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One Video: Wait by Maroon 5

One Video: Wait by Maroon 5

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Every week, a slew of new music videos hits the web. Watching them at your desk is not time theft because you deserve it; think of it as a nice reward for surviving another work week. But what if you don’t have time to watch every video — maybe you have a deadline, a hungry pet, or other grown-up concerns. In consideration of your schedule, Lizzie and Kaitlyn bring you a series called One Video. Each week we’ll tell you “one video” you need to watch, why, and for how long.

This week’s video: “Wait” by Maroon 5

Lizzie: I’m sorry to say that Adam Levine has duped us again. Maroon 5 published a Snapchat-based music video this week while everyone else was off releasing black-and-white parking garage videos and being Scientologists. So we’re left with this: a video for “Wait,” in which Levine half-heartedly lip-syncs while pretending he’s a cartoon koala, or that he wears glasses.

Kaitlyn: I don’t know what to tell you. But I could suggest that you thank us for not pointing out that The Chainsmokers have released something called “Sick Boy,” or that Justin Timberlake has done this for whatever reason:

All this is to say, reluctantly, that it can’t always be the best week in music videos, but you have to watch at least one anyway, to stay abreast of what is happening in the art form. This will be the last time the word “art” appears in this post!

Who is Maroon 5?

Lizzie: Maroon 5 is a five-piece band that has been making music together since 2001. Before that, four of the members were in a high school band together called Kara’s Flowers. Now that it’s 2018, the band has mostly become “Adam Levine, plus musicians,” which is why you won’t see anyone but Adam in this video. It could also be because none of the other members have Snapchat.

Kaitlyn: If it seems to you like Lizzie is a little bit hoping that you won’t remember a fact we revealed a mere three weeks ago — the fact that Maroon 5 performs one of her top-played songs of 2017 — you’re right. She was hoping that!

I hate to say this, but Maroon 5 in 2018 is just “the guys who at one point made the beautiful songs ‘She Will Be Loved’ and ‘Woman,’ from Music from and inspired by Spider-Man 2,” and “are now more or less interchangeable with the least interesting member of One Direction.” That said, Adam Levine was in three episodes of American Horror Story in 2012. And that said, in one of the episodes he’s just a dead body.

What’s special about “Wait” by Maroon 5:

Lizzie: I guess what’s special about it is that anyone else with a smartphone could make it, so if you’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to re-create a Maroon 5 video, now’s your chance. If you pay close attention to the background of the video, you’ll also get a peek into the many habitats of Adam Levine, which include a kitchen, a tree, a ballpit, somewhere with interesting stonework, and outside.

Kaitlyn: What’s special to me about “Wait” by Maroon 5 is that Snapchat launched in July 2011. Adam Levine has just discovered one of its core features! The lived reality of fantastically wealthy pop stars is actually unfathomable to me, an issue I run up against almost every day of my life.

How long everyone should watch “Wait” by Maroon 5:

Lizzie: I can’t say you’ll miss much if you skip around, but the koala face at 0:18 is truly disorienting.

Kaitlyn: I like the part at 1:22 where it’s just a meerkat with Adam Levine’s mouth.

And, you know? It’s Friday. Now that I think about it, the “Sick Boy” video is pretty funny and you should watch it.

The Chainsmoker that sings informs us, “I’m from the east side of America,” and later, “I live on the west side of America” in a very forceful way that makes it sound kind of like he thinks that’s an interesting personal identifier? An incredible showing this week by men who are somehow making lots of money by producing pop music that does not bring anybody very much joy!