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Remember music videos? There was a time not too long ago when they were the only way to actually see an artist outside of concerts and album covers. With the rise of YouTube and other online video platforms, music videos have become a lot more accessible to a wider audience. Yousra and Leslie go over the most viewed music videos of all time.
#MusicVideo #MostViewed #Musician
Transcript
00:00Hi everybody. Welcome to another episode of Rap Rock and All That Jazz. My name is Yusra
00:15and I'm joined by Leslie. Hi Yusra. Hey Leslie, what's up? You tell me. I mean, we've got
00:20something really exciting and more contemporary to talk about today. Yes. A lot of my favorite
00:26things in one subject. I love YouTube. I love music videos. And I'm a bit of a sucker for
00:33celebs. I don't really pretend to be cool enough to listen to underground people that
00:38nobody knows. I like what goes on the radio. That's right. I don't hate it. And I'm a YouTuber
00:44as well. I mean, that's a fantastic invention, I think. You know, when you're bored you can
00:49just run through YouTube and you can source out songs and watch them and see these people,
00:55you know, see these great videos which we're going to be talking about now. Yeah. I mean,
00:59sadly, I feel like YouTube sort of killed music videos on MTV, but... Yeah, that's right. I don't
01:05care. I love YouTube. Anything to that doesn't require me to go sit in a living room and switch
01:10on the TV and maybe or maybe not get the song that I like. YouTube is awesome. YouTube's my MTV.
01:17Yeah, literally. And today we're going to be talking about the top 15 most viewed music
01:24videos of all time as of 2019. Okay. Yes. Awesome. Yes. So I'm going to walk you through them,
01:31hear what you have to say, see if you know some of these people. I'm pretty sure you do. So number
01:3715 of the most viewed music video of all time was Blank Space by Taylor Swift. All right. Great song.
01:44The first part of that, Blank Space, and the second part, would you mention? No, joking. Of
01:50course. We all know Taylor Swift, don't we? Yes. So tell us a bit about this. So this video got
01:56two billion views on YouTube. Two billion. Two billion. And let's remind our viewers that the
02:02world's population is just over eight billion people. Just over, yeah. That means one quarter
02:08of the world has seen this. Yeah. Taylor Swift's Blank Space. I've seen the video. It's awesome.
02:14She looks amazing. So you've, you've watched it. You know, I'm a bit of a liar sometimes. But it's
02:22lovely. It's a lovely video. She looks great. She's a crazy person in it, like a jealous girlfriend
02:28who, and the guy is so handsome. And it's filmed in this like castle. It's a great video. Worth it.
02:36Number 14, Dark Horse, Katy Perry. Have you seen it? Yes, I have. Ancient Egyptian style. And I
02:43think Katy Perry will have another song you're going to talk about. So she's on this list. But
02:47let's not jump the gun. Yeah, let's stay with Yusra. Dark Horse. Yeah, it was kind of filmed in
02:53like an Egyptian themed situation. Did really well on YouTube got 3 billion views. So that jump is
03:02quite big from 2 billion to 3 billion. I actually don't have the specific 3 point what it's like,
03:08around 3 billion. But you guys are getting the picture. So you don't need to. Yeah. 2 billion.
03:16Yeah. Also, I'm gonna link all the YouTube videos in the article when this comes out. So that way
03:22everyone can. That's lovely. So don't forget to read, follow us in dark news and pick up your
03:28piece on this. Yeah. Of this. Okay, number 13 at also 3 billion views is Adele's Hello. Very sad.
03:39Yeah, black and white. Really simple. But very artistic. Yeah, I think people watched because
03:45just how amazing the song is like, okay, not to hate on Taylor and Katie, but they're not exactly
03:52in the Adele league. Yeah, that's right. Well said. Musicians, I think they require great music
03:59videos. Yeah. To gain more popularity. That's right. Yeah. I think people went to that song
04:03Hello because of how good it was. Yeah. It's just like any other video black and white. A little bit
04:11of love. That's music. I think for you, there's some songs that you listen to, for pure merit. I
04:16mean, how good the singers and you even if it's black and white is even if it's just the man of
04:21the woman or the singer. Yeah, you don't mind. But there's some songs that need a story, a story
04:26board. So different strokes for different folks. But this one is a beauty. Yes. Adele's very nice.
