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Ginuwine Is Ready To Ride

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Ponies, pool halls and moonwalking in this week's Forgotten Videos
GRAMMYs
Oct 19, 2011 - 3:08 pm
GRAMMY.com

Welcome to Forgotten Videos. For some, these videos are forgotten, for others just filed away, and for others still, a totally brand-new discovery. Whichever category you fall into, each week we'll feature a video that's possibly been collecting dust when what it really deserves is a fresh look. Or vice-versa…. We're not here to judge, we just want to take you on a little trip down memory lane. Yep, you'll remember when hair was really that big, when drums were that up front in the mix, when video was young(er) and so were you.

Ginuwine
"Pony"
1996

At first it all makes sense for a song titled "Pony," sort of. R&B Romeo Ginuwine pulls into a cowboy biker bar where he precedes to mimic a side-step moonwalk across the stage (it's no surprise Ginuwine cites the late Michael Jackson as an early influence). But then you start thinking, "What's this urban singer doing in a place like this? And is this 'pony' a horse after all?" We're guessing that Pony is another name for Ginuwine, judging by the lyric, "My saddle's waiting/Come and jump on it." It seems like Ginuwine may have a little more in mind than horseback riding.

But to follow the Romeo theme, all's well that ends well. What looks at the start like something that could end up in a cowboy hats versus doo-rags war, instead ends with a peaceful comingling of the races, even as Ginuwine himself succeeds in attracting a floor full girls who can't help but move and sway to the music.

"Pony" appears on Ginuwine's debut album, 1996's Ginuwine…The Bachelor. Produced by GRAMMY winner Timbaland, the album peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 and "Pony" shot to No. 1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Ginuwine followed up with 100% Ginuwine in 1999, which was again produced by Timbaland and flew to No. 5 on the Billboard 200. The album produced three Billboard Hot 100 hits in "None Of Ur Friends Business," "So Anxious" and "What's So Different," and features a cover of Jackson's "She's Out Of My Life." Solidifying himself as one of R&B's lovermen, Ginuwine released The Life in 2001 with songs resembling love letters to the woman in his life such as "Why Did You Go," "Differences" and "Just Because." The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and paved the way for 2003's The Senior, which brought out Ginuwine's hip-hop side.

Ginuwine continued to release several albums, including 2005's Back II Da Basics, 2007's I Apologize, 2009's A Man's Thoughts, and his most recent release, 2011's Elgin, all of which charted in the Top 30 on the Billboard 200, and the latter features two tracks written by GRAMMY winner Diane Warren, "How Does Your Heart Forget" and "Break." Though Ginuwine has continued to see success in a career that spans nearly 15 years, "Pony" remains his signature hit.

"I still remember in '94 when I was in front of the mirror practicing ["Pony"]," recalled Ginuwine in an interview in 2009. "I just knew that it was a hit. I was so proud of it and I was just so happy."

Do you have a pony? Got any Forgotten Video recommendations? Leave us a comment.

Last week's Forgotten Video. Click on the "Forgotten Videos" tag below for links to other GRAMMY News stories in this series.

 

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In Deep With Edie Brickell

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Edie is what she is in this week's Forgotten Video
GRAMMYs
Oct 21, 2010 - 4:00 am
GRAMMY.com

Welcome to Forgotten Videos. Well, for some forgotten, for others just filed away, and for others still, a totally brand-new discovery. Whichever category you fall into, each week we'll feature a video that's possibly been collecting dust when what it really deserves is a fresh look. Or, we'll be giving a fresh look at a video that deserves to be collecting dust. We're not here to judge, we just want to take you on a little trip down memory lane. Yep, you'll remember when hair was really that big, when drums were that up front in the mix, when video was young(er) and so were you.

Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
"What I Am"
1988

With the proliferation of rock and rap artists dominating MTV's airwaves in the late '80s, in slid Edie Brickell & New Bohemians to offer the kids a thought-provoking, left-of-center pop alternative.

After emerging as favorites on the Dallas music scene, the Bohemians caught the attention of Geffen Records and released their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars, in 1988. Preceding the album, the Bohemians shot into the limelight with the release of the single "What I Am," which topped out at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video garnered heavy airplay on MTV, depicting what appears to be a midnight band rehearsal in a bohemian-style attic, with Edie bobbing and swaying to the music in and around mannequin busts and trance-inducing lightbulbs.

Lyrically, the song has been painted as a Zen-like parable, fodder for discussion during a community college Philosophy 101 course or a bunch of new bohemian mumbo jumbo, or something in between. With prose such as "I'm not aware of too many things/I know what I know if you know what I mean" and "Philosophy is the talk on a cereal box/Religion is the smile on a dog," the jury is likely to remain out. Our take? Either Edie was slyly poking fun at new age pop philosophy, or she's way deeper than we could hope to be.

