Video Review - Playmate To Jesus

It is finally here. After a week of teasing and taunting, the official video for the new Aqua single "Playmate To Jesus" is released to the internet. I, like many fans, was very concerned when the group released screen shots. The song seemed to be a lighter song, and the video looked very dark. Somehow, though, it worked. The video just works. Don't believe me? Lets have a look.

The video's plot is a bit vague, leaving a lot to the interpretation of the viewer. Let me add this disclaimer to say that this is my interpretation of the video based on my initial viewing.

The video starts out with a black cloud flying through what seems to be an abandoned house. The weather outside is dark and stormy, as if a tornado is approaching. For most of the video it is very unclear what this cloud is. Rene, Claus, and Soren all follow the dark cloud throughout the house up to the attic where they all walk into the light towards the end.

The actual music portion of the video starts out on Lene in a very strange grey dress decorated by balls of all different sizes. She is wearing some very strange platform shoes that have no heel, forcing her to push all her weight on her toes. These shoes look amazingly uncomfortable, but are remarkably memorable. For a bit of the video, it is only Lene singing in this room.

Meanwhile, the rest of the band is across the room, spending most of their time looking dramatic. I feel that Rene does it best. Also, I would like to inquire as to if he has always had the tattoo in the picture below. Not only does it look awesome, but it's pretty hot. At this point in the video, not much is really going on plot wise. It's more or less just singing.

This is where things get a bit strange. As Lene is singing, Rene, Soren, and Claus begin to circle her, as if she is a spectacle, and she doesn't even respond to them. This is where my theory of the alternate realities began. It seems that she is on another plane from the rest of them, and they spend much of the video trying to get through to her.

A few pieces of the video take place in a room with shag carpeting with Rene still trying in vain to get her attention. It's not exactly plot centric, but it is a beautiful part of the video. Lene is sitting on the floor (probably resting her legs from those killer shoes). Rene is sitting in a recliner looming over her as she sings. My favorite part of this segment is definitely Lene's outfit. She has duct tape X's over her nipples, reminding the masses of when Rihanna was a slut, or for those a bit gayer, when Alexis Mateo from RuPaul's Drag Race tried to be "grown up Hannah Montana."

My favorite part of the video is virtually the same thing in a new location (and new outfit for Lene). This one takes place in a very plain room, with Lene draped over a fallen cross. The ghost version of Rene is here as well, and he sings his portion of the song, making it look like a great struggle to get her attention. This is where my theory of the other three being ghosts came into place. Nobody can seem to talk to Lene, no matter how much they try.

The end of the video has the three men of the band reaching the attic and walking into the light. Perhaps they realized that they couldn't talk to Lene and decided to move on. The video isn't really clear on this (or anything for that matter) but it is still a pretty amazing video.

To those of you who say I'd blindly eat up anything that Aqua puts out, let me tell you: I didn't give "How R U Doin'" any attention for a reason. This song should have been their comeback song. It is one hundred times better both as a video and as a song than HRUD ever was. The video does have it's problems. The plot doesn't really go a whole lot of places and it doesn't give us much of an explanation or payoff at the end. They also cut out the best part of the song where Rene has his breathtaking moment about spreading love. Many say that it would have made the video too long, but it also leaves Rene looking more like an extra than the second vocalist with his part cut out almost entirely.

The video is another in a line of darker videos. My Mamma Said and HRUD were both very dark compared to the other videos. I sincerely hope that this trend continues. I love the old Aqua, but this new generation seems to be working for them. They kept the music the same but changed their image to fit the new dark and sexy attitude of the music scene today. We can only hope that they continue to adapt and stay relevant.