‘Vous Avez Dit Bizarre’ N°107 – Vintage 2000s Music Videos

1 . Franz Ferdinand – Do You Want To

“Do You Want To,” the lead single from Franz Ferdinand’s 2005 album *You Could Have It So Much Better*, captures the Scottish band’s knack for taut, sardonic pop-rock delivered with a wink and a swagger.

Written by Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy, Bob Hardy, and Paul Thomson, its spiky guitars and irreverent lyricism strut into the post-punk revival space like a dressed-down art school provocateur—sharp, stylish, but a little on the nose.

Produced by the band alongside Rich Costey, the sound leans toward calculated chaos, a jittery cocktail of angular riffs and borderline camp choruses that feel like a knowing nod to the glamour and grime of Britpop’s heyday.

The song peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and cracked the *Billboard* Modern Rock Tracks chart at number nine, an impressive feat for a track whose playful cynicism could risk alienating mainstream American ears.

The music video, helmed by Diane Martel and released in August 2005, amplifies the band’s arch sensibilities, filled with surrealist absurdity that matches the track’s manic energy and earned it heavy rotation on MTV2 during its debut.

Certified gold by the RIAA in 2006, “Do You Want To” is recognized in multiple year-end accolades, from Triple J’s 10th spot in the Hottest 100 of 2005 to its coronation as the year’s best single by *Q* magazine.

Its Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was perhaps more a nod to the band’s zeitgeist-y moment than to actual innovation, while *Pitchfork Media*’s placement at number 342 on their Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s confirms its staying power without deifying it.

The song’s undeniable catchiness skates dangerously close to self-parody, though its embrace of spectacle and wit ensures Franz Ferdinand’s place at the quirky, decadent heart of mid-2000s indie rock.

Featured on the 2005 album “You Could Have It So Much Better”.

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2 . Scissor Sisters – Comfortably Numb

The Scissor Sisters’ 2004 rendition of “Comfortably Numb” reimagines Pink Floyd’s brooding original through a glitter-coated lens of glam, pop, and electronic sensibilities.

What was once a contemplative, despair-laden rock anthem transforms here into a falsetto-driven, dancefloor-ready spectacle that is as polarizing as it is audacious.

Included as the B-side to their debut single “Electrobix,” this cover unexpectedly outshone its parent track, garnering enough momentum to peak at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart—a notable early success for the band.

The song’s outright shift in tone, swapping Pink Floyd’s haunting restraint for pulsating grooves and ’70s disco flourishes, epitomizes the Scissor Sisters’ knack for irreverence.

Jake Shears’ falsetto vocals glide over the glossy production with a smoothness verging on kitschy, while Babydaddy’s arrangements inject the track with enough energy to make even purists squirm—or perhaps smirk begrudgingly.

That sonic gamble exemplifies the group’s ultimate decision to relocate to the UK, a market more receptive to their flamboyant mix of genres.

The self-titled debut album that followed this cover’s release would go on to become the UK’s best-selling album of 2004, raking in accolades including three BRIT Awards in 2005.

Yet, within the context of such achievements, the cover underscores the group’s willingness to straddle homage and provocation, even if their approach risks alienating listeners married to traditionalist interpretations of rock classics.

Love it or loathe it, Scissor Sisters’ “Comfortably Numb” is less about honoring Floyd’s vision and more about refracting it through a mirror ball—and in that sense, it succeeds in making the familiar uncomfortably, yet cheekily, unfamiliar.

Featured on the 2004 album “Scissor Sisters”.

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3 . Rihanna – Disturbia

“Disturbia,” an icy slice of dance-pop lifted from the re-release of Rihanna’s *Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded* in 2008, feels like a club anthem designed for the shadows rather than the strobe lights.

While Chris Brown originally conceived the track for himself, his decision to pass it to Rihanna proves shrewd—its haunting sensibilities align better with her detached vocal delivery than they ever might have with his smoother R&B stylings.

Produced by Brian Kennedy, “Disturbia” cultivates a taut, almost claustrophobic atmosphere, underscored by a “sizzling” beat and punctuated by a horror-movie scream that adds an edge of camp to its dark veneer.

Lyrically, it wades into murky emotional waters, addressing anxiety and mental disarray without veering into raw confessionalism—Rihanna herself frames its themes as universal rather than personal. That detachment lends the song a kind of emotional ambiguity, where the anguish feels stylized rather than visceral.

