Top pop of the 80s, 90s, and 2000's with female vocalist

1980s  sounds like... 


Whitney Houston - "I Wanna Dance with Somebody"

This video was released in May of 1987 by Arista record label, and was directed by Brain Grant. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" is a music video that shows Whitney Houston and her day dream to "Wanna dance with someone", someone special.

The video starts in black and white, showing Houston wrapping up a performance. The beginning is filmed in a cinematic style. The crowd applauses when she walks off stage as if it were the ending of a movie.  When Houston goes back to her routine life, she dreams of dancing with someone and her world is now full of color and life. 

The video cuts back and forth between Houston dancing with a group of people and her singing on her own, emphasizing the lonely struggle to find, not just someone to dance with, but with someone she loves. 

The video shows Houston and her potential suitors in various backgrounds and different styles  of clothing in order to convey the timeless and common conflict of finding "the one" somebody to dance with. 

1990s sounds like...

Britney Spears - "Baby One More Time" 

Realsed in September of 1998, this video was directed by Nigel Dick under RCA record label. This music video shows Spears sitting bored in class, waiting for the school day to be over with. After the bell rings, Spears and her classmates dance in their high school, as Spears tries to convince her ex boyfriend to get back together with her. 

The beginning of the video emphasizes common school life and sounds, with instant cuts between Britney tapping her foot, tapping her pencil and the ticking of the clock as she longingly awaits for class to be let out. 

The video also uses angelic like lighting in Brittney's hallway dance, as well as a glistening twinkle in her eye while the background is blurred when she explains her innocent mistake in breaking up. 

The video pans out to wide group shots that make use of contrastingly darker lighting and clothing in order to depict the deep sorrow Brittney feels as she pleads for her ex to take her back. 

The video shows Brittney singing and dancing alone and in a group with many other students. This video also uses several parts of her school like the hallway, gym, courtyard and classroom. These aspects of the video seem to convey the intensity of a break up in high school and how it follows a student throughout their entire school day, since seeing your ex and the memories you've made there.

2000s sound like...

Rihanna - "Umbrella"

This music video was released in April of 2007, directed by Chris Applebaum under Def Jam Recordings. In this music video Jay Z calls out to Rihanna "Little Ms. Sunshine", as Rihanna tells her friend/boyfriend/fans/etc that she will be there for them through rain and shine. 

In the video Rihanna is shown as an entertainer in a hotel thats walls are separated between dark gloomy "rain" color and yellow, orange "sunshine" color, showing the performer's loyalty to her friends in both good and bad times. 

Rihanna is also shown naked in over exposed lighting, showing the rawness of her skin and the vulnerability she is both okay with giving and receiving from others. 

The video makes use of special effects with water when it shows Rihanna moving and dancing with the rain, symbolizing her ability to stick around through hard times and her power to change its direction in order to help her friends find sunshine again.  

Throughout the video Rihanna is shown at center of the shot in an outfit that contrast greatly with her back ground. The video puts Rihanna as center focus in the shots making her stand out from everything else, showing that she will always be there and easy to find, no matter what the situation.