Jack Black was fundamental for The Mario Movie’s success. His depiction of Bowser was a fan favorite. And, I don’t even have to tell you the success of that Peaches song. So, it’s not surprising to see Tenacious D’s Video Games.
The song hit YouTube just a few hours ago. And, we can see the movie’s influence. The song is filled with video game references. So, it’s not unlike The Mario Movie. Plus, it would be dumb to ignore the movie’s effects. After all, it kept breaking records for a while. In fact, only that, plus Evil Dead Rise, kept the box office on fire.
So, let’s dive into everything we got to see in the music video!
Jack Black brings video games to Tenacious D’s repertoire
I would’ve loved to show you the next shots, but censorship. (Image credit: Tenacious D)
Tenacious D has covered a bunch of topics and themes. They’ve sung about epic stories and even music itself. But, they weren’t particularly famous among gamers. So, its Video Games tune is a new direction.
But, it’s not hard to see where it comes from. After all, The Mario Movie broke the box office about a month ago. So, it’s a music video about video games after a movie about video games.
Does that sound like a coincidence? To me, it doesn’t.
Every reference in Tenacious D’s Video Game music video
If you don’t think this is the greatest image, you’re objectively wrong. (Image credit: Tenacious D)
Now, let’s get to the real substance. The music video was filled with references to famous franchises. So, let me list all the references in Tenacious D’s Video Game.
Off the bat, Jack Black mentions God of War, as the Fire Troll shows up. After that, a Deathclaw shows up when he names Fallout. The next take shows us Black as Sonic and Kyle as Tails. Lastly, there’s Red Dead Redemption 2. He spends a while convincing us that they’re not video games.
But, he quickly dives into a bridge, showing several franchises. He doesn’t name them, but you can see them. There’s Zelda, Street Fighter, Minecraft, Tomb Raider, Team Fortress 2, and Megaman.
Finally, he sings the chorus again over a Mario Bros mockup. In the end, he realizes he’s actually been talking about video games.
Video games aren’t the only new addition to Tenacious D
That banjo isn’t just for show, matey. (Image credit: Tenacious D)
Funny enough, video games aren’t the biggest diversion from their themes. The entire song and its arrangement are also unique. You can see Kyle with a banjo in that image above. And, that’s a great hint to what I mean.
I’m talking about country music. Tenacious D has always been tough to catalog. They’re technically a rock band. But, their focus on acoustic guitar challenges that category. Moreover, country music is quite far from their regular style.
That’s not to say it sounds weird, off, or straight-up bad. Quite the contrary, I’m happy to see them branching out. Plus, it’s great to see them nail such a style. I’m not surprised, though. After all, they’re great musicians—and quite underrated.
But, what do you think about the song? Did you catch all the references?
Featured Image Credit: Tenacious D