Long before the literal music meme forever changed the Internet, there were actual literal music videos — productions that followed the themes and plots laid out in the song's lyrics as closely as possible. Though not always artfully executed, these videos make it even easier for those with the attention spans of guppies to understand the the artistic intentions behind the music.
Here are some of the best examples of this dying genre.
Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach"
Madonna's music video for "Papa Don't Preach" only gets literal in the last minute, when Madonna's character finally admits she's pregnant to her angry father, played by The Godfather's Danny Aiello. But the rest of it plays out like a mini-movie, with Madonna portraying a daddy's girl who just happens to fall hopelessly in love with a handsome mechanic. Kelly Osbourne didn't attempt to recreate the original when she covered the song in 2002, although she does sing in front of a t-shirt that reads, "Italians do it better."
Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun"
Aerosmith's video for "Janie's Got a Gun" does not shy away from the song's extremely dark lyrical content, strongly alluding to sexual abuse and murder with shots of a pensive father in his study, a silhouette of a teen holding a gun, and blood and shattered glass. It was a surprisingly graphic take on the song, which had actually been toned down for commercial purposes.
TLC's "Waterfalls"
While there aren't any lyrics about women in baggy pants emerging out of the sea in TLC's "Waterfalls," its music video pretty literal with its depictions of a drug dealing teen who breaks his mother's heart and a man who foolishly does the dirty without any protection. The group even modified the song in order to include each dramatic scene in all its glory. They probably paid a lot of money for those special effects!
Everlast's "What It's Like"
Everlast's "What It's Like" plays out like a country song with its lyrical vignettes about the downtrodden and impoverished. The clip follows the song's script with precision, recreating three depressing stories with a few watery metaphors thrown in for good measure.
The Offspring's "Pretty Fly for a White Guy"
There isn't much of a plot to The Offspring's "Pretty Fly for a White Guy," but it does hold up pretty well as a late '90s character study. The clothes, the car, and the breakdancing attempts are all plot devices in and of themselves, painting the perfect picture of a loveable wannabe. The director also managed to incorporate scantily clad dancers into the concept. Props to him.
Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me"
The truly literal music video is mostly a thing of the past, but Taylor Swift is holding it down best she can with her colorful, quirky videos, which often cater directly to her very young fanbase. Case in point: The video for "You Belong With Me," which plays into pretty much every teen movie cliché in under four minutes. Well done!.
