Top 10 YouTube Videos of 2014 - TopX Ep.25
#10: Devil Baby Attack
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- As we saw in our episode about Prank Channels, pranks and YouTube essentially go hand in hand. It may then be a bit confusing to those who saw that episode as to why this channel with this devilish prank was excluded. The explanation is simple, this prank has a much more sinister motive – Viral Marketing. - Created by Thinkmodo, this demon baby jack in the box was actually created to promote the movie Devil’s due. With 50 million views, it’s safe to say that this campaign was more successful that the movie it was promoting. - That’s not to say they didn’t work hard on this one. Not only is the baby frighteningly lifelike, but his stroller is even rigged with a remote control as well, meaning it could chase down potential victims that tried to flee. Damned if they aren’t creative.
#9: "Apparently" This Kid is Awesome, Steals the Show During Interview
- If you only had one shot at fame would you take it? Cuz, apparently all you need is an interview with a local news station at your state fair to become a viral sensation – as little Noah here proved…apparently. - If there is one thing that people find irresistibly cute, it’s small children acting like adults, and little Noah here just used the perfect combination of big words, one in particular, and a deadpan delivery to make himself an overnight phenomenon. - As someone who talks on camera for a living, this is all extremely frustrating. If I pronounce something funny or don’t use enough synonyms, I get destroyed in the comments. This kid does it and he gets to go on Ellen! Go Figure.
#8: 10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman
- Coming up next is video that’s rather controversial for a number of reasons, which we’ll get to in a second, but either way, it’s one you definitely found yourself talking about at some point in 2014. - Attempting to demonstrate the sort of sexism and harassment a woman faces almost every day while walking on the street, Shoshanna Roberts was filmed as she walked around NYC for a few hours. The results, initially, seemed to speak for themselves. - However, there was a considerable amount of backlash generated by this video on all sides. First, and most damningly, Hollaback, the New York based group that collaborated on the video admitted to editing out some of the white catcallers, whom many claim created an unfair and rather racist bias towards the men of colour who WERE left in. However, the woman featured in the video received a fair amount of rape and death threats for her participation – essentially proving the sexism angle the video was trying to expose. Whatever your opinion, this one got people talking.
#7: Always #LikeAGirl
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- At #7 we have another video which deals with sexism and the perception of women in society – this time they’re trying to sell you something, but that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise because the message is definitely a bit more positive. - Essentially, the video shows some young women and a few young men being asked to do things “like a girl”. Run like a girl, throw like a girl, etc. Then the same questions are posed to young girls, and the responses are somewhat different. Basically, the younger girls show more athletic tenacity, more vigor, emphasizing that…you know… society hasn’t crushed their spirits yet. - Originally a Super Bowl commercial, the idea behind the video is to de-stigmatize the term “like a girl” – to remove it’s negative connotation and to examine how such a label can be damaging to a young woman’s self esteem. They may be trying to sell you…feminine products…but the moral is still commendable.
#6: Sia – Chandelier
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- At #6 is the first VEVO video to appear on this list, and might be the first VEVO channel to appear on this show. Here to get stuck in your head is Sia’s Chandelier. - Written and performed by Australian singer Sia, Chandelier gained 4 Grammy nominations and is currently the 19th most viewed video in all of YouTube history. - Sia herself doesn’t appear in the video, although she did direct. Instead, the video is focused on the young dancer Maddie Ziegler, clothed in what’s quickly become her standard outfit, which you can also see on display in the video for Elastic Heart. - As with any popular music video, especially the artsy ones like this, there are multiple parodies, which exist, perhaps none more famous than the one recently featured on SNL with Jim Carrey.
#5: Lip Sync Battle with Emma Stone
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- Hey remember when late night TV was popular for their actual interviews and host, and not just for the skits they put out online? Me neither, but who cares about Jimmy Fallon anyway …unless he’s doing one of his extremely viral Lip Sync Battles. - Appearing on the show to promote The Amazing Spiderman 2, Stone is naturally challenged by Fallon to a lip sync battle. He opens with Iggy Azalea’s Fancy, but she proves her verbal mastery with Hook by Blue Traveler. - Fallon almost takes it all down with his rendition of Mr Roboto by Styx, but true to the name of the song she picked, Emma eventually takes the crown with “All I do is win” by DJ Khaled. Extra points were definitely awarded for creative use of camera angles. - This segment was so popular recently that Spike TV has started an entire stand alone show out of it, hosted by LL Cool J – naturally.
#4: First Kiss
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- At #4 we have the ultimate in soft-core lady-porn. Yes it’s that first kiss video that every female Facebook friend you have probably shared at some point last year. - Okay, I can snark all I want, but in truth this is a well-made video with a simple concept. Perfect strangers kissing for the first time. It’s so simple and well put together; you’d swear they were selling something. Oh wait, they are… never mind. - Yes it turns out that this video was put together by Melissa Coker, founder of the Wren clothing company, and the video was intended to promote the new fall clothing line. I’m not sure how well that collection sold, but damn was this ever a popular video.
#3: Katy Perry – Dark Horse ft. Juicy J
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- Out of all the VEVO channels that dominate YouTube, there’s none more dominant than Katy Perry. In fact, one of the top five VEVO videos for 2013 was her video for Roar, so it should come as little surprise that the #1 VEVO video for 2014 was her clip for Dark Horse, ft Juicy J. It got nearly a billion views! - The song itself is a mashup of pop, hip-hop and trap, so it makes sense that the imagery in the video is a mashup as well. Blending Ancient Egyptian imagery with Americana, bright colors, fancy costumes and nice amount of special effects abound. - The video is not without it’s controversy though. One of Katy’s potential suitors, in the video, apparently was wearing a pendant that bore the Arabic word for Allah. This was apparently digitally removed from the video, following a petition.
#2: Nike Football: Winner Stays by Nike Football
- 2014 might go down as the year when Viral Videos were completely co-opted by branding, especially if this list is any indication. Well, here to sell you sporting goods is another video that’s still pretty sweet; Nike put this one together. - The premise is actually pretty cool. Essentially a regular game of pickup “football” becomes epic as the players call out which famous star they “are” and then magically transform into them – leading to a star studded video featuring Ronaldo, Nermar and Rooney to name a few. Of course, the final goal is scored by an average joe – because all he needed were those sweeeet Nike cleats and the power of believing in himself. - Of course, to expand their demographic past soccer a little bit, there are a few non-footballers who appear as well. Kobe Bryant, Anderson Silva, and even the Incredible Hulk have brief cameos. - Of course the video is terribly unrealistic, and not because the players magically morph into their favorite stars at a whim, but rather because there are a total of 5 goals and the game looks fun to watch. Totally not soccer. Before we get to our top pick, here are some honorable mentions
#1: Mutant Giant Spider Dog
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- Thankfully our top pick isn’t trying to sell you anything – although you may be inclined to stock up on bug spray after watching. YouTube’s most popular video for 2014 wasn’t a music video it was the Mutant Giant Spider Dog. - Created by Polish prankster Sylwester Wardega and his weiner dog Chica, the premise is super simple: dress Chica up like a spider and scare the crap outta people. - Although there are a few elaborate setups involving web wrapped body parts, the best part of this video is Chica. Not only do her movements help to simulate the bobbing of the spider’s legs, but the enthusiasm with which she chases down her victims is both cute and terrifying. Terrifying to think that a spider that large could be coming at you, but cute once you realize it’s just a dog who probably just wants to play. - After a series of music videos and veiled advertisements, it’s nice to give the top spot to what YouTube does best – cute animals and watching strangers get the crap scared out of them.
