Come Into the Darkness

When I first heard of The Darkness, on MTV News strangeley enough, I thought, "Has it really come to this?" There was no way in hell anyone could really be excited about the return of glam/hair metal. Based on the video clips, they were obviously making a splash in England but good luck in America, you bucktoothed, jumpsuit wearing throwbacks. I was wrong. Their first album, Permission to Land, hit #36 here in the states and was certified Gold. Not only that, but I had a complete change of heart and learned to love again. I fell for The Darkness. I was ready for a band that didn't take itself overly seriously. They were somehow able to slyly play up the rock cliches of yesteryear while also executing them with panache. Jump kicks? Check. Double guitar solos? Yes indeed. Unitards? And how. I find the album a bit uneven but the hits are untouchable. Let's set the wayback machine to 2003 and revisit the first 5 videos The Darkness created.

The first single/video is a good way to introduce the band to the beer swilling millions across the pond. Their look and sound were certainly a bit shocking at the time but seeing them rock a capacity crowd allows them to use bandwagoneering to their advantage. After all, 1,000,000 toothless Darkness fans can't be wrong, can they?

Get Your Hands Off My Woman


Video 2 is a great leap forwards. It not only introduces the spaceship concept that runs through the next 4 videos and the album cover but gives us The Darkness' brilliant creation myth. A Pterodactyl mated with a spaceship which in turn laid the 4 eggs that would hatch the band members. Born as children, they commandeer a helicopter, get struck by lightning and emerge full grown men on the front lawn of a castle. Of course, it's mostly a rehash of The Iliad but what isn't? This video has got it all - a naked Justin Hawkins singing in the bathtub, a glowing jumpsuit and skeet shooting with guitars. Is this song about a new love interest or STDs?

Growing on Me


The third video and their biggest hit consists of a killer riff, low budget pyrotechnics and 3 guitar solos. The crab fight is hilarious as is the cardboard stage straight out of MST3K. Beamed in from an alternate universe, this video caught America's attention for a brief moment back when the Jonas Brothers were still zygotes.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love


Not on their album, this special treat arrived just in time for the holiday season. While it may be tied with The Kinks' "Father Christmas" for best Christmas song ever, it is certainly the greatest holiday music video ever made and possibly one of the 10 best videos of all time. Wearing a outfit from the Frederick's of Hollywood seasonal catalog, Justin leads us on a sentimental journey of love and loss at the end of the year which manages to be genuinely affecting. It's not all tears and sadness though as the rest of the band open heartwarming presents and a children's choir shows up to once again fill our hearts with hope and make us believe again.

Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)



Smartly waiting until after 3 barnburners and a holiday classic, The Darkness finally unleashed a power ballad on America and America shrugged. The song is a fine example of the form but the video lacks any of the power and wit of their earlier masterpieces. There is a nice shot of a waterfall though. Oh, who am I kidding? This is totally inessential but please do watch the other 4 videos. As the queen would say, "They're good for a larf."

Love is Only a Feeling