Music Videos that Work, Work, Work
When I first heard “Work from Home,” by Fifth Harmony, featuring hip hop artist Ty Dolla $ign, I asked myself, “Why is this a hit?”
I realize I’m in the minority here, but the song doesn’t stand out musically or lyrically on the radio. There’s no overwhelmingly catchy beat, building funk or base drum. The producers tossed in unnecessary, distracting and gross high-pitched female squeals in the second verse.
The lyrics repeating, “work, work, work, work,” could almost be viewed as a rip off of Rihanna’s “Work,” or Britney Spears’ “Work, B----,” even though they reference a different topic.
For the few who haven’t heard this song, the message of “Work from Home,” is basically this: Ditch that job, come home and work on my body. The band members sing that they’re sending pictures of themselves to get their man fired, they’re tired of him working the night shift, and he can be the boss at home (wink, wink).
Just to be clear, since the group has been criticized for song’s, ‘you don’t need a job, just come home and have sex with me’ message, “Work from Home” was written by men, men, men. Five to be exact. This is clearly a male fantasy.
Having said that, the women of Fifth Harmony own this song. All you have to do to understand this is watch the video, like 352 million other people.
It opens with a body builder-type guy in a white tank top showing off his oiled, overly tanned muscles hauling a bag of cement. Then it quickly diverts to the lead singer, tossing a shovel on the ground and slithering around his cement mixer.
I find this video hilarious. Each of of band members, dressed in various construction work attire (modified to show off cleavage, thighs and butts) take turns shaking it on the work site.
The stars of the video are not really the women, but the women’s rear ends.
The costume designers cleverly added tan pouches (usually used to hold tools and rags) and tied them around the singers’ waists, so they sit on their butts and flip up and down with each gyration.
The band members shake it on a bulldozer, a cement foundation and on the wooden stairs of an unfinished building frame. If you didn’t think “Work from Home” had a beat, the butt-swinging alone in the video is so prominent you can’t help but jam to it. You almost don’t even notice the high-pitched squeaks.
Never mind the lust-inspired message or crude (and no doubt deliberate) double-meaning of lyrics like, “Ain’t no getting off early.” They’re outrageous and gross, but hey, in the oversexed world of pop, they’re fair game.
Might as well have fun with them. And the ladies do, probably laughing all the way to the bank.
Work from Home ~ Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign
