@LadyGulag @BertrandRustles I used to let spare rooms out to language students in my old house, and they were mostly Saudi. There was one very wealthy 17 year old boy who explained the whole driving-in-the-desert phenomenon - loads of his friends had been killed this way - but there was nothing else entertainment-wise or culturally for them as an alternative, so the reckless allure of it was irresistible; especially if they were rich enough to just total whatever car they had.
It was fascinating. And while women aren't allowed to drive, there's no actual law forbidding it. The way of life is so alien to what I know - I had no awareness of it before - and I think having an inkling of it now gives this video even more of an impact than it otherwise would. Plus it's a totally kick-ass track.
It was so noticieable that the only female skin exposed in the video was below the elbow! Such a refreshing change from the usual. Great song, great video.
I'm thinking who the competition might be this year. Polica's Amongster, Alt-J's Tessellate and Beth Jeans Houghton's Dodecahedron come to mind. But when it comes to sheer brass, M.I.A is in a league of her own...
Doh! Thanks, @thisismymistake - should have checked Vimeo out first. Will aim to get into the habit of doing that each time I post; it's not the first time this has been mentioned. @clickysounds Glad to be of service!
@thisismymistake@AlicejustMay I look forward to when they can evenly weight or favor vimeo in jam searching. I enjoy that directors and other creative contributors get more credit over there.
Love this. And it's one of those rare tracks that I and my 7 year old can agree to listen to on loop in the car. Even if she has the unshakeable conviction that Rihanna actually sings the words. I'll show her this video.
19 Comments (since 27 Dec 2012)
d0minic
she's one in a billion
BertrandRustles
Incredible.
AlicejustMay
@LadyGulag @BertrandRustles I used to let spare rooms out to language students in my old house, and they were mostly Saudi. There was one very wealthy 17 year old boy who explained the whole driving-in-the-desert phenomenon - loads of his friends had been killed this way - but there was nothing else entertainment-wise or culturally for them as an alternative, so the reckless allure of it was irresistible; especially if they were rich enough to just total whatever car they had.
AlicejustMay
It was fascinating. And while women aren't allowed to drive, there's no actual law forbidding it. The way of life is so alien to what I know - I had no awareness of it before - and I think having an inkling of it now gives this video even more of an impact than it otherwise would. Plus it's a totally kick-ass track.
BertrandRustles
@AlicejustMay I had no knowledge of that. How extraordinary.
MsSue
It was so noticieable that the only female skin exposed in the video was below the elbow! Such a refreshing change from the usual. Great song, great video.
thisismymistake
I'm thinking who the competition might be this year. Polica's Amongster, Alt-J's Tessellate and Beth Jeans Houghton's Dodecahedron come to mind. But when it comes to sheer brass, M.I.A is in a league of her own...
clickysounds
depsite being a huge MIA fan, and the 29million views on that, I was not yet among them. Thanks!
thisismymistake
Oh and PS, Romain-Gavras also has a Vimeo channel. Better quality, no restrictions, and no ad insets... https://vimeo.com/36167539
AlicejustMay
Doh! Thanks, @thisismymistake - should have checked Vimeo out first. Will aim to get into the habit of doing that each time I post; it's not the first time this has been mentioned. @clickysounds Glad to be of service!
clickysounds
@thisismymistake @AlicejustMay I look forward to when they can evenly weight or favor vimeo in jam searching. I enjoy that directors and other creative contributors get more credit over there.
AlicejustMay
@clickysounds From what I'm hearing, Vimeo's star is on the rise big time; so with any luck the balance will tip sooner rather than later.
robbfritz
Love this. And it's one of those rare tracks that I and my 7 year old can agree to listen to on loop in the car. Even if she has the unshakeable conviction that Rihanna actually sings the words. I'll show her this video.
AlicejustMay
@robbfritz Filmed in Morocco in solidarity with the Saudi 'women to drive' movement. Go, M.I.A.
robbfritz
@AlicejustMay was just reading about that yesterday. She's an amazing force of nature.
AlicejustMay
@robbfritz Couldn't agree more.
Trances
excellent video, hardly got any airtime or television play here in the UK. Viewers much preferred their kate perry and lady gaga unfortunately
AlicejustMay
@ythind Confirms a lot about the age group that tends to watch promos / listen to music on mainstream channels...
Swampy
Gee, and I thought I drove crazy ...