Every week, we dig in the archives for videos that we find noteworthy, memorable, or just unbelievably stupid. And then, Jon McMillan breaks ‘em down for you. Why Video Hangover? Because when you watch as many videos as we do, you’re going to feel it afterwards.
“To Be With You”
Mr. Big, 1992
Hell, they thought, if Extreme can do it, so can we.
People: In two years, when early-’90s nostalgia is in full force, and bars are hosting 90210 nights full of nth-wave hipsters in flannel shirts, I encourage you to use this video as a reference point. The ’90s weren’t all about slackers and grunge and gangsta rap — they were also about dudes in terrible vests trying desperately to out-wuss Extreme. Musically, Mr. Big were like the missing link between late-period Poison and any-period Staind; visually, they were more like a Saturday Night Live sketch about a hilariously misguided boy band (guest-starring G.E. Smith as the lead guitarist, Daryl Hall’s hair on bass, and the Pepsi girl on lead vocals). But here’s what puts “To Be With You” over the top for me: Right around the 2:00 mark, while Christian Slater is plinking out a leisurely solo, the video inexplicably changes from black-and-white to color. Now, the second half of the song is nearly identical to the first half, so what are we supposed to make of this chromatic shift? Was the camera broken? Was the first half of the video a dream? Whatever the ostensible reason, it gets my vote for “least dramatic transition ever.”
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i used to like this song, until i realized he was singing about waitin in line to be with this girl…no thanks.
the guitar solo painted the world in rainbow ‘n shit
In all seriousness Paul Gilbert (the lead guitarist) deserves some credit, although probably not from this song. I saw him when he was playing on the G3 tour last year and after seeing him play Satriani and Petrucci could go to hell as far as I was concerned. Great guitarist, and really cool guy too it seemed. I wish he was my uncle or something.
This was totally “our song” for a girl I went out with in junior high. Boy, junior high kids sure have bad taste.
I suppose this song is being used on american idol these days… ugh
is that rivers cuomo at :41 in the pepsi girl video?