The track, recorded in Denver’s Rocky Mountain Recorders, threads electropop and dance-pop with just enough sharpness to avoid monotony, but its repetitive hook risks becoming a double-edged sword—memorable, yes, but also slightly overbearing by the end of its runtime.

Commercially, the song’s impact is undeniable, topping the *Billboard* Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks and reaching similar heights in Belgium and New Zealand, though its platinum certifications and accolades, like its NRJ Music Award for Best International Song, speak more to its ubiquity than its depth.

The Anthony Mandler-directed music video mirrors the song’s themes with visuals that lean into the theatrical: prison cells, suffocating spaces, and a gas chamber—a tableau of dramatized unease suited for MTV-era consumption.

“Disturbia” has since carved out a permanent spot in Rihanna’s live setlists, a testament to its enduring resonance, even if its polished edges stop short of rendering it truly disturbing.

Featured on the 2008 album “Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded”.

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4 . Blink-182 – Feeling This

“Feeling This,” the lead single from Blink-182’s untitled 2003 album, feels like a tug-of-war between lust and longing, steered by the distinct lyrical approaches of Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge.

The duality extends to its structure, where a Latin-inspired backbeat supports the chorus, hinting at a rhythmic dexterity somewhat unusual for the band’s skate-punk roots.

Travis Barker’s drumming immediately commands attention, with an intro reportedly influenced by John Bonham, grounding the chaos in unmistakable precision.

The decision to achieve the flanged drum effect through traditional tape techniques instead of computerized shortcuts is a nod to Jerry Finn’s production decisiveness, keeping the sound tethered to analog grit even as the band ventured into experimental territory.

The harmonized duet between DeLonge and Hoppus in the song’s final moments is melodic yet subdued, adding dimension without going overboard—a balance the track both flaunts and tiptoes around.

Commercially, “Feeling This” delivered: debuting at number 40 on *Billboard*’s Modern Rock Tracks before climbing to number two, and holding a steady presence internationally with positions like 15 on the UK Singles Chart.

Jerry LaChapelle’s dystopian correctional facility concept for the music video plays like a visual counterpoint to the song’s layered dynamics, pushing confinement into rebellion.

At 173 beats per minute, the track physically pulls you along, though its E major tonality keeps the aggression tempered.

Even in live settings, from *Jimmy Kimmel Live* to other stages, the song’s energy seems less about breaking new ground than maintaining a fine-tuned chaos Blink-182 has long mastered.

Featured on the 2003 album “Blink-182”.

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5 . Ash – Shining Light

“Shining Light,” released as the lead single from Ash’s 2001 album “Free All Angels,” sparkles with a kind of luminous charm that feels both inevitable and unforced.

Written by Tim Wheeler and inspired by his then-girlfriend Audrey, the song carries an immediacy in its creation story—scribbled on an acoustic guitar after a moment of automotive reverie. Yet, despite its almost casual origin, its polish and sweeping scope make it clear why the band zeroed in on its hit potential when it debuted live at the London Astoria in 2000.

Musically, “Shining Light” occupies the sweet spot between rock grit and melodic uplift, but it doesn’t push any boundaries. Clocking in at different lengths (the album version stretches to 5:09, while the radio edit trims it to 4:07), it manages to evoke grandeur without veering into pomposity. In a UK chart landscape often overcrowded, it landed comfortably at number eight, climbing even higher in Scotland while ruling the UK Indie Chart. But its impact diminished a bit outside these zones, peaking modestly at 23 in Ireland and 42 on the Eurochart Hot 100.

Critics adored it, as evidenced by its Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song in 2001. Yet, its mainstream fingerprints remain light despite Annie Lennox’s respectable 2009 cover (which peaked at a middling 39 on the UK Singles Chart) and a guest spot in *Roswell’s* swan song.

“Shining Light” is universal but not groundbreaking—a song designed less to surprise than to comfort, like an old photograph of a fleeting moment, reframed eternally in soft light.

Featured on the 2001 album “Free All Angels”.

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6 . Linkin Park – One Step Closer

“One Step Closer,” the second track from Linkin Park’s debut album “Hybrid Theory,” offers an archetypal snapshot of the early 2000s nu-metal scene while carving its own niche within the genre.

