Friday Night Videos

I tend to forget how big Steve Winwood got in the late 80s. I mean, sure, Arc of a Diver is a well-regarded album, but even so, Winwood was still regarded as that guy from Traffic. Then Back in the High Life arrived, with it's first single, "Higher Love." Can you say monster hit? You couldn't get away from this song. Fortunately, it's a good song, although nowhere near my favorite of Winwood's output. I guess radio was ready for an extended period of Winwood sounds, but just didn't know it yet.

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Watching Steve Winwood's video for "Valerie," I'm left wondering why more male singers in the '80s didn't use wind machines in their videos. Ha ha, just kidding. I'll bet Winwood cringes to this day if he watches this video. Great song, though, so it all evens out in the end.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Prince.

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There was a big Steve Winwood revival toward the latter half of my high school years, solo success for the former Traffic singer which would spill over into my college days. I remember being floored by the complete attention paid to the stylish production seen in the video for "Roll With It." I don't know who the director was, but this type of sepia, art-deco Hollywood lighting video production was briefly in vogue on MTV in those days. It was apparent from the camera angles and stylistic quirks shared by the various videos that they all shared the same director, or at least the same production company. I can't recall those other videos for the life of me, but I do remember that even though the others were well-done, the Winwood video stood head and shoulders above the rest in what it set out to do and what it accomplished. Just watch it--this isn't a mere video, it's a full-blown movie, lush and lavish with myriad plot thread running through it that never quite get resolved. I'm still awed by it 20 years later. Enjoy.



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