Good Morning! Good Morning!

Sunday afternoons seem to cry out for some calm but cheerful music, something better than usual - especially here where it is still cold and rainy. I have a whole classics/standards playlist for just such days, full of things like Frank Sinatra to serenade me while I lay around/fold laundry/play computer. Also, my last post with the cute retro "Shaker Star" video also kind of put me in the mood for some classics.

In place of music videos from that era, here are movie clips - from the golden age of movies! Such great singing and dancing and humor! I am a huge fan of good dancing, especially in men. It takes a strong person to pull off a whole-hearted crazy dance/costume/choreography/twirl your umbrella without appearing silly or weak.

These may just be bits from films, but they convey so much. Which is what I want in my music videos - show me something, make me feel something both through the music and the visuals. Take note, youthful performers of today!


"I Won't Dance" - Fred Astaire (from the movie 'Roberta'): Fred Astaire can sing, play, and dance. COME ON. (Also her fringed/sparkle dress is basically what I imagine myself wearing all the time in my head.)




and

"Puttin' on the Ritz" (Fred Astaire, from Blue Skies, 1946):



And of course - from Singing In The Rain - "Good Morning" - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor - one of the many memorable sequences from a fantastic movie. (Warning: ads before video.)


Good Morning ! (singing in the rain) by _Fonzie_





Despite being older now, all of these were huge, lasting influences - here a young Michael Jackson tears it up in that style (and of course we all know he went on to become one of the greatest (if not THE) dancer of his generation):






And Usher did a version of Singing in the Rain -




Other more modern takes on this could be debated -

Here in the Taco version of Puttin' On The Ritz (circa early '80s) - not all that much dancing, though the heavily stylized outfit/stick remain. Also: blackface.




And I would say even something like Radiohead's "Lotus Flower" with just Thom Yorke flailing around is vaguely reminiscent - though not the same at all, it is still showman-dancing in the spotlight.


The dancing even makes its way into an Alanis video - "So Pure" - Alanis Morissette (also the guy in this was also in Romeo + Juliet which is one of my favorite movies even though I hate the story). I happen to like this video from her, I think it's cute and upbeat and I like the different dance styles pieced together. Unfortunately when I think 'Alanis video' I tend to think of the dopey walking down the road one for "Everything", even though it is not at all her most famous song or anything. It just sticks in mind (sadly). This one is much more fun and showcases real dancing. (Confession: I love Alanis. I should devote an entire post to her.)


Alanis Morissette - So Pure by Coronys