The Fantasy Worlds of Bad Eighties Music Videos, Case One: Billy Ocean’s “Lover Boy”
When I was growing up, music videos – at least a lot of them – were heavily influenced by fantasy and science fiction images. There were swords and sorcererors, demons galore, laser guns and more, accompanied by some of the most lametastic music known to man. I invite you to join me as I investigate the rich, secondary world fantasy of bad eighties video.
Case One: Billy Ocean, “Lover Boy”
Description: A questing knight-errant- a “lover boy” if you will- gallops down a sun dappled beach, only to stumble upon a saloon made of a combination of Home Depot cast-offs and that Halloween Discount Shop that always opens where the Walgreen’s used to be. An uneasy mix of bargain bin robots and exotic alien cultures commingle, drawn together by the Jheri Curled pop soul stylings of Billy Ocean, who, incidentally, is trapped in a floating pyramid from dimension TRS-80.
Where it might be: M. John Harrison’s “Viriconium” after a three day daquiri bender. This is the Bistro Californium in parachute pants. From now on, I’m going to imagine Lord tegeus-Cromis as Billy Ocean, and there’s not a damn thing that cliff climbing genius can do about it.
Love him
Music Videos
June 27, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Why?
Todd
June 29, 2009 at 1:35 pm
What in the wide wide world of sports are you talking about? For the time, the costumes and effects were first rate. Sure, trying to crowbar the plot into the song lyrics was a ridiculous feat, but that video kicked ass.
I really wonder who drove the video… Billy Ocean just doesn’t seem the “I want to be Lando” type… but then, I wouldn’t have guessed that Samuel L. Jackson would have ‘dreamed of being in Star Wars since he first saw it in 1977′ *shrug* who knows.
Huh
August 6, 2009 at 5:57 pm
No, not at all! It’s a great video – I celebrate it in its cheeziness. It was one of my favorites when I was a boy.
Matt Staggs
August 6, 2009 at 6:07 pm