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Thursday, Mar 24, 2011 6:25 PM UTC

Literal videos: Smashing Pumpkins’ “Today”

A new kind of music meme helps explain what exactly is going on in your favorite songs

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Topics: Music, MTV, Satire, Viral Video, YouTube, Television,

Literal videos: Smashing Pumpkins' A literal interpretation.

You ever wonder who the hell decides on the concepts for music videos? Half the time they have nothing to do with the song and have a totally different narrative going on than the lyrics. That’s why we’re lucky to have “literal video,” a meme where people redub songs to explain what’s happening in the video.

So far, some of the best literal videos have been translations of the weirdest songs, like a-ha’s “Take On Me” (with the lines like “Look at the frame/there’s a handsome guy inside the comic!“) and Tears for Fear’s “Head Over Heels” (“The monkey’s reading let me help with the books/ you’ve got really big glasses“), which serve to highlight the absurdity of these silent films we take for granted in the era of MTV.

The most recent literal video takes on Smashing Pumpkins’ “Today,” that grungy, whiny anthem that featured imagery of ice-cream trucks, deserts, and painted people making out, despite the song being about…I don’t know, actually. A really great day? Hey, it makes more sense if you watch the video.

Oh, now we get it! The song is about…actually crap, we still have no idea. Can someone do Radiohead next?

 

Drew Grant

Drew Grant is a staff writer for Salon. Follow her on Twitter at @videodrew. More Drew Grant.

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Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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