fripodding and clapping: “valerie” by mark ronson featuring amy winehouse

I heard “Valerie” for the first time about a month ago. I was at a Ruby Tuesdays about to eat an early birthday dinner, and I wanted to try out a new app on my Droid. Not only was I showing it off to other family members, but I was seriously curious about the very catchy tune that was being pumped into the restaurant.

Anyway, the version of “Valerie” I was listening to is what is popular here in the States, brought to you by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse. To a lot of people, this is Winehouse’s song, since you don’t hear Ronson (except the very first second). What I didn’t know at the time, this song is a remake. The original is done by The Zutons. I prefer the Ronson version; it’s very upbeat and catchy. I won’t lie to you; I’ve had this song on repeat for hours at a time. It’s also probably not the best song to listen to while driving because it makes you want to clap. Plus, I think it showcases Winehouse’s wonderful and soulful voice. It’s such a shame she leads the lifestyle she does… which might explain why she isn’t present in the music video. To my knowledge, I don’t have a clue why she isn’t in the video, but I think what they did was a clever way to get around that hurtle of a missing vocalist. Rather than talk about the video and the song, check it out. The “leading act” is the rapper Wale (pronounced “Wally” to those not familiar).

My Droid was a big asset in finding, hearing and eventually downloading this song. YouTube’s first result was actually a remix. I don’t care much for the remix, plus it features rappers I’ve never heard of. It’s probably because the remixing producer and rappers are all from the UK. And that’s not a bad thing. I have nothing against British rappers. I’m just not as exposed to them. But as for the remix of the song, I don’t really care for it. However, I love the video’s design and the pop art poster theme. I’m going to post it anyway so you can enjoy.