What is definitely not shallow is the guitar playing on "What I Am." Guitarist Kenny Withrow's hip suspended chords evoke the work of the Police's Andy Summers and his memorable solo mimics Edie's cereal box chatter with rhythmic and melodic fluidity, coming to life through the inventive use of a Boss T Wah pedal.

Perhaps the Bohemians weren't what they were as they disbanded following the release of their second album, Ghost Of A Dog. Thankfully, Edie was able to find someone else to get deep with when she married Paul Simon in 1992, a union that's still what it was after 18 years.

Have you ever looked at your dog and pondered religion? Got a Forgotten Video recommendation? Leave us a comment.

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Alannah, If You Please

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Slow Southern style in this week's "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!" edition of Forgotten Videos
GRAMMYs
Nov 18, 2010 - 8:11 am
GRAMMY.com

Welcome to Forgotten Videos, "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!" edition, showcasing past GRAMMY winners and nominees. For some, these videos are forgotten, for others just filed away, and for others still, a totally brand-new discovery. Whichever category you fall into, each week until the nominations special on Dec. 1 we'll feature a video from a GRAMMY-winning or –nominated artist that's possibly been collecting dust when what it really deserves is a fresh look. Or, just for old times' sake. We just want to take you on a little trip down memory lane. Yep, you'll remember when hair was really that big, when drums were that up front in the mix, when video was young(er) and so were you.

Alannah Myles
"Black Velvet"
1989

In an interesting geographical twist, Toronto-born Alannah Myles scored one of the bigger hits of 1989 with a Southern-drenched tribute to the King in the form of "Black Velvet."

After years of paying dues on the Canadian music scene, Myles mined platinum with her debut on Atlantic Records, which contained the No. 1 hit "Black Velvet." Written by David Tyson (who produced the album) and then-boyfriend Christopher Ward, the infectious tune is littered with references to Elvis Presley:

"Jimmie Rodgers on the Victrola up high/Mama's dancin' with baby on her shoulder" (Baby Elvis dancing on mother Gladys Presley's shoulder to the sounds of one of Elvis' favorite country artists, Jimmie Rodgers)

"Up in Memphis the music's like a heat wave" (The heat emanating from Sun Studios in Memphis, where Elvis recorded)

"'Love Me Tender' leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle" (Elvis' 1956 hit that caused the ladies to swoon)

"The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true" (Elvis' patented hip swivel, so bad, yet so good)

"Black velvet, a new religion that will bring you to your knees" (The title is a play on the fairly common paintings of Elvis on black velvet, while new religion refers to his religious-like influence on rock and roll)

While "Black Velvet" crossed over to rock and adult contemporary radio stations, the video also garnered heavy play on MTV. Matching the song's heavy Southern atmosphere, the video finds Myles (with her luscious black hair, aided by Vidal Sassoon products according to the album's liner notes) and an acoustic guitar-bearing bandmate taking the day in from the porch of a Southern-style abode, while interspersing live clips. (Little did we know the house was actually a log cabin located in Buckhorn, Ontario.) Musically, "Black Velvet" — just like the King — goes down smooth with a tight shuffle beat, Hammond organ embellishments and tasteful bluesy guitar licks, all rounded out by Myles' sultry vocals.

Capping off a whirlwind year, Myles won a GRAMMY for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, for "Black Velvet" at the 33rd Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1990, beating out female heavyweights Melissa Etheridge, Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks, and Tina Turner. Though Myles has never repeated the mainstream success of "Black Velvet," the song received a fresh coat of paint as part of a three-song EP, appropriately released on Aug. 16, 2007, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death.
 

Can you figure out what Alannah whispers in the song's intro and outro? Leave us a comment. And don't forget to tune into "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" on Dec. 1 from 10–11 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
 

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Rick Springfield Wants Jessie's Girl

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Late, late at night with Rick in this week's road to the 53rd GRAMMY Awards edition of Forgotten Videos
GRAMMYs
Jan 5, 2011 - 6:14 pm
GRAMMY.com

Welcome to Forgotten Videos, the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards edition, showcasing past GRAMMY winners. For some, these videos are forgotten, for others just filed away, and for others still, a totally brand-new discovery. Whichever category you fall into, each week until the GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 13, we'll feature a video from a GRAMMY-winning artist that's possibly been collecting dust when what it really deserves is a fresh look. Or, just for old times' sake. We just want to take you on a little trip down memory lane. Yep, you'll remember when hair was really that big, when drums were that up front in the mix, when video was young(er) and so were you.

