World History through pop music
Everyone loves History, and everyone loves music. But some people love these two subjects too much that they load their music videos with a strong world history subtext to educte as well as entertain. Girl Aloud and Sugababes are no different from anyone of us, they love History! In their music video for Walk this way (which is for charity, charity fans!) they just couldn't resist teaching us about the Berlin Wall.
Look at the strong politcal imagery in the video, Girls Aloud are West Germany and the sugababes are East Germany. To hell with David Hasslehoff, it was these two girlbands which reunited the Germany which was torn apart through the cold war. Or at least that's what the strong politcal anology is showing.
Heidi, obviously over joyed at the though of being reunited with the west is unable to contain her delight at being reuinted with her school yard chum who jumped over the wall in 1961. Look she's got her best earrings on for the event.
Look Heidi picks up a vase to try and break the wall. A strong red chosen to symbolise the sugababes are communist! They're only playing communists mind, Sugababes are very much liberal democrats in real life!
And look, it smashes, obviously showing to anyone (so even morons will understand) that communism collapses or smashes just like a vase being thrown against a wall. Beautiful.
Look the ignorant west is completly shocked by the communist East's collapse. They thought they were having a whale of a time waiting 6 months to get one of those new fangled televisions. It was now that West took note that East wanted to meet West.
So in sheer anger West knocks down the wall (it's pop music, it's providing a very skewed slant on history, they did it at the same time in reality history fans!) but look at the symbolism. It's all about the symbolism, the microphone symbloises the effect of the media on the collapse of the wall. Of course.
And here is the impact, almost homaging when French met the British when the channel tunnel was finished (see Snow Patrol's Eye's Open for a historical pop music take on that event in history).
Look, east is looking completly shocked at the high levels of prosperity in the west. Don't look too horrified ladies, this is a happy ocassion!
And to further illustrate the difference in a way the English can understand they have a rap competition being rapped with English accents, with northen accents for West Germany and East Germany rapped with Southern accents. The differences are really apparent now ladies, thank you!
Look at Cheryl Tweedy Don't mention that incident in a toilet in Guildford Cole's painted on smile. Says it all, whilst they were happy to be re-unified, the West were also a little unhappy with the future finanical cost awaiting them to bring the east back to the prosperity the west enjoyed.
And who should take time out from their busy schedules to celebrate the collapse of the wall? Well obviously that large chap from the office who is like so funny when he eats that scotch egg and that woman from that painfully unfunny sketch show which has 'hilarious' comic observations on life that chavs enjoy! This is obviously symbloising the world watching Germany.
If you'd like to learn more about the Berlin Wall Girls Aloud and the Sugababe's Walk this way will be available in the shops soon, or go to a library.
9 comments:
Or alternatively you could have just said "Talentless C*nts."
I hate that song so so so much but your blog made me smile as usual.
I have thankfully not heard it yet.
Chez x x x
Dan - I could have Dan, but where's the fun in that? Betrays the spirt of the Ramble Shambles. R.I.P.
I hate the song so much that I almost love it now. The shame. Glad my trip made someone else smile other than me.
Chez - Lucky you, you stick with your East 17 and other bands. ;)
Clive this is sheer brilliance, and I would say it was the best thing you had ever posted but that would undermine previous examples of brilliance on any deleted blogs you may or may not have been responsible for in the past.
All I will add is that I feel that Heidi's expression of delight is really due to STILL BEING IN THE BAND, despite all odds and the rapid turnover of Babes.
Bert - Sheer Brilliance? Oh but it's just a rip off of the loveable adventure of Bertie aged 3.4! But I will accept your compliment with warm thanks.
I think your reason is probably more likely, but I'm dissapointed it has no links to history. But I'll still accept it.
What troubles me is that they're all so underfed and skinny, clearly there's not enough nourishment in the west to sustain TWO girl bands.
You have opened my eyes and should be included in the National Curriculum. You make sense at least.
Oh Jemima, unlike Bert, you understand the history behind the video. You've discovered another level to the video, it's showing the west would struggle to support the east.
Are you saying I should become a history teacher? Because I think I would like that alot.
Very good.
I watched the video after reading this... It disturbed me greatly.
Girls Aloud sounds terrible against The Sugababes. I always knew they would.
It is a disturbing video when brought to light the full political anology behind the video.
I thought they both sounded shite! But having the sugababes sound slightly better shows that the east, whilst poor, had a great deal of talent. Or summat.
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