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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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Kiss This Song Hello
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Bringing back Lita Ford in this week's Forgotten Video
GRAMMYs
Jul 29, 2010 - 10:21 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.

Lita Ford
"Kiss Me Deadly"
1988

A decade before this song hit No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, Lita Ford was a runaway. Well, technically, she was a member of the all-girl punk rock group the Runaways, which might have been an even more serious situation than running away from home. The Runaways never broke through commercially, and between their breakup in 1979 and the release of "Kiss Me Deadly" Lita supported herself as everything from a perfume salesperson to a gas station attendant (apparently, when they still had such jobs). "Kiss Me…" is undoubtedly catchy pop/rock, but what it means to be kissed deadly isn't quite clear in the song, though the sound of it — combined with Lita's sexual advances on her guitar — does somehow conjure male teen fantasies. And she does sing "laid," which, as Paris would say, is hot. One of Lita's other interim jobs was hairdresser, though we're not sure if she did her own very '80s-metal vixen coif for the video. Lita followed up in 1989 with "Close My Eyes Forever," a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, which was the only Top 10 hit for either artist.

How did those ice sculptures not melt being next to Lita? Got a Forgotten Video recommendation? Leave us a comment.

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Smells Like Nirvana
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An ode to the 20th anniversary of Nevermind in this week's (not so) Forgotten Videos
GRAMMYs
Sep 21, 2011 - 2:52 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.

Nirvana
"Smells Like Teen Spirit"
1991

On the Billboard 200 chart dated Jan. 11, 1992, three stringy-haired guys from Seattle displaced pop icon Michael Jackson's Dangerous to take the No. 1 spot. The trio was Nirvana and the album was their major label debut, Nevermind. That album went on to spend 253 weeks on the chart and spawned three hit singles, including this youth rebellion classic, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the directorial breakthrough for music video producer Samuel Bayer, who was reportedly hired for the gig because of how "bad" his B-roll was. The end product was likely just what frontman Kurt Cobain had ordered — a non-corporate punk video that showcased a high school gone to hell complete with dancing cheerleaders, moshing students and plenty of anarchy. "By the first chorus the place was just a riot," recalled drummer Dave Grohl in the Classic Albums — Nirvana: Nevermind documentary. For those select fans who were invited to be part of the making of the video, it was the best gig they could have ever imagined. They, along with the band, were on the precipice of a phenomenon. And that guitar Cobain thrashes at the end of the video? Yeah, they got to help with that too.

Formed in 1987 in the rainy town of Aberdeen, Wash., by Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic along with original drummer Chad Channing, Nirvana quickly gained a cult following in the outskirts of grunge-laden Seattle. A year later, the band was signed to Seattle-based Sub Pop Records and released their first single, a cover of Shocking Blue's "Love Buzz." In 1989 the band released their full-length debut, Bleach, which ultimately peaked at No. 89 on the Billboard 200 in February 1992 catapulted by the popularity of Nevermind. But Bleach, which was recorded over a short 30 hours, was enough to make fans out of bands such as Dinosaur Jr., Mudhoney and Sonic Youth, and attract the attention of major labels. That summer, drummer Grohl was brought on, solidifying the lineup, and Nirvana signed with Geffen Records.

Released in September 1991, this month marks the 20th anniversary of Nevermind. Produced by GRAMMY winner Butch Vig, Nevermind was greeted by unexpectedly large fanfare, propelled by "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which caused the album to sell out of its initial shipment of 50,000 copies. The album garnered Nirvana their first GRAMMY nomination for Best Alternative Music Album in 1991, as well as two additional nominations the following year for Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal and Best Rock Song for "Smells Like Teen Spirit." By 1992 the album had been certified triple platinum. To date, the album has sold more than 10 million copies.

"It changed my life," recalled Vig. "It changed everyone's life affiliated with it. Those don't come by very often [and] when they do it's a magic moment."

The band went on to release two more albums, 1993's GRAMMY-nominated In Utero and 1994's GRAMMY-winning MTV Unplugged In New York, both of which topped the Billboard 200, before Cobain's untimely suicide on April 5, 1994. Grohl went on to found Foo Fighters, and Novoselic moved into a career in politics. But being a part of Nirvana is no doubt high on the list of the coolest accomplishments for both.

"When I listen to [Nevermind] I hear a sense of purity and honesty that I haven't heard in a long time," recalled Grohl.

"It's undeniably the best thing I ever did in my whole life," said Novoselic.

It may be the best thing Weird Al Yonkovic has done in his life too.

Have you ever thrashed a high school gymnasium? Got any Forgotten Video recommendations? Leave us a comment.

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Beck Is Where It's At
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Two turntables and a microphone in this week's road to the 53rd GRAMMY Awards edition of Forgotten Videos
GRAMMYs
Jan 27, 2011 - 11:50 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, 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.

