New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The year's only half over and we already have so many great bangers to sift through. Join us as we look at the most successful music videos of 2023 so far, and what we can learn from them. Read on to find out more.
Flowers, Miley Cyrus
Flowers is undoubtedly a catchy song, but that is only half the reason it went viral. It was an open secret that this was …not a love letter, but a response to Miley Cyrus' ex, Luke Hemsworth. She wore a dress rumoured to be worn by his Hunger Games co-star/mistress, she referenced her wedding song (Bruno Mars' When I Was Your Man, interesting choice), and changed into a suit that Hemsworth wore to the Avengers: Endgame premiere, where he was caught saying to her "Behave, for once". A move that brought about criticism not least because her brand is to be the bad girl.
Maybe the lesson here is that gossip sells, but that seems a little cynical. A better one is that you can add easter eggs to your music video. People, especially fans, love finding a little something in your work that makes them feel like they're in on an inside joke or fact. It makes us feel special for spotting it.
However, another lesson is that this was released in January, with a LOT of modern references - and people are already saying they're tired of it. Is that because it's overplayed, or because it was very much of its time? You decide.
Calm Down, Rema & Selena Gomez
Honestly, the debut music video from Rema Calm Down is about as bog-standard as it gets, but it was a means to an end. So, what is this end? Well, the most memorable part of the Selena Gomez and Rema song was when Rema was ready to sing it in Mumbai. The music starts, and the crowd starts singing. This Nigerian singer in the Western world simply watches, and they keep going to the chorus without interruption. His entourage is proud of him, and no doubt he is too.
Maybe the lesson here is that social media can be your music video. And that a more authentic approach might be appreciated more. With the right editing and message, you can make your music video with stock photos and make it go further.
Wish You the Best, Lewis Capaldi
You couldn't really say that Lewis Capaldi's song concept and video concept are the same, a route that many music videos go down, but it was definitely memorable. The TikTok star, sorry, ballad singer, went viral on his favourite platform while reacting to various fans watching his music video, which was (deep breath), about a dog.
A dog that has a loving older owner, and a great dedication to him. But despite a twist that negated what everyone saw coming, there were still tears, to say the least.
Melanie Martinez would scare your mother if she caught you watching her videos. Her look has always been essentially Alice in Wonderland: sweet and cute with enough darkness to be unsettling.
She has kept this look going her entire career, and that's not about to change with her latest single, Void. It starts with her emerging from a gooey anatomically correct heart, only to reveal a face with four eyes, giant ears and cheeks that look like a hairless hamster.
The video is the epitome of the absurd. Aliens in clear eggs, armies of pink aliens chasing her through a planet that is all gooey and concrete at the same time, with giant bugs climbing the walls. It's amazing what CGI can do. It can animate a giant eyeball to follow you around while you sing about mental health.
There are a lot of lessons in this video that Salvador Dali would be proud of, but we think the most important is to be clear and dedicated to your brand. Melanie Martinez's distinctive look has been clear throughout her career, but with this music video, you cannot accuse her of never experimenting.
Anti-Hero, Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's Anti-Hero music video might have got her into hot water, with a mention of "fat" being interpreted as cancellable for various reasons: some valid, some less so. However, that did not stop the lyrics "It's me. Hi, I'm the problem, it's me" going viral on TikTok and applying to just about any glitch, quirk, or genuine attempt at self-work on the platform.
But that is just the beginning of the work of the music video. Directed and produced by Taylor herself, the music video features an entire skit of Taylor's hypothetical adult children fighting over the 13 cents she left them at her funeral. Better making her point is the various versions of Taylor Swift that appear. They contradict each other and what society expects from her. So one lesson is that you don't have to be so on the nose with your narrative. Get a little metaphorical.
What negates that is the "comedic" skit in the middle of the song. Does anyone else hate to have their song interrupted?