Rick Springfield
"Jessie's Girl"
1981

What do you do when you're in love with your best friend's girl? You ask what Rick Springfield asks in this No. 1 hit: "Where can I find a woman like that?" Within this well-crafted pop/rock tune unfolds a scenario that would threaten the relationship between any two friends — unrequited love — and Springfield is anything but subtle when he plainly states: "I wish that I had Jessie's Girl/I want, I want Jessie's girl."

Three years following the release of this song, the lovesick Springfield found his own "Jessie's Girl" and married Barbara Porter, who's been "watching him with those eyes" for 26 years. As for Jessie's girl, was she a real person? "Oh, yeah," Springfield told Oprah Winfrey in 2008. "Her boyfriend's name was actually Gary and not Jessie, but Gary just somehow didn't sing right."

Born Richard Springthorpe in Sydney, Springfield doubled as an actor/musician, appearing in a number of TV shows in the '70s and starring as the young Dr. Noah Drake on "General Hospital" starting in 1981. That same year he released Working Class Dog, which charted in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and featured the hits "Jessie's Girl" and "I've Done Everything For You" (written by Sammy Hagar). The video for "Jessie's Girl," which depicts an envious-turned-enraged Springfield inflicting pain on his Fender Stratocaster in the form of a driving solo and a smash to his bathroom mirror, was released in 1981, coinciding with a seminal moment in music — the launch of MTV.

The song garnered Springfield a Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male, GRAMMY in 1981, marking his only GRAMMY win to date. The rocker picked up two additional nominations in the same category in 1982 and 1983 for "I Get Excited" and "Affair Of The Heart," respectively. Springfield continued to have success throughout the '80s, including another Top 10 hit with "Love Somebody" from the soundtrack to the 1984 film Hard To Hold, which cast Springfield as a pop/rock star who (again) attempts to win the love of a woman.

Are you envious of Jessie's girl? Got a Forgotten Video recommendation? Leave us a comment. And don't forget to tune in to the 53rd GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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Don't Mess With Pat Benatar

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"Love Is A Battlefield" in this week's 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards edition of Forgotten Videos
GRAMMYs
Dec 9, 2010 - 10:49 am
GRAMMY.com

Welcome to Forgotten Videos, the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards edition, showcasing past GRAMMY winners. For some, these videos are forgotten, for others just filed away, and for others still, a totally brand-new discovery. Whichever category you fall into, each week until the GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 13, 2011, we'll feature a video from a GRAMMY-winning artist that's possibly been collecting dust when what it really deserves is a fresh look. Or, just for old times' sake. We just want to take you on a little trip down memory lane. Yep, you'll remember when hair was really that big, when drums were that up front in the mix, when video was young(er) and so were you.

 

Pat Benatar
"Love Is A Battlefield"
1983

"We are young…heartache to heartache we stand," quotes Jennifer Garner in the 2004 film 13 Going On 30 before launching into an '80s-inspired dance during a sleepover scene with six teenage girls — proof that Pat Benatar's iconic "Love Is A Battlefield" has stood the test of time and continues to transcend generations as the perfect girls'-night-out anthem. Coincidentally, this Top 5 hit was released in the same year that Benatar herself turned 30.

Born Patricia Andrzejewski in Brookyln, N.Y., Benatar's pop/rock flare made her one of the most popular female vocalists of the early '80s. "Love Is A Battlefield" was released at the height of Benatar's career during a string of hits that included "Shadows Of The Night" and "We Belong."

The video finds a young Benatar trading in her family and the monotony of suburbia for the wild and crazy city life where she finds herself mixed up with disrespectful men (she threatens one with a tantalizing and apparently frightening choreographed dance. The dance is followed with a glass of water to the face for said gentleman as Benatar dances off, singing, "We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong/Searching our hearts for so long, both of us knowing/Love is a battlefield"). After her victory, Benatar and a troop of female dancers embrace in solidarity.

On the GRAMMY battlefield, Benatar held the Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, crown for four consecutive years in the early '80s, winning her fourth trophy for "Love Is A Battlefield" at the 26th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1984, beating out an army of female rockers that included Joan Armatrading, Kim Carnes, Stevie Nicks, and Bonnie Tyler. Benatar would garner five additional nominations in the same category for tracks including "We Belong," "Invincible (Theme From Legend Of Billie Jean)" and "All Fired Up," among others, and in 2009 she became the first honoree at The Recording Academy's inaugural GRAMMY Artists Revealed.

Is love your battlefield? Got a Forgotten Video recommendation? Leave us a comment. And don't forget to tune in to the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 13, 2011, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Last week's Forgotten Video