Why Is Every Damn Music Video In a Motel?
As any good real estate agent knows, it's all about "location, location, location." (I know this because Fuse employees watch HGTV all day in the pantry where we microwave our Lean Cuisines.) And in music videos, location is just as important. We've come a lot way from "let's just do this in front of a green screen or at Puffy's mansion," and now, videos are full-fledged cinematic flicks.
While Hollywood backed away from the blinged-out Aughts, we saw a realer (yet still glamorous, don't get me wrong) depiction of the pop stars mugging in these clips. In a motel, someone like Ariana Grande or Justin Bieber becomes more relatable and gritty, flawed and human. A shady motel in music videos like Tove Lo's "Cool Girl" helps cover pop's sparkly sheen with a layer of roadside dust. It allows record labels with big-budget film crews to provide their stars with something they'll rarely ever get: an escape from fame in a dump on Route 66. And for most people, that's the rawest kind of freedom we'll ever crave: the ability to run away.
Here's a look at seven music videos that have used the motel location (location, location) to increase their curbside appeal.
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