Produced by Don Gilmore and laid down at NRG Studios during a protracted gestation period between 1996 and 1999, the single encapsulates the angsty blend of rap and rock that the band would later refine into an enduring formula. The contributions of Brad Delson, Chester Bennington, Joseph Hahn, and Mike Shinoda reflect a calculated interplay between heavy, driving riffs and a vocal delivery alternating between Bennington’s emotional force and Shinoda’s structured cadence.

The chorus—centered around the memorable line, “Everything you say to me takes me one step closer to the edge, and I’m about to break”—cements the song’s appeal, resonating both on-air and in live performances. It is direct, raw, and stripped of metaphor, leaning unabashedly into the youthful frustration that propels much of “Hybrid Theory.”

Visually, the accompanying music video, directed by Gregory Dark and conceptualized by Joe Hahn, matches the song’s emotional tenor with an underground setting punctuated by martial arts choreography and an angsty teen subplot. Not incidentally, Scott Koziol features on bass, emblematic of the project’s transitional phase as Dave Farrell had yet to return.

The song’s chart performance extends its reach: peaking at number 24 on the UK Official Singles Chart while holding its ground at number 3 on the UK Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart for a staggering 132 weeks. With a tempo of 95 beats per minute in C# minor and a 4/4 time signature, “One Step Closer” combines a formulaic structure with enough edge to transcend redundancy.

As a keystone of the band’s live repertoire for nearly a decade, the track is less a nuanced anthem than a blunt-force catalyst for catharsis. Its commitment to its sonic and lyrical aggression leaves little room for subtleties—a strength in the moment but, arguably, a limitation in its lasting appeal.

Featured on the 2000 album “Hybrid Theory“.

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7 . Electric Six – Danger! High Voltage

“Danger! High Voltage,” the debut single from Electric Six’s 2002 album *Fire*, lights up the room with a searing mix of rock, disco, and punk elements that feel both chaotic and deliberate.

Opening like a neon sign sparking in the dark, the track meticulously walks the tightrope between absurdity and catchiness—a feat helped in no small part by Damien Mendis and Stuart Bradbury’s razor-sharp production.

The secondary lead vocals, attributed back then to the mysterious “John S. O’Leary” but widely speculated (and now largely accepted) to be Jack White of The White Stripes, offer a sharp counterpoint to Dick Valentine’s theatrics. The interplay creates a tension that pulls the listener into the heart of the song’s kitsch yet captivating world.

The music video—directed by Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire—pushes this eccentricity further, melding humor and discomfort in equal parts. Scenes of a glowing codpiece, a taxidermy-filled mansion, and exaggerated wealth satire hammer home Electric Six’s penchant for the theatrically bizarre.

Commercially, the song staked its claim with significant chart success, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart and securing top-20 spots in Ireland and the Netherlands. Its inclusion in *The Simpsons* only underscores its cultural resonance, blending absurdity with accessibility in ways few rock tracks manage.

Yet, for all its hooks, the song’s over-the-top aesthetic risks alienating listeners unprepared for its unabashed weirdness. Electric Six thrives in excess, but whether that excess feels liberating or suffocating depends largely on the listener’s expectations.

Ultimately, “Danger! High Voltage” isn’t just a song—it’s a fever dream of relentless energy, inexplicable choices, and a deliberate refusal to be anything but itself.

Featured on the 2003 album “Fire”.

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8 . MGMT – Time to Pretend

“Time to Pretend,” the biting debut single from MGMT’s *Oracular Spectacular* (2007), aims for the synthetic highs of rock stardom while quietly mourning its cost. Originally birthed during Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden’s college years and retooled from their 2005 EP, the track illustrates hedonism with a wink, detailing a fantasy life of “drugs, models, and fame” that’s as hollow as it is glittering. The irony lands even sharper against a backdrop of technicolor synths and euphoric crescendos, producing a contradiction that’s more compelling than celebratory.

Inspired, peculiarly enough, by a pet praying mantis named Kuivila and its surreal brood hatching on a model pirate ship, the track embodies the absurdity it narrates. The production, helmed by Dave Fridmann, polishes these dreamlike musings into a crystalline sheen, perfectly suited for the post-millennial indie wave. But polish doesn’t dull the darkness—you can feel the sting beneath the surface, a quiet indictment of leaving “our parents in the countryside” and surrendering to shallow pleasures. Few rock fantasies feel so deliberately hollow.