Beck
"Where It's At"
1996

What did it take for an up-and-coming artist to have success in the mid-'90s alternative world? Two turntables and a microphone. At least that's what it took for Beck, who scored a modest hit with this track off Odelay, his sophomore major label studio album. The album spawned three other Billboard Hot 100 charters in "Devil's Haircut," "Jack-Ass" and "The New Pollution." Difficult to categorize, Beck's music spans hip-hop, blues, trash-rock, pop, soul, and even lounge music.

The scenes from this video aren't easy to categorize either, or even piece together. At the start, we're introduced to a golden mountainous sunset before Beck appears on-screen with bright orange-vested community service workers who all appear determined to clean up whatever mess has been made along the seemingly never-traveled dirt road. Next we see Beck dressed like a '60s used car salesmen on a platform in the middle of a parking lot uttering the words "Where it's at/(I got two turntables and a microphone)," seemingly as a protest of some sort. Then there's a robot, a belly dancer and Beck dressed in a pirate-styled long coat, backed by a magenta-tinted background in an homage to Trout Mask Replica-era Captain Beefheart.

Beck's post-modern artistic style should come as no surprise; his father is string arranger/conductor David Campbell, and his mother, Bibbe Hansen, was known for her regular visits to Andy Warhol's studio, the Factory. Beck proved to be too cool for school when he traded in formal education for street performance and poetry slams in Los Angeles. He has landed four albums in the top 10 on the Billboard 200, his highest charter to date being 2005's Guero (No. 2). He won two GRAMMY Awards in 1996; Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Where It's At" and Best Alternative Music Performance for Odelay. He picked up the latter GRAMMY again in 1999 for Mutations.

Three GRAMMYs, two turntables and a microphone. That's where it's at.

Got two turntables and a microphone? How about 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.

Last week's Forgotten Video
 

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Judas Priest Take The Wheel
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Heavy metal icons serve up a slab of burning metal in this week's Forgotten Videos
GRAMMYs
Oct 5, 2011 - 12:51 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.

Judas Priest
"Freewheel Burning"
1984

British heavy metal icons Judas Priest had reached the peak of their career. With their eighth studio album, 1982's Screaming For Vengeance, they finally shattered the platinum sales barrier, broke through to a mainstream audience (thanks to steady rotation of the video for "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" on MTV), and went on to become one of the acts at Heavy Metal Day during the famous US Festival in 1983.

Then came the all-important follow-up, 1984's Defenders Of The Faith. Even though it had taken the group nearly a decade to become metal superstars, Judas Priest were not going to play it safe. Rather than pick the obvious commercial track (the anthemic "Rock Hard Ride Free," for example), the group chose to release the speed-laden assault of "Freewheel Burning" as the lead single, making it clear that they were a loud-and-proud heavy metal band.

Priest's frequent music video director Julien Temple conjured a clip in which a young schoolboy is deeply immersed in playing a car-race video game called "Freewheel Burnin'." (Or for those who frequented arcades in the '80s, "Pole Position." Former arcadegoers may also recognize "Asteroids Deluxe" in the video.) As the boy roars through the virtual racetrack, sinister-looking frontman Rob Halford and his energized bandmates (guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing, bassist Ian Hill, and then-drummer Dave Holland) deliver a thunderous, high-octane performance enhanced by a hyperactive laser assault. As the game progresses, Priest infiltrate and overwhelm the boy's game. The video's loose concept tied in to the growing arcade game frenzy of the day, and the images of gamers headbanging as Tipton unleashed his searing leads added comic relief.


Defenders Of The Faith eventually hit No. 18 on the Billboard 200, quickly achieving gold status. No hit singles emerged, but that didn't matter. Metal was making an indelible mark on the masses, and Priest's loyal audience did not want them to follow trends (which, ironically, they did with the synth-driven Turbo two years later). A massively successful world tour proved that Judas Priest were here to stay, and the album became one of a string of gold-certified studio releases.

The band went on hiatus for several years in the '90s after Halford left to work on various solo projects, while Priest regrouped with frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens for two studio albums.

A reunion with Halford in 2003 got the metal fire burning once again. Judas Priest has subsequently performed on world tours, recorded two new studio albums (2005's Angel Of Retribution and 2008's metal opera Nostradamus) and received their first GRAMMY Award for Best Metal Performance in 2009 for "Dissident Aggressor." While Judas Priest are currently in the midst of a farewell tour, aptly titled the Epitaph tour, the band recently announced plans to record a new studio album. With their epitaph not yet finished, Priest continue to appeal to older fans while passing the metal torch to a new generation as evidenced by their performance on the 2011 finale of "American Idol" with finalist James Durbin.

Have you ever screamed for vengeance? 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.