In recent years, animal-inspired wardrobes have become a popular feature in music videos, allowing celebrities to showcase their creativity and add a unique element to their visuals. From simple animal ears to full-body suits, these costumes have transformed performers into different creatures, adding a touch of whimsy to their performances. So, what makes creative media and animal-themed entertainment so appealing to fans?
Creativity always shines through music videos
From the weird to the wonderful, there have been many creative music videos released by artists over the years. Music videos are an opportunity for artists to not just release their new music but also create scenes and stories with what they choose to put in the music videos too.
From a homecoming dance in ‘Dance Dance’ by Fall Out Boy, to a comic book come to life with A-ha’s ‘Take On Me’, plenty of artists and bands have demonstrated creative storytelling through their music videos. Some music videos have even had big movie energy with how creative they have been.
Embracing the theme of animals in the entertainment industry
Animals have been used in a variety of entertainment industries for a while now, from films and TV shows to video games and music videos. They often add an emotional aspect to storytelling, such as Will Smith’s pet companion, a German Shepard called Sam, in ‘I Am Legend’. In more recent films, a whole 4-film John Wick franchise was released, which started off involving his pet dog.
In gaming, animal themes have long been used in console and online games. Games have even been centred around animals as the main characters, such as ‘Stray’ about a stray cat in a futuristic world and ‘Untitled Goose Game’ about a chaos-causing goose. Some popular slot features in slot games include animals too, like the cuddly toys in ‘Fluffy Favourites’ and various animal symbols in ‘Wolf Gold’. In the recent game, Hogwarts Legacy, players can even pet cats around Hogwarts Castle too!
Animal-related creativity in the music industry
In the creative process of coming up with band names, song titles, and music video ideas, many artists have embraced an animal theme.
Many songs have been named or been about animals, such as the power song ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ by Survivor, the classic hit ‘Who Let The Dogs Out?’ By Baha Men, and ‘Hound Dog’ by Big Mama Thornton (and famously covered by Elvis Presley). Band names have also been inspired by animals too like the Eagles, Arctic Monkeys, and who could forget about The Beatles?
There have also been plenty of animals which have starred in music videos too, from horses to jungle animals. Katy Perry’s music video for ‘Roar’ features monkeys, parrots, and tigers and Taylor Swift’s music video for ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ featured her sitting on a throne with snakes.
Recently, Lewis Capaldi’s official video for ‘Wish You The Best’ has had fans, and animal lovers, reduced to tears. His trending emotional music video follows a small Terrier called Willow, and the music video story has had many fans heartbroken after watching it.
Top music videos featuring animal costumes
While themes and styles vary far and wide in the music industry, one consistent creative choice for music videos is utilising animals in some form. Other than using real animals or CGI ones, some artists have taken an even more creative direction by using simple animal costumes instead. Here are just some of the best music videos which have starred them:
- ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ – Taylor Swift
In the music video for ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’, the band playing with Taylor are all seen wearing a variety of animal costumes, creating a playful and quirky atmosphere that matches the upbeat tone of the song.
The iconic video features a donkey, bear, squirrel, and more, with simple face paint and instruments in hand. Fans still love this masterpiece of a song ten years on and still love this quirky music video.
- ‘Paradise’ – Coldplay
The music video for Coldplay’s ‘Paradise’ showcases an imaginative use of animal costumes that adds a whimsical touch to the song’s narrative. The video follows an elephant who is embarking on an adventure to reunite with his friends after escaping from the zoo.
Coldplay’s video is full of creativity with just a simple animal costume, as the dressed-up elephant travels on the London tube, boards a plane, and even rides a unicycle. The creative use of animal costumes in this music video reinforces the theme of breaking free and embracing friendships in a charming and memorable way.
- ‘Occidentali’s Karma’ – Francesco Gabbani
The music video for Francesco Gabbani’s ‘Occidentali’s Karma’ presents a captivating display of creativity through its inventive use of animal costumes. With just one gorilla costume and some simple dance moves, Gabbani’s music video is catchy and entertaining to watch.
As Italy’s singer for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, Gabbani’s performance also featured the gorilla costume yet again, and he went on to land sixth place in the Grand Final. The fun music video helped to capture Eurovision fan’s hearts,and many still class it as an iconic Eurovision song to this day.