The Top 5 Songs & Or Videos That Make You Go WTF---For All The Right Reasons

A couple of months ago, I posted up the nightmare inducing “Top 5 Songs & Or Videos That Make You Go WTF...For All The Wrong Reasons”. I’m still shaking from the videos in that post, not to mention the equally terrifying songs in some of those videos. However, not all songs and/or videos can cause you to have a bad WTF experience. In fact, there’s plenty of songs & music videos out there that can provide you with a pleasant, mind-warping experience. So, for your viewing pleasure,, here are the top five songs & or videos that make you go “What the Fuck!!!”.....for all the right reasons.

5) Paradise Lost - Forever Failure

We begin this list with a top class act straight from the UK. While not as popular in the United States as Type-O Negative was, Paradise Lost remains one of the world’s top Gothic Metal acts. Their music, especially from the early years, has somehow managed to transcend time, and remain hauntingly fresh. Perhaps their most iconic album, Draconian Times, is the best example I can use here, and the song Forever Failure is a good candidate to talk about. It’s also a good candidate to talk about because it’s the only song made into a video off the album.

Anyways, Forever Failure is a perfect example of a sad yet beautiful song that stays with you long after you’ve listened to. It’s true that many metal songs can have this kind of effect, but it’s not always common for a metal song to still pull at your emotions when it’s been out for a decade and a half, and still sound like it was released only yesterday. Keep with this feel of enduring freshness is the video that accompanies the song: a dark, bleak piece of cinema filmed in black & white to keep with the gothic theme. It’s a ethereal video, filled with depression & sadness, yet for some reason the images you see have a strange beauty to them. Couple with the equally dark yet lovely song, and you have an experience that’s like no other. As you’re watching Forever Failure, your mind will try to wrap it’s way around the fact that the dark & the beautiful are co-existing, with neither side smothering the other, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll go “What the Fuck!!!” trying to figure the mystery out.

4) Ministry - LiesLiesLies

I have to admit something to you guys. Originally, I had Rammstein’s “Amerika” at the number 4 spot, but I felt that having the band appear again might be considered by some to be lazy. So, after going through youtube for a few minutes, I came across this very politically rousing song, but LiesLiesLies is also an important song, at least for me, because it helped me out during a very difficult time in my life. Suffice it to say, it helped me grieve, and to move on. Shit, I’m getting off track...

In any case, LiesLiesLies is an easier song to go “What the Fuck!!!” to. From the heavy instrumentation, to the politically charged lyrics, we’re given a loud song that urges the listener to take up arms and fight the system, and show the blind followers of the system the truth of what’s going on. The video itself is equally filled with political satire, as we’re shown a stereotypical 1950s style family & home, coupled with the problems of 2001 to 2006 (9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq War, George W. Bush, etc.). As the song & video meld together into one whole, you’re really given only one thing to say...“What the Fuck!!!”


3) Primus - Mr. Krinkle

We began with Gothic Metal, then we encountered some politically charged Industrial Metal, and we now arrive at American Rock. Actually, I don’t know what to call Priums. Their songs are so odd and so strange, it’s really hard to classify what style of music they play. Although all of their songs qualify as “What the Fuck!!!”, there’s one gem from the early 90s that rises above them all.

This is yet another video from Bennett the Sage’s top 10 wtf music videos (It placed at number 4. Click “***” to watch that video). It definitely deserves to be close to number 1, simply because it is the oddest video I’ve ever watched. We have Les Claypool in a leisure suit, wearing a pig mask & gloves, and playing the Cello the entire time. I should point out that the camera doesn’t move at all, and for some reason everything seems tilted. To add to the weirdness, as Mr. Claypool is working the Cello, we’re assaulted with a variety of imagery just about every second. Hell, the first few moments we have a drumset player by what looks like a Kabuki actor, then a guitarist straight out of Motley Crue emerges from the shadows, and begins to play some gnarly rifs. Hell, putting all the things that happen in the background would be a task in and of itself! Luckily, here’s just some of what happens in the beginning:

* A man in fire walks by
* A Chinese dragon is prancing around
* A group of circus players doing trapeze acts

There’s just so many things going on, figuring out what’s what is kinda like a puzzle, and at some point during the process, you more than likely go “What the Fuck!!!”.

