast just outside of Old San Juan, the music video serves as “a love letter to the island,” he said.
The track is about lingering in the moment of connection between two people—not what comes before or after. That’s why the producers opted for a mellow, tropical feel rather than the more traditional cumbia beat. They then teamed up with Fonsi, who has long been one of Latin pop’s most chameleonic artists.
He’s no stranger to collaborations, either—he started out his career in the boy band Menudo before relocating to Orlando as a teen and cutting his teeth singing doo-wop with high school classmate Joey Fatone of NSYNC. With his ninth full-length album, Vida, Fonsi continues to chart a course into crossover culture.
His features this time around range from a Latin pop icon like Ozuna to hackneyed rap royalty Stefflon Don and even a bilingual appearance from Demi Lovato on the hybrid vallenaton hit “Dime Que No Te Iras.” The album is a testament to Fonsi’s versatility as he adapts to the demands of the ever-changing music landscape.
Lady Gaga – Born This Way
It’s been 10 years since Lady Gaga gave birth to Born This Way, her Grammy-nominated second album full of queer dancefloor anthems and iconic visuals. PAPER celebrates the milestone by asking some of her closest collaborators, experts and fans to reflect on the album’s cultural impact.
One of Gaga’s greatest strengths as an artist is her unabashed willingness to put herself out there – she wears her heart on her sleeve, and it doesn’t always make sense. Whether she’s a masked madonna or a meat dress, Gaga follows her own compass wherever it takes her. This can sometimes lead to radio-perfect pop hits (Hair) and other times it goes weirder than she might have intended (Bloody Mary).
The video for Born This Way opens with a shot of Gaga in her meat dress, squinting into the lens and displaying her facial protrusions. She’s then shown in a black space where people are on their hands and knees in an organized pattern, a scene that could be taken from any number of religious films or rituals.
The song’s lyrics then spit out the declaration that “Baby, I was born this way” and affirms that everyone has their own inherent worth regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It also challenges prejudice against different forms of love, like non-heterosexual relationships, that are often frowned upon by some religions and societies.
Pink – Take Me Home
The first single to hit the charts from Pink’s debut album ‘Can’t Take Me Home’. The video features the singer running down a city street with shadows following behind her, showcasing her skilful acrobatic moves as she struts down the road wearing a red flowing dress.
Despite the album achieving moderate success, Pink later went on to admit that this was not her true musical ambitions and she felt stifled during the era of promotional activity surrounding its release. She was also very critical of the music direction and her image during this time, comparing it to the likes of Destiny’s Child & Aaliyah.
It is a strong song with impressive harmonies and an effective use of piano. However, the problem with many of the slower cuts on the album is that they have an unwelcome sense of plastic fakeness to them that detracts from their appeal. See tracks like 3rd single ‘You Make Me Sick’, ‘Private Show’ & the once more gimmicky ‘Hiccup’ for examples of this.
Alecia Moore was 19 when she burst onto the scene with this debut, a young woman with an enormous personality who is more than just a pink hair gimmick. She has a strong sense of herself, gripping lyrics and one of the best production teams in the business. The result is a debut that gets her noticed, showcases her talent and gives her a sound which stands out from the crowd.
The Chainsmokers – Kiss You In The Dark
The Chainsmokers are one of the most popular music groups on the planet. Their songs are catchy and they tell interesting stories. This combination isn’t very common in pop music and it is impressive that they can produce so many hits without running out of ideas.
Drew Taggart and Alex Pall are able to produce dance songs that are fun and also tell stories. This is a very rare quality and it is why their songs are so popular. Their latest album, So Far So Good, is a great example of their abilities. This album was a bit different than their previous albums as they worked on the project while on break from their tour.
While on break the duo worked on this new album in Hawaii with producers Ian Kirkpatrick and Whethan. They also took time to write with Emily Warren, Chris Martin and Faheem Najm. This album is a bit more mature than their past work but it still has that same feel of being a dance song.
The video for this song features a female narrator who is talking about her ex-boyfriend. She is conflicted about the man but knows that he is her type even though she doesn’t want him to be. The song has a more emotional feel than usual but it is still a great dance song and could be played at any party.
Bjork – Icarus
Before becoming the queen of experimental pop music, Bjork was an Icelandic singer in various bands including Spit & Snot, Exodus and Jam 80. Her music drew inspiration from a mixture of punk, rock and folk, creating a distinct sound that was her own.
In 1997, she released Homogenic which was her most personal and emotional work yet. It marked a bit of a swift change from her previous albums but still remained true to her unique style. The album was influenced by her home country Iceland and had an experimental erotic feeling to it.
Later on, she collaborated with producers like Nellee Hooper who had worked with Massive Attack which led to her first international hit Human Behaviour. The song wasn’t widely played on the radio but it received strong airtime on MTV thanks to its interesting music video which was directed by Michel Gondry, a frequent collaborator for Bjork.
The next year, she released Post which was a bit more trip-hop influenced. It was a huge hit and reached the top of many charts in Europe. The follow up album Vespertine was a bit more erotic and was inspired by Icelandic history and culture. It received great reviews and even landed on Rolling Stone’s list of 500 greatest albums of all time. Bjork continued to experiment with her sound and music and in 2015 she began her Vulnicura world tour which featured a mix of songs from her new album as well as some from the back catalogue.