Youtubery Part 8

My yearly Youtube playlist is mostly made up of media ephemera that's difficult to categorize, and the only thing they really have in common is utilizing a strong musical element. Still, I think that they're worth recommending and writing about. This batch includes more tie-in music videos, award show hijinks, and oddball musical numbers you probably forgot about. 

The Spectrum Song - From "An Adventure in Color," the first episode of 1961's "The Wonderful World of Color" that introduced us to  beloved scientist, lecturer, and world traveler Ludwig von Drake.  The song was written by the Sherman brothers and sung here by Paul Frees as von Drake.  The song recently popped up in an episode of the "DuckTales" reboot when von Drake made a guest appearance.

Streets of Philadelphia - The tie in music video for the Bruce Springsteen song, written for the 1993 film "Philadelphia."  Jonathan Demme, who directed the film, also directed the music video with his nephew Ted Demme.  Springsteen would win a Best Song Grammy, and a Best Original Song Academy Award for "Streets of Philadelphia," beating out Neil Young's "Philadelphia" for the latter.   

Les Moulins De Mon Coeur - Michel Legrand appeared on RTS's Spécial Cinéma program in 1976 to perform the French version of "The Windmills of Your Mind," which was made famous by "The Thomas Crown Affair" in 1968.  The French version has lyrics by Eddy Marnay, and the title was adjusted slightly to "The Windmills of My Heart."  Legrand, of course, composed the music.   

Wild Wild West - I think that we can all agree that the best part of the notorious "Wild Wild West" film was the Will Smith tie-in song (a collaboration of Smith, Rob Fusari, Stevie Wonder, and Kool Moo Dee) and music video (directed by Paul Hunter).  It's got the Fresh Prince at his coolest, cameos by Stevie Wonder and Alfonso Ribeiro, a giant W on fire, and one of the most perfect costume changes ever executed.  Sometimes I really miss that era where giant action blockbusters came with a hit single and the wacky accompanying music videos like this.    

Ladies Who Lunch - So, Stephen Sondheim had a milestone birthday recently, so a bunch of stars were recruited for "Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration," a free online concert.  The clear highlight was Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, and Auda McDonald singing "Ladies Who Lunch" from "Company" together, while all dressed in bathrobes and downing alcoholic beverages.  

Get off the Stage - At the 76th Academy Awards, Will Ferrell and Jack Black helpfully let us know that there are words to the music that plays you off the stage if your acceptance speech goes on for too long.  I have not been able to confirm the identity of the lyricist.

Equal Rights - This is the longer version of the Lonely Island song from "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping," with a couple of additional reaction bits.  It's a spoof on Pink's "Same Love," so of course they had to get her to cameo.  Watching Andy Samberg go through that ever-expanding list of straight male signifiers, from sports to "Predator" to Lynyrd Skynyrd, just kills me.  And Pink gets to ride the unicorn.   

Thriller Haka to Poi E - This is the closing sequence of Taika Waititi's 2010 film "Boy."  The story is about a Maori kid growing up in poverty in the '80s, and his relationship with his loser father.  Michael Jackson is a big thing for all the characters, so it's very fitting to have the movie end with a Maori take on "Thriller," featuring the whole cast.  It's worth watching just to see Taika Waititi getting goofy in the iconic red Jackson outfit.

English Country Garden - Rowlf the Dog and Fozzie Bear perform a piano duet from a second season episode of "The Muppet Show."  This was one of the little extra sketches that were created to fill in a few extra minutes of broadcast time in the UK.  

Walking in the Air - "The Snowman," an animated Christmas cartoon that first aired in 1982, is one of my favorite Christmas specials.  However, it seems to be very much a UK thing, and isn't really known in the states.  It's an absolute masterpiece of hand-drawn animation, directed by Diane Jackson and based on the Raymond Briggs picture book.  The highlight is the flying sequence, which is absolutely breathtaking.  The accompanying song was written by Howard Blake and sung by Peter Auty. 

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