Jessie J: Price Tag
Ching-ching: Bubbly pop song gets a playful Toy Story concept video
If you’ve been anywhere near mellow urban R&B and Top 40 pop radio for the last four years, you can easily recall every single musical influence in Jessie J‘s single “Price Tag.” (Alicia Keys’s “No One,” Chrisette Michele’s “Baby, I’m a Star”). Its light reggae beats and Jessie J’s Brit accent may throw things off, but the similarities are there. Still, the song is Jessie J’s breakout tune here in the US, climbing to number 23 pop so far. To raise the song’s profile, a concept video had to be next in line.
The concept video does a decent job captializing on the song’s bubblegum poppy factor. Zoom into the mechanics of the backdrop and you’ll quickly notice it being a crossbred between Toy Story and Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday album cover, with a light brush of pink and white. The decor is very small. There’s money trees, teddy bears and a couple childhood favorites (such as miniature army men) involved, possibly exaggerating the obviously happy, feelgood melodies, but the emptiness of the room leaves more to be desired. It sort of feels as if things would have been more effective if Jessie J was let loose in a Toys R’ Us at Christmastime. Thankfully, B.o.B.’s enters the picture, showcasing his specially-designed rap. His cool rhymes and crossover persona – like on 2010’s “Nothin’ on You” – lifts the song to a place of sweet satisfaction.
J MATTHEW COBB
