Friday Night Videos

The worst thing, perhaps, about hit singles off of soundtrack albums is that their videos generally suck. In most cases, very little creativity or budget goes into them. Instead, a bunch of clips for the movie in question are strung together with maybe a few scenes of the actual performer. In essence, it's treated like one only commercial for the film. Which may or may not help at the box office, but dramatically shortens the shelf life of the song. Case in point: "Spies Like Us" by Paul McCartney. This was one of his last hits prior to the music world writing him off as completely irrelevant, and to be honest, it really is a piece of audio fluff. But it's a catchy piece of audio fluff that's a good deal of fun. And despite the obvious drawbacks of the soundtrack clip video, McCartney, Dan Ackroyd and Chevy Chase do seem to be having a grand old time. Curiously, despite "Spies Like Us" being McCartney's last top-10 hit (to the best of my knowledge) it has never on any McCartney album or hits compilation. I mean, nobody's arguing it ranks among his best work, but compared to some of the drivel he's put out over the decades, it's certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Peter Wolf.

Now Playing: Various artists Celtic Moods
Chicken Ranch Central

Friday Night Videos

Paul McCartney has earned a reputation as a sometimes brilliant songwriter who almost always releases piss-poor albums. This is a well-deserved reputation. His sentimentality tends to overcome his talent more often than not, resulting in musical drivel. That said, he's still capable of showing the brilliance that made his songwriting with the Beatles such a showstopper. I'm not going to argue that his 1993 album Off the Ground bucks these trends. It doesn't compare to its predecessor, Flowers in the Dirt, but by the same token it's far superior to the forgettable Press to Play. One of the standouts on Off the Ground is "Hope of Deliverance", a tune in which McCartney treads dangerously close to pablum territory, but the general sense of optimism contained in the song and buoyant instrumental arrangement lifts it to something better. It's one I quite like, and it deserves more attention than it is generally afforded.



Previously on Friday Night Videos... Little Jimmy Dickens.

Now Playing: Clandestine Home
Chicken Ranch Central

Friday Night Videos

The late '80s collaboration between Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello proved to be a good one. With someone to work off of and challenge him, McCartney's old songwriting strengths returned to the fore, without any of his sentimental pap to weigh them down. "My Brave Face" was the best McCartney single to emerge from the collaboration, even better (to my ear) than Costello's excellent "Veronica." Sadly, neither the single nor the album, "Flowers in the Dirt," were major hits despite widespread critical acclaim. Had the album come out a few years earlier instead of the baffling "Press to Play," I'm certain both would've been huge blockbusters. As it was, the public and record industry seem to have written McCartney off by that point. Still, "My Brave Face" remains a fave...



Previously on Friday Night Videos... The Grateful Dead.

Now Playing: