Jimmy Fallon just got a big ol’ promotion. I’ve always been a fan of his. He takes his music just seriously enough to make it really good, but not quite so seriously that he can’t have a ton of fun with it. In honor of his new position (and hopefully not the death of his ability to do fun things like this) I bring you my top five favorite Jimmy Fallon music videos.
5) Jimmy Fallon as Jim Morrison – Performing the ‘Reading Rainbow’ Theme Song
This is probably the most musically accurate Jimmy Fallon impression. He sounds SO much like Jim Morrison it’s unbelievable. Plus what 80’s kid couldn’t love the Reading Rainbow theme song. Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high.
4) “Neil Young Sings ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'” – Jimmy Fallon
“Well this is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside-down.” We all know this song, it’s a great show, and still one of my favorite Will Smith creations. Jimmy Fallon has done more than a few Neil Young impressions (including a pretty awesome rendition of Pants on the Ground. This, however, is my favorite Jimmy Fallon Neil Young impression. The harmonica, the voice, and the delivery are all superb. He is VERY good at impersonating Neil Young. Combine that with the original arrangement of this rap song and you have a solid #4 video.
3) Jimmy Fallon, Carly Rae Jepsen & The Roots Sing “Call Me Maybe” (w/ Classroom Instruments)
It was really hard for me to drop this to #3. I LOVE this video. I have to say I believe my favorite part of the video isthat every member of The Roots seems to be having a blast. I was also flat out surprised at how great Carly Rae Jepsen’s voice is. I think years and years of Ashelee Simpson and other lip-syncers have jaded me to the point that I assume the average pop star can’t sing. Here we have Carly, no auto-tune, no monitors, no effects, just her voice; and it’s great. The fact that it is performed (well) with instruments that you could find in any kindergarten classroom is just icing on the cake.
2) History of Rap 5 (Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NO0rArJRR4
The History of Rap series is probably Jimmy Fallon’s most famous. I don’t have much to say about this that hasn’t already been said. It’s wonderful. The first one was historic, but since then I’d say they have been getting better. The performances keep getting more polished, and frankly I think the song selection in this one is the best. Regulators, Mount Up! The Girl Talk-esque mash up of Ludacris’ Move Bitch and Jay-Z’s 99 problems is spot on. The most recent episode (5) is the one I chose to show, but really you can consider this a vote for the entire series. You should probably check them all out if (somehow) you have managed to avoid them to this point.
1) Jimmy & The Muppets Say Goodbye To “Late Night” (w/ “The Weight” from “The Last Waltz”)
Alright I’m a huge fan of The Last Waltz and although I was never what I would call a Muppets Fan my love of Jason Segel (and specifically the revelation that he always wanted to produce some sort of musical stage performance using puppets) has made me appreciate them more. Quite honestly I can’t imagine a better send off for Jimmy Fallon from his former show. This is one of my favorite songs, and I’m incredibly happy to have another awesome version of it. Thanks Mr. Fallon, keep up the good work.
Well that’s going to do it for me. As always, if I’m wrong, or I missed something, feel free to yell at me in the comments. Yo home to Bel Air.