In the very early days of music videos, before they were called music videos, the teen idols of the 1950s and 1960s were made to do some goofy things, presumably in the spirit of making a fun and eye-catching video for all the kids. For instance, what could be more natural than having Martha Reeves and the Vandellas run around the Ford Mustang production line, interrupting the jobs of the line workers who are just trying to earn a buck.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqxigVGFcis]
While we’re at it, let’s put Dion in an airplane for no discernible reason.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpRtTBn4VHU]
And Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps… well, they were too damn cool for these shenanigans, but they did participate in the tradition of shoe-horning an entire song performance in the middle of a (often plot-light) movie.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyNbwdONLqw]
(Okay, I’ll be honest: I just really wanted to include Gene Vincent in today’s post because he was awesome.)
In my studies of the ruins of Detroit, I am heartened to find that the Mustang plant in the Vandellas video is most likely still standing. In fact, it is part of a complex of buildings that Ford is still using and has "greened" up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_River_Rouge_Complex
Fascinating read, lady. Thanks! I'm not a car buff by any means, but the first Mustang is my favorite car.
In "Motor City's Burning," Iggy Pop says that a school field trip to the Rouge factory inspired him to create loud, banging rock music. !!!
So it could be said that the Stooges were industrial. (Sorry, really lame music nerd joke is… not even funny.)