Video: Musicology

From Prince Vault
Jump to: navigation, search
2003: North Music Videos
(Prince)
Music Videos
(Related Artists)
2004: Call My Name
Musicology

Musicology music video selected snapshots

Music Video details


First aired: 12 February 2004
Producer(s): Melissa Larsen (Anonymous Content)
Director: Sanaa Hamri
Related home video/DVD: Musicology CD
First (Commercially) Released: 27 March 2004

Awards


Date Institution, Country Award
This music video has not received any awards in the USA

Musicology is a Prince video released for broadcast and to promote the single. The video was included in an enhanced part of the Musicology album (CD version).

The video was shot in Los Angeles, California over two days in October 2003 and directed by Sanaa Hamri. It is the first promotional video for a song to feature the full line-up of The NPG with John Blackwell, Rhonda Smith, Renato Neto, rad., Greg Boyer and Maceo Parker who went on tour with Prince for the World Tour 2003 just a week after this shooting.

The storyline for this video is a kind of time travel with a 10-year-old Prince (played by Lil’ C) in the sixties who is a music lover (apprentice guitarist with posters of Sly & The Family Stone in his bedroom, who also dances with a vaccum-cleaner as a mic stand) and goes to see his favorite artist in concert. Intentionally or not, the video is full of temporal paradox and anachronisms as the kid buys a Prince 7" record ( Musicology) and attends his concert. Wardrobe-wise, as in Cream, two different styles coexist with the sixties and some contemporary hip hop characters. Among the anachronisms we can note the b-boy stance (during the line about Chuck D and Jam Master Jay) and Earth Wind & Fire’s "Spirits" 1976 album. An autobiographical element is inserted at the end of the video when the father carries his son on his shoulders to put him on the stage for him to dance during the concert. This scene is based on the famous story that his stepdad did the same for a 10-year old Prince when he took him to see a James Brown concert ("When I was about 10 years old, my stepdad put me on stage with him, and I danced a little bit until the bodyguard took me off." - MTV Interview 1985).


Shooting Information
Shooting Sessions
Date Location Additional info
10 October 2003 Counterpoint Records & Books (5911 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA, USA) and unknown studio location Los Angeles, CA, USA Storyline scenes
11 October 2003 Tower Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA Performance
Cast
  • Prince
  • John Blackwell
  • Rhonda Smith
  • Renato Neto
  • rad.
  • Greg Boyer
  • Maceo Parker
  • Fatima Robinson - Stage dancer 1
  • Aakomon Jones - Stage dancer 2
  • unidentified other dancers
  • unidentified male sync dancer 1
  • unidentified male sync dancer 2
  • Lil’ C (C.J. Burton) - young Prince
  • unidentified actor - Counterpoint Records & Books clerk
  • unidentified actor - dad
  • unidentified actor - bouncer
  • unidentified actor - refused guest 1
  • unidentified actor - refused guest 2
  • unidentified actor - soldier 1
  • unidentified actor - soldier 2
  • unidentified extras
Crew
  • Sanaa Hamri - director
  • Deborah German - casting director
  • Melissa Larsen - producer
  • Fatima Robinson - choreographer
  • Aakomon Jones - choreography
  • Jo Willems - cinematography
  • Albert Cuellar - pops
  • Steve Kokor - editor

Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Musicology 4:57 Musicology enhanced CD (2004)

Prince YouTube channel (2018)


 
Additional Information

See Also Quotation & triva

Musicology single.jpg


References
2003
North
Music Videos (Prince) Music Videos (Related Artists) 2004
Call My Name