Charting at 35 in the UK and lingering for 31 weeks, its global traction hints at its cultural resonance, foreshadowing its inclusion on TV soundtracks like *Gossip Girl* and *90210*. “Time to Pretend” received glowing nods from critics, landing third on *Rolling Stone*’s Best Songs of 2008 and firmly etched into NME and *Time* magazine lists the same year. But its staying power lies more in its layers than its accolades, twisting optimism into wistfulness as it dances toward oblivion. It doesn’t promise anything beyond the fleeting thrill, and that’s exactly why it works. Still, for all its cleverness, the song leaves just enough room to wonder—beneath the gloss and irony—if there was ever a real choice to begin with.

Featured on the 2007 album “Oracular Spectacular”.

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9 . Eminem – Like Toy Soldiers

“Like Toy Soldiers” opens as a rare moment of vulnerability in Eminem’s typically confrontational catalog, placing him not as the aggressor but as a reluctant referee in the endless bouts of rap beef that define the industry.

Sampling Martika’s “Toy Soldiers,” the track cleverly juxtaposes its delicate, childlike melody with the hard truths of real-world feuds, lending an ironic edge that avoids self-pity.

Unlike many of Eminem’s incendiary diss tracks, this song opts for reflection, as the rapper addresses his conflicts with figures like Benzino of *The Source* and the clash between 50 Cent and Ja Rule.

His admission of losing control when Ja Rule targeted his daughter in “Loose Change” gives the song a grim turn, personalizing what might otherwise have remained a meta-commentary on the rap game’s toxic cycles.

The track’s tonal restraint is mirrored in its commercial performance—peaking at a modest 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., yet achieving broader success overseas, including a #1 spot on the UK Singles Top 75 chart.

For a song that critiques violence and escalation, its global chart positions almost seem like measures of how far the message resonated geographically, somewhat poetic in its irony.

Still, the song struggles under the weight of its ambition to both commentate and emote.

While the understated production ensures the message isn’t diluted, it risks coming across as overly cautious compared to Eminem’s more dynamic hits on *Encore*.

The tentative nature of its musical delivery lacks the sharp wit or visceral punch that often characterizes his conflicts, as though Eminem stands unsure of whether to yell or whisper.

Yet, “Like Toy Soldiers” earns its place as a cultural snapshot, a self-aware check-in for a rapper known more for starting fires than extinguishing them.

Featured on the 2004 album “Encore”.

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10 . Editors – Munich

“Munich,” the second single from Editors’ 2005 debut album, “The Back Room,” sees the British band channel the urgency of post-punk revival into a sleek, neurotic anthem.

Written by Chris Urbanowicz, Edward Lay, Russell Leetch, and Tom Smith and produced by Jim Abbiss, the track unfolds in the key of G minor at a brisk tempo of 150 beats per minute. Its “marching” guitars and tremolo-picked leads impose a controlled, almost militaristic rhythm, while the drum groove propels it forward with mechanical precision. The result is a sound both insistent and unrelentingly cold, underpinned by Smith’s hungover introspection and moments of self-reproach.

The song achieved traction through multiple media appearances, cropping up on soundtracks for video games like “Saints Row,” “FIFA Street 2,” and “Major League Baseball 2K7,” as well as showing its versatility across television, including “A Question of Sport,” “Waterloo Road,” and the third season finale of “Cold Case.” This omnipresence on screen added a synthetic layer to the track’s reception, aligning eerily with its clinical sonic palette.

The re-release in January 2006 saw “Munich” solidify a commercial foothold, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and ranking 184th among the year’s best-selling singles. Stripped of grandeur, its impact lies in its relentless repetition—an aesthetic strength for some, a weakness for others.

Cover versions by Corinne Bailey Rae and R.E.M. reframe its emotion, yet neither surpasses the antiseptic immediacy of the original. Rae’s stripped-down take for “Radio 1’s Live Lounge” hints at melodies buried beneath layers of Editors’ production, while R.E.M.’s rendition, included in “Radio 1’s Live Lounge – Volume 3,” illuminates nothing new.