Oh, before I go onto the number 2 spot, let me briefly talk about the song. As usual, Primus creates a bizarre song, only this time it’s a bit more disturbing. The cello work that Les Claypool does in Mr. Krinkle is almost as beautiful as anything Apocalyptica does, but he puts a more sinister bent to it. To add to the sinister vibe, Mr. Claypool lets out some creepy lyrics that don’t make sense (it’s hard to make sense in the video because of the way he’s singing, and even if you find the lyrics online, it still won’t make sense), and they have such a “What the Fuck!!!” feeling, it’s hard to not notice.                      
2) Green Jelly - Three Little Pigs

Compared to the number 2 spot, Primus looks like a cuddly kitten. Getting their name from the Jell-O (their original name was Green Jello. They had to change it due to legal troubles with the Jell-O company) that they didn’t like, they compensated their lack of instrumentation & singing talent with childish subjects for their songs, and puppetry in their music videos & live concerts. Despite their status as the “greatest worst band in the world”, there was a time in the early 90s when they actually had a hit, and somehow managed to get onto the charts. That single, ladies & gentlemen, is Three Little Pigs.

Let’s start with the video. I’ve seen some crudely animated videos before, but this one is up there. It looks rushed, and the claymation they used looks & feels childish. Ironically, the crude looks of the video add to the overall charm, and they way they depict the pigs in question is also humorous. Basically, the first pig is a hick, the second pig is a L.A. stoner, and the third pig is a genius that came up with the house that eventually stopped the wolf (actually, Rambo stopped the wolf. Yep, this video, and the song, conjures up one of the most violent action movies to date. That’s “What the Fuck!!!” material right there). As for the wolf, the video makes him look like an old school 1950s biker boy, complete with the leather jacket, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and sunglasses. Other than the claymation, we do have a tiny bit of crudely recorded live footage, and a little bit of drawing, but it’s the claymation that takes center stage.

The song itself is also crude, but again, it’s that crudeness that adds to the charm. Three Little Pigs is a slow-paced, drum & guitar with limited keyboard laden sludge fest, with the lead singer growling & belching out a warped version of the classic children’s story, only this time it’s for adults (I watched it because it was the early 90s, and my parents, especially my father, were somewhat lenient with what I watched & played).

1) Devin Townsend - Lucky Animals

I have little to say about Devin Townsend, other than the fact that he’s a genius with music, and embraces his bipolar mind when creating songs. As for this video, it’s up to his weird, goofy, silly, yet incredibly beautiful standard. The song is pretty much the same way: it’s weird, goofy, silly, yet beautiful in some way.

What I’m basically trying to say, is to simply go watch the video, and have you brain pleasantly warped beyond repair.

Honorable Mention) David Bowie & Mick Jagger - Dancing In The Street

For starters, I’m not trying to dis David Bowie & Mick Jagger. These two individuals are some of the most talented singers & concert personalities in the world. Without them, glam rock and pop would be nowhere near the genre titans they are today. Having said that.....

.....It looks like they finally lost their damn minds in this video! True, they generally act crazy during concerts, but in those circumstances it was controlled, and used when necessary. Here, they’re bouncing up & down the walls like a group of kids that are suffering from a massive sugar rush. To complicate things, at numerous times throughout the video they get a little too close for comfort, and keep perpetuating the myth/legend that they got comfy in bed that one time. Ironically, I like the energy that they put into the video, as well as the fact that it’s a rather basic music video (it’s just a city-type background without much work done), and contains a wonderful song sung by both men (the two put a lot of effort into it, and have some really great voices).

See you all next week, when our bubblegum will be having a crisis. Until then, stay Otaku!