Mark Monaco Band - San Antonio, Texas

http://www.youtube.com/v/NJZD7Y8Qk5U?autohide=1&version=3&attribution_tag=Eb9-w5pXz19dR0Qo5zzzZw&autohide=1&autoplay=1&feature=share&showinfo=1

Watching videos from the 1980s featuring Madonna, got me to thinking about all the pop culture influences represented in music videos. The video that got me on this mode of thinking was “Express Yourself”, by Madonna.  For anyone who has watched the 1927 movie, Metropolis, will see right away that Madonna borrows the imagery from the movie. 

Tall skyscrapers where Madonna lives towers over the workers below ground is a constant image throughout Metropolis and Madonna’s video. Madonna’s character rules over and relies on the workers below just like Johann rules over the workers that keep the machines running in Metropolis. Another similar image is at the end of both movie and music video. Both movie and video end with a written statement, although not word for word, state the same message. In “Express Yourself”, the statement reads, “Without the heart, there can be no understanding between the hand and the mind.” In the movie, Metropolis, the statement reads, “The Mediator between head and hands must be the heart!”

In reading about other music videos that used the imagery from Metropolis, I saw an interesting chain that linked Queen, Lady Gaga, and Madonna together. The band has a song and video called “Radio Ga Ga”. This video takes actual video from the movie Metropolis. Lady Gaga stated that she got her stage name from the Queen’s video “Radio Ga Ga”. Lady Gaga also credits Queen and Madonna as huge influences. There’s a little full circle for you.