It seems everything has to be Olympics related this month and music is no different. Going at the "b of the bang" is Kanye West's new song and video, "Champion". While the song isn't his best, the video is pretty great with an all-singing, all-dancing, all-running, puppet version of Kanye (complete with trademark "shutter shades") representing the US in the 100 metre dash.
See for yourself. On your marks...
Of course he's not the first to try this theme, so, in the Olympic spirit, here are my three podium finishers of sports related music videos.
Bronze
For "Elektrobank", the Chemical Brothers went to the gymnastics arena, in this video, directed by Spike Jonze and starring his then girlfriend (and now ex-wife) Sofia Coppola, showing more animation in a couple of minutes then she did in the whole of Godfather III.
Silver
Directed by Harmony Korine, Cat Power's "Living Proof" saw her don a red PVC tracksuit and take a turn for the surreal. Featuring the singer going long distance with a cross on her back, Black Power salutes and nuns doing the steeplechase. Which is nice.
Gold
20 years after performing poorly at his school sports day in south London, Roots Manuva decided to return to the scene of the crime in "Witness (1 Hope)" and atone for past failures. The kids didn't know what hit them.
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