04:31One of my favorite singers of all time. So next on the list is lean on by Major Lazer. That was a
04:41fun song. I think that came out a while back when I had just moved to the UAE and it was like
04:46everywhere and all the clubs and it's a great song. Nice memory. I've actually not seen the
04:51video. Have you? No, I don't think I can't remember. But maybe I'm going to go back and I
04:54feel like I should know this. But yeah, a little bit better. Yeah. Yeah. Number 11 is Roar by Katy
05:06Perry. Yeah. So I heard that she wrote that song for Trump. Interesting, because the message is
05:14very political. And if you don't know that, you might think it's about female empowerment.
05:20That's the Trump prior to being the president?
05:25I think he was still about to become president. He was on the radar. Yes. She wrote that song.
05:31And she's dressed like a like a jungle girl. Yeah, yeah. It's a fun video. Yeah. Like I said,
05:39Katy Perry needs that theatrics. That's a very Katy Perry image, right? Isn't it? Yeah, to like
05:46gain also around three billion views. Next is Bailando by Enrique Iglesias. Yeah. I think
05:55anytime like a reggaeton Latin situation song comes up, people like attach themselves to that
06:00and they listen. Yeah. They love Enrique. I mean, the Latin rhythm really makes you move. You can't
06:06stand still. I feel like he made quite the comeback. That's right. Because he started off
06:11and then he got a little bit quiet for a while. And then he was like this, this market, this little
06:17untapped. That's a song that kind of defines Enrique, isn't it? It is. And I was fortunate to
06:22see him perform last year in Dubai. At The Point, right? That's right. And I was inches away from
06:28him being a journalist. So we got really pretty seats. Oh, you got some nice seats. And when he
06:33sang the song, my God, I mean, there's no roof there, but he could have brought the sky down.
06:38It was amazing. It's amazing. Good looking guy. Yeah. Better looking than me. That's not true.
06:46So at number nine, we've got Taylor Swift, Shake It Off. Taylor Swift again. Yeah. I think this is
06:54her only yeah, this is her only other entry in here. Shake It Off. She's pretty consistent at
07:00churning out these big songs, isn't she? Yeah, I think she's really nailed the whole tween
07:07situation. She writes songs for them. She started off as a country singer. Now she's full on like
07:13wearing booty shorts up there. Yeah. In like music videos. So this one she she had like
07:19girls twerking. She had weird band outfits. She was just like very it was a very bright music
07:26video. And you can tell why it does well. People have this crazy obsession with her. I
07:30personally don't get it. I respect her for knowing how to like get that that young like young
07:39audience like that to like pay attention and listen to her. She's very influential. Yeah,
07:44because I don't think she's that great of a singer. No, she isn't. But I like the word you
07:49use bright. I think a lot of videos, which we have talked about, have a certain brightness.
07:53Yeah, just like illuminate the screen. And, you know, yeah, I think that's a key as opposed to
07:58having a dark, oppressive one. Yeah. So I think brightest is the catch word. Thank you. Number
08:06eight is Sugar by Maroon 5. That's a great. That is the best video I've ever seen. Wedding Crashes.
08:14Tell me about it. That was amazing. Like it just it just warms your heart when you watch it. Like
08:18I kind of wish that I was at the wedding, the bridesmaid. Yeah, that was so real. I mean,
08:24obviously it's staged, but it came across as so real. And I think the gate crashed all these
08:29weddings. And I think with that song, because of that video, it is now a staple in the wedding
08:35industry to hear that song. When my friend cut her wedding cake and she was asking me, like,
08:41what song should I play? First of all, you need to prep this stuff. Don't ask me right before
08:47you cut your cake what song to cut. But I told her to play Sugar by Maroon 5. What a choice.
08:52She told me she has no memory because, you know, when you're excited, sometimes things go blank.
08:56But it worked really well. Yeah. That video is amazing. And sometimes, you know what? Even if
09:01a song isn't that good, like we said, the video will bring life to it. Yes, you're right. And
09:06it broke the Internet. I remember when it came out, it was awesome. Of course, Justin Bieber
09:11had to be on this list. He is at number seven with Sorry. Yeah. Or as a Canadian would say,
09:16it's Sorry. Yeah. I made a joke. I've not seen it. Oh, no, I have. I have. Yeah. The dancers.
09:25That's right. And it's like lots of scribbles and like graffiti. It's cool. It's a Justin Bieber
09:30kind of song anyway. Yeah. And I like that he wasn't the focus of the video, that he got like
09:35people dancing. Yeah. It was it was cool. Yeah. I liked it. Very well done. I would say really
09:41well done and deserving of its place. Yeah. In the top 10. Number seven. Yeah. Number six,
09:45Uptown Funk. Yeah. I love that song. I can't I can't stand that song. That's all right. I mean,
09:56because because I grew up, you know, I'm an 80s guy, 70s guy. And funk was a big thing those days,
10:03you know, Prince, Michael Jackson. Yeah. So this song takes a lot from that genre of
10:08funk. But it's got everything. It's got hip hop. It's got it's so cool. It's got so much attitude.
