I’m blathering a bit about videos being fun or having a good look but I feel like I’m not saying much of substance. I recently heard ‘Dangerous’ by Big Data and found the groove working its was into my dreams. It’s not a great song. It’s one of those relentless songs that sticks with you precisely because it is missing something.

I’m not a musician so I can’t say for sure what that thing would be. It makes me think of the scene in Amadeus where Mozart hears the march Salieri has composed and sits to play it. While he plays the song he says, “It’s missing something, isn’t it?” and proceeds to noodle it out until he’s improved it. I feel ‘Dangerous’ could do with a bit of that.

A side note, what makes this scene great (instead of good) isn’t just the performance of Tom Hulce but the three actors Milos Forman cuts back to. In his commentary for the film he speaks at length about casting people with distinct faces and how he needed each person to stand out and be recognizable. Their reactions, which mirror our own, make this moment so perfect. If you haven’t seen Amadeus please do – although I would advise against watching the director’s cut. It’s a rare example of the theatrical being superior.

So, despite the song being flawed the music video is something special. The music video is comprised of a pitch session to make a music video and the video itself. Two men and a woman pitch a hyper sexualized and violent video to sell shoes. They intercut between the pitch session, the storyboards and the video itself. It’s weird and wonderful and features funny subtitles (which always makes me happy). And of course it has a larger message about advertising and music videos and our culture. It’s rather perfect.