Top Music Videos Set In Philadelphia
You can probably name quite a few movies set in Philadelphia, but you probably wouldn't be as quick to name the number of music videos filmed in the City of Brotherly Love. Here's a short list to help jog your memory.
Summertime
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Released May 20, 1991
Before Will Smith started getting jiggy with it and became a leading Hollywood man, he was known as the Fresh Prince. He and his homeboy, DJ Jazzy Jeff, released a number of albums in the 1980s and 90s, and the duo rapped about--what else?--Philadelphia, their hometown. The video for one of the biggest hits, "Summertime," spent a little time in the top position on the Billboard charts. "Summertime" is basically a feel good tune that makes you want to hit the park, throw a barbecue or just cruise around town. Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_PDns23RWY
Streets Of Philadelphia
Bruce Springsteen
Released Feb. 2, 1994
This somber tune from "The Boss" appears on the soundtrack for the feature film "Philadelphia," also in itself a somber tale. The music video for this song actually features Springsteen walking through the streets from Philly (interspersed with scenes from the film) -- showing both the blight and the beauty of the City of Brotherly Love. Although the song was recorded during the summer of 1993, it wasn't released as a single until the following year. "The Streets of Philadelphia" went on to win several awards, including an Academy Award and four Golden Awards. Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z2DtNW79sQ&ob
A Long Walk
Jill Scott
Released Sept. 26, 2000
"A Long Walk" features artist Jill Scott taking a different kind of walk through her North Philadelphia neighborhood. The song shows Scott sharing words in song with a love interest, with the camera focusing on Scott and her inviting intonations of "let's take a long walk." The song appears on Scott's debut album, "Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1" and it surely had listeners wondering about this young songstress. Scott earned a Grammy nod in 2003 thanks to "A Long Talk." Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSYMKUtNuw8
Gettin' In The Way
Jill Scott
Released Sept. 26, 2000
This song fromJill Scott also appears on her debut album, "Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1," and again features the Philly songstress taking a stroll through the neighborhood, but this time to confront another woman apparently showing her man too much attention. In this video, Scott has the whole block in her Northern Philadelphia neighborhood pulling up a seat to see what looks like an eventual physical confrontation. The single had a healthy run on the Billboard music charts. Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiR6sU1igKM
Freedom Of 76
Ween
Released Jan. 3, 2001
This groovy tune from Dean and and Gene Ween (real names Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman) features the duo getting nabbed while trying to steal, of all things, the Liberty Bell... but that kind of fits the theme of the song, doesn't it? Spike Jonze directed "Freedom Of 76," an apparent tribute to soul groups of the 70s. Ween, incidentally, are not from Philly, but nearby New Hope. Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_vsJuxYGwg
Take A Walk
Passion Pit
Released June 14, 2012
One of the more recent vids from indie pop band Passion Pit, the video for "Take A Walk" takes viewers on a visual "walk" through some of Philly's most iconic sites. Among those that can be spotted during the four-minute music montage? The Philly skyline, Fairmount Park, Boathouse Row, a rooftop in Northern Liberties and City Hall.
