The original iteration of VH1’s “Pop-Up Video” ran from 1996 to 2002 and featured popular music videos with interesting bits of trivia intermittently shown on screen, providing the viewer with information both directly and tangentially related to the artists and songs being played. While the information was usually comprised of charming and innocuous little tidbits, there were some darkly portentous messages thrown in. As such, here are five times “Pop-Up Video” tried to warn us about 9/11.
- Lisa Loeb – “Stay”
We were genuinely intrigued at the knowledge that Ethan Hawke directed this bare-bones little video filmed in a Soho apartment. However, a chill went down our collective spine when one of the bubbles contained the message “Six years from now there will be a catastrophic terror attack in the same borough this music video was filmed in. For the love of God, you need to act to prevent it”. We know hindsight is 20/20, but we really should’ve listened.
- Richard Marx – “Don’t Mean Nothing”
We hadn’t known that Playgirl had ranked Richard Marx one of the 10 sexiest men in rock ‘n roll in 1988, and we certainly didn’t know that the same ranking in 2001 would be overshadowed by the largest attack on our country since Pearl Harbor. The bubbles told us this, and what did we do? We stared slack-jawed at our screens and tapped our feet to this admittedly catchy tune, completely indifferent to the tragedy we could have stopped. Shame on all of us.
- Jewel – “Who Will Save Your Soul?”
“54% of Americans believe organized religion can save their souls” the bubbles told us. “However, the god they are praying to is a cold, indifferent monster who will look the other way as the symbol of American power and economic prosperity crumbles into heaps of ash” they also said. Maybe we were in the kitchen grabbing another Surge or something during this warning. We’ll just tell ourselves that so we can sleep tonight.
- Des’ree – “You Gotta Be”
Black and white television commercials are three times less effective than color ones, if the bubbles are to be believed, which they certainly should be considering all the warnings about the poor communication between the CIA and the FBI and the horrific calamities that were likely to result in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. We were just kids watching an awesome R&B music video, though. What could we have done? Why couldn’t the bubbles have warned somebody with more agency?
- Metallica “The Memory Remains”
Wait, not only did the bubbles warn us of 9/11 during this music video, but they also predicted Metallica’s release of the execrable “St. Anger” in 2003? How could we have sat idly by and let this message go ignored? It’s time we faced up to it: we’re the bad guys here. 9/11 was our fault, and even worse, so was that god-awful song “Frantic”. We’re so, so sorry, America.
