The Best Use Of Casino Games In Music Videos
The music video has been a staple in the music industry for a long time; even now, pairing the music with a visual component pulls in new supporters.
Whether we’re talking about Michael Jackson’s heavily directed ‘Thriller’ which is still imitated to this day, the highly produced film style of artists like Kendrick Lamar on tracks like ‘U’ or the zany, trippy, psychedelic visuals of something like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘WAP’, the music video adds an interpretation and imagination to the music that can’t be replicated with just the lyrics.
This makes the director’s role a bit challenging because they have to interpret the lyrics and figure out the best way to translate those words in a way that will be enticing and entertaining to the audience. The idea is to add metaphors like relating to a prominent figure or a poker reference to get the point better across. Poker is a good example – most people know how to play poker, or at least the basics, which makes the metaphor easier to develop lyrically, and visually. This blog post will go over some examples of music videos using casinos.
Lady Gaga – Poker Face
New York City’s Lady Gaga is one of music’s most unique artists, and for a lot of us, our introduction to her was through her music video for ‘Poker Face’. The metaphor at play here is having a poker face not just at the poker table but in the dating scene as well. Lady Gaga suggests not letting your love interest or someone who is interested in you know how you feel until you’ve figured out your next move. The music video directed by Ray Kay has the legendary artist in multiple scenes where she and her friends are playing poker. ‘Poker Face’ went on to go Diamond with over 10 million units sold and also won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording back in 2010.
Mary J. Blige – Rent Money featuring Dave East
Since the inception of music, artists have used poker literary devices in both their lyrics and their music videos. These devices work because there are plenty of metaphors for life, like raising the stakes, folding, and the like. The imagery works, because people tend to know what common poker hands are, making them flexible for usage in songs and videos. Mary J Blige has been making incredible, raw, passionate, and emotional music for over 30 years now and still has the voice to grab fans, both young and old. In the music video for ‘Rent Money’ we see Mary J Blige and featured artist Dave East at multiple tables trying to get money to make rent. The music video overall itself even plays on the metaphor of going all-in to make ends meet.
Katy Perry – Waking Up In Vegas
California’s Katy Perry has always been a bubbly and entertaining performer, but her visions for her music videos are nothing short of immaculate. In ‘Waking Up In Vegas’, we see Katy Perry win a jackpot playing the slots and what adventures ensue when she gets her winnings. Behind-the-scenes footage and other coverage of the music video show that both Katy Perry and Director Joesph Kahn (known for his work with alternative rock band Linkin Park) came up with the idea for the casino metaphor found in the video. ‘Waking Up In Vegas’ went on to hit #1 in the Top 40 Billboard Mainstream & Dance Club Songs.
Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
Honolulu’s Bruno Mars’s music has been taking over the airwaves and dance floors since he landed on the scene. While he certainly had a fair amount of popularity beforehand, 24K Magic really took him to another level. One of the big reasons for that was the blistering visuals for the music video, which saw Bruno Mars going through some of the best casinos with friends playing along and celebrating with him. The video has already amassed over 1 Billion views and spent over 40 weeks on the Billboard charts.