10:13I mean, I mean, I mean, different strokes for different. Yeah, of course. Like we have
10:18we have this thing. I love everything. I know it's a short in a studio. I loved Bruno Mars is
10:25what they call it. Salmon pink jacket. Oh, yeah. A bit outrageous. But it's beautifully
10:31filmed. I thought, you know, the way they they kind of jive on the streets and, you know,
10:35Uptown Funk and wow, getting their hair permed and stuff like that. Wow. Yeah. Honestly,
10:43I will admit that this song does something to people. The video is fantastic, isn't it? Whenever
10:49it plays anywhere, people go crazy. And you know what? I think because of that, they play it so
10:55much that maybe that's why I don't like it, because it's just it's overkill. But I have to
11:01admit, I guess it is a song that's just made to last years. Everyone loves it. And it's good that
11:07the video really helps. You know, Yusra, having said that, I think out of all the songs and the
11:12songs that we're going to talk about as well, Uptown Funk has been one of the most successful
11:16songs, perhaps of all time. OK, it's won numerous awards. It's won awards for Bruno Mars. It's won
11:23awards for production. It's been on every chart in the world from as far away as Australia,
11:27New Zealand, Tasmania, all across the world. So it's a global hit. It's a global phenomenon.
11:33And I'm not saying this because I like it, but it's a song that did so much, you know, for the
11:39careers of, you know, Bruno Mars and, you know, everybody. Mark Ronson. Mark Ronson. He's a great
11:45producer. He's an awesome producer. You know, he tried. I think he's going to perform the same song
11:49at Super Bowl. I mean, to be performing at Super Bowl, you've got to be special. You know, they
11:54don't they don't invite every Tom, Dick and Harry to come and sing. He did it and he wanted
11:59Bruno Mars to sing at it. But Bruno Mars wanted to sing on his own. He didn't want to sing with
12:04Ronson. Yeah. So he turned down the offer. Diva. He didn't. Yeah. Yeah. Bit of a diva. JK.
12:11I think he's part Filipino. That's right. And part Hawaiian. Oh, cool. Nice. He has honestly
12:16fantastic voice. Yeah. I like the vibe, you know, that Uptown Funk vibe, you know, that's pretty
12:22cool. I mean, it's fun. Yeah, it's a fun gig. OK, but we got to move on. We'll be talking about
12:27Uptown Funk. I mean, feel free. Yeah. Number five is one that I've actually never even heard of or
12:34never seen. It's called Masha and the Bear Recipe for Disaster. If I'm right, that's not exactly a
12:42song. OK, I think it's a Russian. It's something to do with Russia. It's a kind of semi-commercial
12:48kind of thing. It's just viewed. I think there's music to it, but I'll be honest as well, guys.
12:53Even I haven't seen it. Four billion views. Four billion views. Well, I think we got to go back
12:59here and take a day to see that song. Like, yeah. Yeah. So, you guys, we didn't know much about.
13:05That's OK. I'll link it in the I'll link it in the story. OK, so this one is getting harder. It's
13:12getting harder. Number four, Gangnam Style. Three billion views. So Gangnam Style actually,
13:20I think, was one of the first record breaking songs on YouTube. I remember when it came out,
13:26it was everywhere. Everyone did the dance. And you know what? How? I mean, I know K-pop is huge,
13:33but this song kind of put Seoul and South Korea on the map. Yeah. Like I read somewhere,
13:40you opened the doors for many artists. Yeah, it did. Like Gangnam Style actually brought in
13:4613.4 million dollars to the country's audio sector. Just wow. Just audio. And it apparently
13:55like really improved their economy in tourism and tourism. Like so many people like there was a
14:02surge in share prices in stocks because of that song. Like just how popular it is. That's the
14:08power of music for you, right? Yeah. Look at that. So they said that he would be a one hit wonder,
14:17which I think he is, because it is that song called Gentleman. I think that was quite good.
14:22A follow up song. I don't know. That did quite well as well. Yes. At least a million views of
14:28something on those lines. But yeah, this song was kind of revolutionary. I mean, it revolutionized
14:33YouTube and people's perception about music. It was ridiculous. It was fun. It was,
14:39you know, there's so many things. Yeah. Yeah. And I think it was just amazing. And I think,
14:47I mean, it speaks volumes for what this Psy accomplished, because I think the song's about
14:53seven years old. 2012. There you go. About six, seven years old. YouTube's only about 10 years
14:59old. So it's been. Yeah. YouTube's pretty young. Pretty young. Oh, wow. Yeah. It's it's it's just
15:06been around for about 10 years or I think it really gained popularity. Yeah. 10 years ago.
