Best Worst Video: “Time Stands Still” by Rush and Aimee Mann
March 26, 2009
Back in 1987 Rush entrusted the video for their song “Time Stands Still” to a guy who was not afraid to use a green screen, spinning Canadians and one or two special effects. I love this song a lot and LOVE the video’s dizzying absurdity even more.
Highlights:
- Neil Pert in tanktop
- Oddly incongruous wilderness background stock footage
- Geddy rocking the “Mom doing housework with her hair in a bun” look
- Angel-voiced Aimee Mann clearly not amused by her role in the video (debut 00:41), a slight smile (01:01)
- Alex Lifeson gleefully spinning in circles like a dim child. (01:15)
- Choreographed double-spins by Alex and Geddy (01:22 and 01:30)
- Aimee left her camera duties to go into the control room for no apparent reason (02:01)
- Wait, she might have hurt her arm (02:16)
- The epic “multiple Rush’s coming at ya ” shot (03:27) (a favorite of Video Toaster wizards) ends with Alex and Geddy hopping in step. Nailed it!
- Followed by Aimee Mann completely bored and snoozing (03:35) “Guys, c’mon this is just ridiculous…”
- Alex Lifeson does fabulous dances with just his chin (03:48)
- Another HUGE choreographed Alex and Geddy 360 spin with spot-on precision (10s all around!) to bring it into the homestretch (04:12)
- Aimee smiles and shrinks and floats away (05:06), leaving Canada for good and never ever speaking with Rush again
Oh yes…I am an unapologetic Rush fan, but their videos are generally pretty laughable – this one just taking he cake. LOVE it…it is so unbelievably terrible you just can’t imagine anyone screening it in the control room and being like “RAD! Send that bad boy to MTV!” Or, maybe you can…
Oh yes…I am an unapologetic Rush fan, but their videos are generally pretty laughable – this one just taking he cake. LOVE it…it is so unbelievably terrible you just can’t imagine anyone screening it in the control room and being like “RAD! Send that bad boy to MTV!” Or, maybe you can…
It actually isn’t a bad video at all.
It has a full theme if you pay attention:
1.)She spins the camera trying to capture as the band floats around
2.)Shots of the band floating with the wilderness background
3.)Some video effects
4.)The band watches her float away (with camera) into the wilderness background
I have no idea of any deeper meaning to the video, but at least there is some structure if you watch it all the way through.
I don’t even care for Rush so why am I commenting on this?
It actually isn’t a bad video at all.
It has a full theme if you pay attention:
1.)She spins the camera trying to capture as the band floats around
2.)Shots of the band floating with the wilderness background
3.)Some video effects
4.)The band watches her float away (with camera) into the wilderness background
I have no idea of any deeper meaning to the video, but at least there is some structure if you watch it all the way through.
I don’t even care for Rush so why am I commenting on this?
This was a hysterical dead on review. Loved every second of it. Pure 80s Gold and an incredible song that never got the due it so richly deserved.
It actually isn’t a bad video at all.
Well, it does have a concept. In the song, the singer is imploring Time to “stand still.” The moving figures in the video are showing us how this feels because they won’t “stand still.”
Interesting that you make fun of someone getting the names of their songs wrong “Huck Sawyer,” “Limelife,” but you don’t know that the song you posted is “Time STAND Still,” not “Time STANDS still.”