Lyrically, “Munich” oscillates between ambiguity and candor, almost as if its themes are too personal and too universal all at once. Tom Smith’s description of its creation as an “explosion of hungover soul searching” feels apt, yet the song’s emotional detachment often works against it, leaving listeners yearning for more vulnerability beneath the polish.

In live performances, “Munich” thrives, signaling the band’s ability to translate studio perfectionism into adrenaline-fueled connection. Yet, as Editors’ career progressed into chart-topping albums like “An End Has A Start” and “In This Light And On This Evening,” this track remained a touchstone for their early sound: dramatic yet unyielding, as much a time capsule as a forewarning of their evolution—or lack thereof.

Featured on the 2005 album “The Back Room”.

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11 . U2 – Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of

“Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” feels like a tug-of-war between profound intention and polished execution. Its genesis—a fictional conversation between Bono and the late Michael Hutchence of INXS—frames the song as more than a pop-rock ballad but less than a full-fledged lament. Written by U2’s frontman alongside The Edge, the lyrics wrestle with the heavy themes of suicide and regret, but the delivery skirts the rawness one might expect from such subject matter.

Musically, it is quintessential “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”—a record that came to define U2’s pivot toward broader accessibility in 2001. The song hovers just outside the borders of gospel and pop, climbing toward uplift without fully committing to either. Yet, for all its ambition, the composition can feel soft-edged, almost too eager to smooth over its conceptual weight. Perhaps this is why it peaked only at number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100, though its international chart success, including first-place finishes in Ireland, Canada, and Italy, suggests a resonance with audiences more attuned to its earnestness.

The Kevin Godley-directed video, with its repetitive visual metaphor of Bono being ejected from a moving vehicle, underscores the song’s thematic claustrophobia. It’s effective but literal, matching the track’s tendency to communicate in big gestures rather than intricate details. Still, some of the B-sides, like “Big Girls Are Best,” offer a lighter counterpoint, though these feel more like afterthoughts than extensions of the song’s core ideas.

Its Grammy win for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 2002 speaks to the band’s enduring ability to package emotional gravitas in digestible formats. This was a song designed for live performance, debuting at Paris’s Manray Club in 2000, where its quieter moments likely gained intimacy that the studio version only gestures toward. U2 may never fully escape their own ambition, but “Stuck in a Moment” at least captures their unwavering desire to connect, even if that connection sometimes feels a touch too polished.

Featured on the 2000 album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind“.

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12 . Doves – Black And White Town

“Black and White Town” embodies Doves’ talent for melding grit and grandeur, a sonic recipe they’ve perfected since their Sub Sub days. Anchored by a dense union of heavy piano and guitars, the track’s momentum owes much to Andy Williams’ insistent percussion, which feels less like drumming and more like a forward lurch through bleak urban sprawl.

The song’s atmospheric pull lies in its contrast: the instrumentation suggests uplift, yet the undertones remain stark, fitting the thematic essence of “Some Cities.” Jez Williams, Jimi Goodwin, and Andy Williams deliver a composition that thrives on this push-pull—the brightness of ambition battling the weight of disillusionment. It’s as though the track trudges through the estates of Toryglen, where Lynne Ramsay’s music video situates the narrative. Her footage, shot around the Summerston council estate and Prospecthill Circus estate, casts an unvarnished gaze on the urban decay that inspired the song’s tone.

The track’s chart performance deserves attention: a No. 6 peak on both the UK and Scottish Singles Charts underscores its commercial appeal, while a Silver certification by the BPI affirms its resonance with a broad audience. Yet, its success speaks to more than catchy hooks. This is a song informed by its creators’ past—a reflection of the band’s transition from Sub Sub’s hedonistic dance hits to Doves’ introspective rock vision, first crystallized on their Mercury Prize-nominated debut, “Lost Souls.”

Still, as compelling as “Black and White Town” is, it isn’t without limitations. Its structural predictability diminishes its staying power; the swelling instrumentation risks redundancy, wavering between catharsis and overkill. The band seems to channel the inertia of a world they critique without fully transcending it. Nonetheless, the track remains a vital entry in Doves’ discography, bridging their history and an era where their three UK Number 1 albums affirmed their relevance. It’s less an anthem than a statement, though whether it lingers as a proclamation or fades into background noise depends on the listener’s patience with its sonic density.

Featured on the 2005 album “Some Cities”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site