YeinJee's Asian blog

Asian Culture, Lifestyle and Entertainment

Western Music

Western pop music archives - American and European music videos

Reply 1997 – Alone music video by Bee Gees

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Bumped into this music video while doing some Youtube hopping of western music from the 1990’s. Alone by British pop group Bee Gees, released in 1997.

Bee Gees have sold more than 220 million records in a career spanned over half-a-century, placing them among the world’s all time best-selling music artists.

Old memories

Not particularly fond of this song, but it’s one of those memory-trigger pieces that stuck in my head. I just started driving (mostly to tuition and libraries) back then and this was played so often on the radio that it became toxic LoL.

It was also during the first “major” crossroad I faced. Just got into pre-university and pondering whether I should switch to business or stay with science stream. Chose the later partly because of a girl, and the rest is history.

It’s been 20 years now. Two of the three brothers in Bee Gees are in heaven, and I’m probably halfway through my journey. Time flies for sure, carpe diem.

BTW, Reply 1997 is a popular Korean drama series about pop culture and memories in the 90’s. I’m borrowing the title to tell my own stories.

Hathaway wrecks a ball on Lip Sync Battle

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Video of Anne Hathaway performing Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball on Lip Sync Battle – a musical reality competition show which pits celebrities against each other in lip sync performances.

This performance was from the third episode last April, which also featured Emily Blunt. I watched the preview video back then, which was fun; but this full version is simply awesome in a satirical way.

Blunt’s reaction is extra bonus. The duo was co-stars in The Devil Wears Prada in 2006; it was Blunt’s breakthrough film which boosted Hathaway’s career too. The two also became good friends since.

Coldplay – Magic music video ft. Zhang Ziyi

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Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi starred in a music video for Magic by British rock band Coldplay. It’s the first single from the band’s upcoming Ghost Stories album.

Fans and pundits seemed all praise with this. But I felt the song is average by Coldplay’s standard, and Zhang Ziyi doesn’t look her best in the video too.

And no, I am not one of the “hate Coldplay to look cool” antis. I do like some of their songs, and Yellow is still one of my all time favourites.

Coldplay ft. Rihanna – Princess of China music video

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Music video for Princess of China by British rock band Coldplay, featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna. The band released the song on radio in February but the MV only came out in June. Decent music and great video to go with it…

Not so China?

While generally praised, the MV drew some criticism that it’s not really Chinese. Thing is, although some of the elements are famously associated with other cultures (Thai and Japanese), there could be found in China too.

And let’s not forget that many East Asian traditions originated from ancient China.

Besides, it’s obvious that the Asian elements are taking reference from pop culture products. Many of the scenes reminded me of Chinese director Zhang Yimou. And the fight scenes probably came from Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Take the “China” part with a pinch of salt and this is a nice piece of entertainment.

Spice Girls – Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

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Video of British pop group Spice Girls performing their hit song, Stop, at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Los Angeles last month. The audio is probably enhanced though.

The fashion show is an annual event by Victoria’s Secret, a premium lingerie and sleepwear brand. The show is famous for featuring some of the world’s top fashion models. It also features some famous pop stars in recent years, such as Justin Timberlake and Ricky Martin etc.

Meanwhile, the Spice Girls are reuniting for a global tour, which started earlier this month. This is the group’s first tour with all the members since May 1998. It also includes two stops in China.

Update – The Spice Girls cancelled the Chinese shows, among a few others. Their official statement is “due to family and personal commitments” but there are reports that the sales are lacklustre in some cities. The concerts in Europe and North America were sold out though.

Update 2010 – Check out a summarised video to see what the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is about.