Bodacious Breakdown: 'Gravity' by Michael Sembello

The MTV era of music was by far the best and gave us thousands of great (and not so great) music videos to accompany our favorite songs on the radio. As a fun way to rediscover these weird, ground-breaking, sexy, epic, and just plain fun visual masterpieces, I'll be offering my very own bodacious breakdowns which will include stills from the video and my off-beat commentary. The featured video will either be selected at random or suggested by you!

In this edition, I'll be breaking down a video that I NEVER remember watching! The 30th anniversary of the movie Cocoon is this week and while exploring it's Wiki page, I stumbled onto the soundtrack. A quick trip over to YouTube and I was entranced by the B-A-N-A-N-A-S music video for Michael Sembello's "Gravity." Here are the stats (or lack there of)...

Michael Sembello "Gravity" 

Released: Never released as a single

Album: Cocoon soundtrack

Peak Position on U.S. Billboard Pop Chart: Never charted

The Cocoon soundtrack which mainly features James Horners score was originally released in 1985 with reissues in 1997 and a remastered version in 2013. Ron Howard directed and also appeared in the music video which remains as the only video on his resume to date.

Watch the video and then check out my bodacious breakdown...

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0:03 - Ron Howard removes his Raybans to tells us about the harmful effects of using drugs disappearance of Michael Sembello. 

1:00 - Howard introduces us to "Cecil" who will be playing the part of Sembello in this recreation. Looks like he was lucky that Flintstones: The Musical was filming next door.

1:05 - An echo effect and quick count-off leads us into a barren world of grid-shaped portals, exotic pets, and spontaneous lightning.

1:19 - Ever have the feeling you were being spied on by aliens through the sky lights in your home? Those are just the after effects of watching this music video. Maybe the aliens were just curious to get a better look at Cecil's weird beard.

1:28 - After some shirtless back flips, we spy on Cecil's secret recording studio which is apparently located in a greenhouse and features a pyramid of keyboards and a primate deejay.

1:43 - A closeup of the weird beard reveals it is definitely not symmetrical or possbily even intentional. Poor guy must have been putting in some overtime and fell asleep while shaving, only to wake up late for work.

1:55 - After some subliminal clips from Cocoon, the rotating AVP (Audio Visual Pyramid) reveals an innocent looking woman dressed in a bed sheet. This is obviously an intergalactic sign of danger, but will our Sembello stand-in recognize it even with his newly-grown third eye?

2:13 - After more Cocoon clips, we learn that Cecil and his cockatoo producer have now gained control of the sky light portal for some musical inspiration. EWW EWW, grannies working out?! Cecil is a perv!

2:27 - A series of "action" and "ation" rhymes along with moss-covered keyboard playing leads to some interstellar back flips...naturally.

2:42 - More subliminal clips and a hypnotizing spin of our hero transitions to a smoky room with the return of bed sheet lady. Unable to locate her, he follows her smell of wine and cheap perfume.

3:07 - After some hot alien foreplay and gratuitous electric guitar, we learn that Cecil's backup singers are of the aquatic variety.

3:11 - AHHH! Glowing alien hand with a pony tail fetish! Plus, now we can clearly see that the weird beard is actually a map to lost pirate treasure.

3:15 - Bed sheet lady is drowning!! Quick, use your guitar as a lifesaver!!

3:40 - The consequences of spying on aliens with reel-to-reel projectors too close to the pool. Oh and while your at the bottom, will you clean out that disgusting drain? Thanks a bunch.

3:46 - ...and here's a magnifying glass. One of my contacts came out when I was swimming in the forbidden pool yesterday. See if you can locate it for me.

4:31 - The reward for Cecil's pool cleaning skills and training his dolphin backup singers to rap lyrical babble is a prolonged kiss from bed sheet lady. 

4:41 - I'm sorry, did I forget to mention that a kiss from bed sheet lady turns you into a skin-suited alien? Yeah, now float on outta here and someone find me the real Michael Sembello. You know, the one that doesn't act like a maniac. Oh wait...

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