Thank you YouTube. Thank you Lady Gaga. And Thank you soldiers in Afghanistan. My day is now complete.
Every now and then we come across a video worth sharing, and today is one of those days.
A group of U.S. soldiers stationed in Afghanistan used some of their rare free time to put together a reenactment of Lady Gaga and Beyonce’s famous “Telephone” video. Choreographed dance moves, homemade costumes and a couple military jokers make for what may be the video of the year.
Closing in on 3 million views in just one week, this video that was intended to delight the soldiers’ friends and family back home has gone viral.
When he posted the video, 24-year-old soldier Aaron Melcher included the following note: ”This is a couple guys located in Afghanistan, that re-made the music video by Lady Gaga….Telephone. Prepare yourself for a fantastical journey. Right now this is the temporary version, we have more scenes to cut, and edit, however with guys always on mission it is harder to film than you think.”
Temporary version? I can’t wait for the final cut! And gentlemen, where did you get the props in the desert? Particularly the pink “Drama Queen” sash?
The original Lady Gaga video has garnered 28 million views since early March. It would be interesting to study how viral videos such as this one effect music downloads by the artist. I must admit that I have a WHOLE LOT more appreciation for this Lady Gaga song than I ever had before! Similarly, I wonder what the “Best Wedding Entrance Dance Ever” video did for Chris Brown?
Thank you Lisa for sharing. This is great!! You bring up a good point, it will be interesting to see how remake videos effect music downloads. I’m sure we all remember Napster and the reaction on artists that felt users were stealing music. I wonder if musicians will start pressuring YouTube to take videos down that use copyrighted music without permission.
Danielle
Funny! It would be cool to see the number of hits for this video surpass the original, but that could just be because I think Lady Gaga has 4-5 songs better than “Telephone.”
And you asked about the props. As a member of the military, I can attest to the fact that when we’re trying to do something funny or play a practical joke, we can be pretty creative. Some of my co-workers are like the MacGuyvers of Prop Comics.
Aaron
This video is awesome! I’m happy to see those guys keeping in such great spirits over there. I particularly like the guy dancing in place. Great find!