Does a video/visual improve a song?

Bullgrit · Feb 26, 2014

Does a visual of some sort -- MTV-style music video, a stage performance, etc. -- improve a song? Some songs? Can a visual ruin a song?

I'm loving the song "Let It Go" from Frozen. I've watched the video on YouTube a half dozen times, (even though I've not seen the movie). I saw on a national news show this morning that lots of people have been singing the song and posting their performance on YouTube. I haven't heard the song on the radio, so every time I've heard it, it was with the accompanying visuals from the movie. I wonder if I'd like the song as much if I had heard it without any visuals first.

Are there any songs that really must be seen instead of just heard?

Bullgrit

Zombie_Babies · Feb 26, 2014

Most rap videos are awesome to watch ... on mute. Same for Shakira videos. Oh, and this:

[video=youtube;72WhEqeS6AQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72WhEqeS6AQ[/video]

trappedslider · Feb 26, 2014

Bullgrit said:
Are there any songs that really must be seen instead of just heard?

Bullgrit

yes,almost anything by penatonix and Lindsey stirling for example
[video=youtube;eh-72yBP7sw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh-72yBP7sw[/video]

Kramodlog · Feb 26, 2014

If it needs visuals maybe it is not a song.

Hand of Evil · Feb 26, 2014

If it has to have visuals, it is not a song, it is a performance. Music should be something that you can close your eyes to and feel in your soul, it touches passions within you.

Umbran · Feb 26, 2014

Hand of Evil said:
If it has to have visuals, it is not a song, it is a performance. Music should be something that you can close your eyes to and feel in your soul, it touches passions within you.

There is a wide, wide expanse between, "it needs visuals," and, "it is improved by visuals."

You have a slice of pie. It doesn't *need* ice cream. But dessert might be improved by the addition!

sabrinathecat · Feb 26, 2014

I don't care for Rahmstein, but the videos make their work entertaining.

Hand of Evil · Feb 26, 2014

Umbran said:
There is a wide, wide expanse between, "it needs visuals," and, "it is improved by visuals."

You have a slice of pie. It doesn't *need* ice cream. But dessert might be improved by the addition!

Video killed the radio star.

Adding video, changes the nature of the product, it is not just music, it is a music video. A slice of pie with ice cream, it is Pie à la Mode.

I wonder if it is an age thing, being 54, growing up with my formative years being before the 80s (before music videos became mainstream).

Klirshon · Feb 26, 2014

Response to first sequence of inquires:
It can improve/diminish the stimulation caused by the increase of content. The audio content does not change due to the addition of a visual medium.

Dioltach · Feb 26, 2014

I think that like many things a video gives a song added associations. Whether or not those associations improve your feelings about the song is very subjective.