15:12So I mean, that's amazing for a song to be sticking around. And it's it's beating Katy
15:16Perry and Taylor Swift. And yeah. Yeah. Look at those people. Some guy from South Korea.
15:24Oh, my God. I'm going to South Korea next month. I'm so excited.
15:26Wow. I'll tell you all about it. Don't forget.
15:30Eddie Marmee. I'll eat a lot. I love Eddie Marmee.
15:37So I'm going to keep going. Number three is Shape of You by Ed Sheeran. Yeah. That's a
15:45lovely song. So, I mean, I don't think it caused any cultural phenomenas or or like
15:50a surge in tourism to the UK or whatever. But it's a great song. Yeah. I think it's
15:55called on two levels because it's it's a great song and it's not multiple levels. A great song.
16:01It also ties up with the movie Fast and Furious 7. And it's also acts as a tribute.
16:07Right. A tribute song. So it's a tribute. Wait, what are you talking about?
16:13See you see you again. No, I'm talking about Shape of You. Shape of You. Sorry about that,
16:18guys. Ed Sheeran. How can we get this wrong? That's Ed Sheeran. If there's anybody that
16:24deserves to be on this list and that too high up on this list. You love him. It is. Yeah,
16:28I love him. I think he's a great talent. And this song is really very Ed Sheeran. Yeah. And it's
16:35it's catchy. Very catchy. The beginning. Yeah. It comes like it's perfect for clubs. It's perfect
16:41for not club. It's like one of these songs that can go anywhere. Right. It's a great song. And
16:46the video is really fun. Yeah, it is. Yeah. It's, you know, it's just like fun and adventurous.
16:51Yeah. Beautifully short. Yeah. I love the lower levels. The camera moves along and
16:57it's a great song. Sorry about that. No, that's OK. Now you can talk about See You Again. So
17:02See You Again with Khalifa, Charlie Puth, four billion views. I think it's become so popular,
17:08probably because of the death of Paul Walker. OK. At least I got that. I actually have only seen
17:19one or two Fast and the Furious films. I don't. I've probably seen more of them, but I've not
17:24really watched the entire from from beginning to end because I know I'm not I'm not a big fan of
17:29these series and cars and that thing. But like I said again earlier, it works on so many levels
17:34because it ties up with the movie Fast and Furious, which is a very popular franchise.
17:38Yeah, exactly. And it's a tribute to Paul Walker. I mean, who was immensely, I think
17:43this is one death, one person who passed away and really rocked the world. A lot of people
17:47devastated. Yeah. I remember Facebook almost broke Facebook, you know, with the tributes
17:53that friends were putting out for him. So it's a nice song. It's Eric Clapton wrote a song for
17:59his son, Tears in Heaven. His son fell off of outside the balcony and cruelly died.
18:04So he wrote this song. So these are songs that kind of hurt. They target the heartstrings,
18:10but they at the end of the day, they're tributes. So you've got to take it in the right spirit.
18:14Yeah, I know. But the popularity of the video, because I guess, like you said,
18:19has parts of the movie. It has the cast and it has a lot of Paul in it. So I think people were
18:25just like, yeah, we got to watch it. We love him. He went far too young. Yeah, it's great. It's a
18:31great song. Wiz Khalifa also is a great producer. So, I mean, you can't deny his hand in this song,
18:36you know, Charlie Puth, a good singer. I hope he's not the one he'd wonder.
18:40I think he's done like two or three other songs. Okay. Like one with Selena Gomez, I think. He
18:46doesn't really ever do anything by himself, I noticed. All of his things are collaborations.
18:50That's clever, isn't it? Smart. Yeah. Like me, I can't do the show without Yisra. Can I? No way.
18:58Yeah, well. Climbing closer.
19:00Okay, now we're at number one. No, we missed number two.
19:04No, man. Number two was See You Again. Okay, number one. Yeah. All right. That's okay. I
19:10got a wrong side of the bed today. Please forgive me. Yeah, you had it. So we need a drum roll for
19:15this. And the number one song is. I'm pretty sure everyone can guess that it's Despacito.
