My 2022 Youtube Playlist

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 film segments, tie-in music videos, award show hijinks, and oddball musical numbers you probably forgot about

So May We Start - I was looking forward to "Annette," the big musical collaboration between French filmmaker Leos Carax and Canadian musicians, Sparks, consisting of Ron and Russell Mael.  I ended up being fairly cool on the movie, but the opening number is fantastic, and the best way I can think of to start this list.  

Sooner or Later - We lost Stephen Sondheim not too long ago, and among his many credits are the songs for the 1990 film "Dick Tracy," including this jazz  number for Madonna's character, Breathless Mahoney.  Madonna in this clip is performing at the 1991 Academy Awards, where "Sooner or Later" won Best Original Song.  Of all the '80s icons who have been getting time in the limelight lately, I think Madonna is well overdue for more recognition.  

I Enjoy Being A Girl - Carol Burnett, Chita Rivera, and Caterina Valente sing this number from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Flower Drum Song," while dressed up like creatures of the night - with Boris Karloff dropping in for a quick cameo.  This performance was taken from a 1965 episode of "The Entertainers," a short-lived variety show that Burnett and Valente hosted with Bob Newhart.

The Animaniacs Suite - The final episode of "Animaniacs" that aired in 1998 included a clip montage with a seven-minute medley of the show's musical themes, arranged by Richard Stone and played by the Warner Bros. Studio Symphony.  And boy, the music has never sounded better, including the orchestral arrangements of "Pinky and the Brain," "Slappy Squirrel," "Rita and Runt," "Goodfeathers," and "Mindy and Buttons" themes.

We're Doing a Sequel - This is the extended version of the opening to "Muppets Most Wanted," which happily pokes fun at selling out and bad sequels.  I love that it also predicts the inevitability of "Toy Story 4."  The song was written by "Flight of the Conchords" veteran Bret McKenzie, and features vocals from Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett and all of our favorite muppets.  Say what you like about "Muppets Most Wanted," but the music didn't lose a step.  

Let's Live For Today - The Apple TV+ series "Pachinko" deserves so much more recognition that it's gotten for the fantastic first season.  Its lone Emmy nomination was for its main titles, so here they are.  Set to The Grass Roots' cover of "Let's Live for Today," (originally an Italian song from Shel Shapiro, Mogol, and Michael Julien), here's the main cast of "Pachinko" dancing in the pachinko parlor, briefly putting their cares aside.

I'm Still Here - "Treasure Planet" has quietly become a cult favorite since its disastrous release in 2003.  Goo Goo Dolls member John Rzeznik, contributed two songs to the movie's soundtrack, "I'm Still Here" and "Always Know Where You Are."  I've linked the little seen music video for "I'm Still Here," which features some "Treasure Planet" iconography.  It's an interesting curiosity, part of the ephemera of a film that Disney likes to pretend doesn't exist.  

Suspirium - I loved the Luca Guadagnino remake of "Suspiria," but one nagging issue I had was with Thom Yorke's music.  Maybe it was because I missed the Goblins, or maybe it was because it was just so different from what I expected, but I thought York's work was a total mismatch.  Since then, it's grown on me considerably, particularly the title track.  Here's the official music video, accompanied by animation from Russ Murphy/RUFFMERCY.

The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards - They are here to honor LGBTQ representation in film and, of course, Laura Dern.  

We Think We Know You - Finally, I think this is my favorite thing that Bo Burnham has ever done, which is more performance art than it is comedy or musical satire.  "We Think We Know You" is the finale of his 2013 comedy special "what," which he released free on Youtube.  There are several clips of older performances of this piece, in different stages of its creation, littering social media and other video platforms, but this is the full, perfected, version, and it's a stunner.  

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