Aaliyah :: Rock the Boat (Aaliyah)

Sigh... This is my third time re-writing this damn thing.  Most of you think I have no life typing this on easter, but I'm just waiting so I figure why not.  What happened is my web browser kept on quitting... So if this review sucks more than the previous one... that is why!

Anyway, it was rather hard for me to look at this video as just another music video and I'll tell you why: this was the last video Aaliyah did before she died.  In fact, she finished the video early and she and the people working on this pack themselves on the plane with heavy equipment.  The weight the plane was carrying exceeded what it was designed to do and the plane crash not too far from take-off.  However, people also found that the pilot was not approved to pilot the plane he was trying the pilot and an autopsy report showed traces of alcohol and cocaine... Anyway, enough with the history lesson and onto the review!

As I said in a previous entry, I think the song is pretty great. Its grooving enough to dance to and chilling enough to relax to.  Her voice seems one with the music in the sense that her words don't really say anything since its more of an instrument at this point.  I would give it a 8/10 because its one of Aaliyah's best but it isn't anything groundbreaking. 

As I analyzed the lyrics, I had a feeling that the song was a big sexual innuendo.  I was hoping that I was being way too dirty minded for my own good but this part confirmed it:

I have nothing against that since its the subject of the song.  Its a nothing message that appears in a lot of popular songs these days.  I forgive it since the song is so grooving and I just love Aaliyah.

Since the song has not much of a point, neither does the video.  To summarize the entire video, the video just features cameos of Aaliyah in different locations either baffing about or dancing with a group of dark-skinned girls.  Before the music begins, Aaliyah is walking along the shore.  She turns around and approaches the camera.  As the music starts, the camera also shows Aaliyah, dressed in white beach clothes, dancing with the girls, also dressed in white, on a completely white sailboat. 

I have to say from the start that I'm a big fan of the contrast of the white clothes and boat with the girls' skin.  It really showed off their curves and movements. I just like dark-skinned girls wearing light fabrics in general.  I remember I watched a Beyonce video once in which she was in a sunny, yellow dress and I thought she was stunning.  On the flipside, I think white girls such as myself should wear dark colors.

Now back to the video. After a certain point, the dancing girls are featured again in white tops and denim bottoms.  They seem to be dancing on water but don't quote me on that. The video flips from that scene to Aaliyah singing towards the camera facing from an upward angle.  She seems to be still standing on water.

At the end of the video, Aaliyah is shown on the beach again, but in a very red outfit complete with a red hat and bright red lipstick.  Inbetween those cameos are scenes of her gliding underwater.  She seems very mermaid-like with her clothes and wavy hair flowing with the water currents. The video ends with the camera looking on Aaliyah underwater from below and Aaliyah swims upward.  The surface is completely bright from the sun and the immense sunlight engulfs her. 

The video isn't anything special. Its really just a bunch of images put together for a song, really.  I'll give it a 5/10.  It would normally get below average.  But I love Aaliyah and her great dance moves.  I think the colors were well put together, especially on the boat scene.  I'll have to give it props for that.