19:22Louis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber. No, Justin Bieber did the remix. It's basically
19:29Louis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, both Puerto Ricans. Yes. And I think the meaning of Despacito is
19:36slow it. Slow down. Slow down. Yeah, yeah. Yes. And so the thing about Despacito is that
19:44when it came out, Puerto Rico had to declare bankruptcy. So they were 70 million dollars
19:49in debt. And then when that song came out, you know, like this is how we do it down in Puerto
19:54Rico. There was like a crazy surge in tourism in Puerto Rico. So people were flying there. People
20:01were booking hotels. And because the video is like a love letter. It's a carnival. It's a shot
20:07during a carnival. It's beautiful. We know the fiestas, the carnivals in Brazil and Puerto Rico
20:11has it. And it's so colorful. And like you used earlier, the word bright. Yeah, it's so bright.
20:16It's a happy video. And it's got the simplest beat. You tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.
20:20Everybody, anybody can can understand, get that vibe, move to that beat, you know. And
20:26interestingly, it's sung entirely in Spanish. Yeah, you're right. Out of the five billion people
20:32who viewed this, six billion. I don't think more than one billion could understand Spanish.
20:38Oh, yeah, no. But look at that. You're listening to a song because of the vibe, the things it does
20:43for you. And it's just a great song. It's a great song. It's overplayed, but it's great. When it
20:48comes on, you just can't resist. So basically, their tourism grew by 45 percent because of that
20:54song. And I remember like Louis Fonsi came to UAE and my colleague Donna interviewed him. She says
21:03he's so nice and really friendly and that he like can't believe how impactful this song was.
21:10Why do you think it had such a big impact, Yusra? I mean, I don't know. Was it the video,
21:15the song, the rhythm? I think it came at a time where people, I think, just wanted something a
21:22little different. And the reggaeton was starting to grow. And I think they paved the way because
21:27now you've got like all these guys coming out with this. Like I have a playlist of like 20 songs
21:33that's just pure like reggaeton. But there's bad reggaeton and there's good reggaeton. This is
21:38definitely good reggaeton. It's great reggaeton. And it's number one. So basically. That's an
21:45interesting list. Yeah. Billions of people. Billions of people. And, you know, I've been
21:49traveling a fair bit this year and everywhere, you know, most of Europe and England. And I see
21:54buskers performing on the street. Nine out of them, nine out of 10 of them are playing Death
22:00Proceedings. Yeah. Guys on accordions, guys on a sax, guys on guitar. So you can see the impact.
22:06And there's one other song which isn't in that list, but I think should have been. OK. Was Havana.
22:13Oh, yeah. Camila. Camila Cabello. That's a lovely song. That's a very
22:19Despacito kind of song as well. A little bit. Yeah. I don't think she put as much effort in.
22:25Yeah. But it's OK. Maybe didn't rock enough. I mean, it's a cute song. Yes. A bit repetitive,
22:31but it's a lovely song. It's a gorgeous last song as well. Yeah, it is. The Latin rhythms and,
22:38you know. OK. It's awesome. So you're you would say Havana deserves a spot. I would say Drake's
22:49song God's Plan. Yeah, that's a great song. And you know what? I love how they started the video
22:54because they're like, this much was our budget. Here's what we're going to do with it instead.
22:59And they gave it away to people. And it just makes you so happy. Like I probably would react
23:04that way if Drake walked up to me like I love him. Yeah. Do you think you think like K-pop,
23:10rap and rock? And I mean, black music is is too niche, you know, because if you look at the list,
23:15there's not many songs from like from that genre, hip hop, R&B, which is a bit strange, isn't it?
23:23It's unfortunate. But I think people love the mainstream crowd loves a lighter, happier beat.
23:32Yes, that's true. We used to call it bubblegum pop. It is. It is super bubblegum-y. Like if
23:37you think about this, like blank space, lean on, roar, shake it off. A bit like fast food. Yeah,
23:44but lasting effects, as you can see, people still go back and watch these videos today.
23:50But yeah, that's it. I mean, music videos are such a major part of so many songs. And I think
23:57we saw that today. And YouTube culture kind of brought music videos back into popularity again,
24:03which is very nice. It's very lovely. Yeah. I mean, when I grew up, there was nothing of the
24:08sort. There was no television, YouTube. So at least the kids today and the future generation
24:14have got so much excitement in their lives. It's awesome. It's a good thing. Everything.
24:20I'm interested to see if anybody can take these guys on and break into that. I'm sure there's
24:26some song out there waiting to be written, waiting to break the net. Well, if someone breaks the
24:31record, we'll definitely do an episode. And that's it for today. Thank you so much for tuning in.
24:37And we'll see you next time with a nice episode, something different. I don't know. Absolutely.
24:42Thanks, guys. And keep watching and following us on gulfnews.com. Okay. Bye for now.