Because I received two DVD's filled with Tori videos for my birthday and I almost finished watching them with and without Tori's commentary, I might as well start talking about them.

Nothing Tori does is ever random and although her videos might seem a little low-budget, as Peanut put it, they are always related to the theme of the song, although sometimes quite remotely.

I won't talk about all the videos obviously but some are definitely worth a comment.

Crucify
"Why do we crucify ourselves
Everyday I crucify myself
Nothing I do is good enough for you
Crucify myself everyday
I crucify
And my heart is sick of being
Said my heart is sick of being in chains"
This is an awesome video and a very direct one in that it is very close to the song and you don't need a master degree in symbolic art to understand it. You see Tori's chains being washed away by cleansing water and liberating her after she's spent a fair amount of time putting on the mask. It's quite funny to see her keep singing in her drenched clothes after she does get out of the tub.... and while I'm at it, those cheerleaders, as she calls them, who are present throughout the song are plain hilarious.

Jackie's Strength
"I got lost on my wedding day
Typical, the police came
But virgins always get backstage
No matter what they've got to say"
This one is very beautiful from an aesthetic point of view - all the images are very smooth and in black and white. Tori is in her wedding dress in the taxi that's wandering to get her to the church. As she's being driven all around town she sees all those people she grew up with and how their life have turned out so much different from what they thought.... and eventually she sees her own younger self. That's when Tori gets out of the cab because she couldn't possibly not take younger Tori with her as she's on her way to getting married.

A Sorta Fairytale
"And I'm so sad, like a good book
And I can't put this day back
A sorta fairytale with you"
A Sorta Fairytale was, I believe, Tori's biggest radio hit. A very beautiful song with a pretty weird video - that is, in it, Tori is only a leg (from the knee down) and her male partner, Adrian Brody, is only an arm. Which is very surprising. And sorta distressing... I mean I think this symbolism was a little too in-your-face... at the end of the video, Tori and Adrian end up kissing, which triggers the apparition of whole bodies - they're not just a leg and an arm anymore. Because being with that person is supposed to make you whole. The odd thing was though, that in the song the couple doesn't end up together, although they were supposed to - it was supposed to be a fairytale but somehow things got screwed and there's nothing they can do.

Spark
"You say you don't want it
Again and again
But you don't, don't really mean it
You say you don't want it
This circus we're in
But you don't, don't really mean it"
I love Spark. Spark is awesome. The whole From the Choirgirl Hotel album is great, but it's also very dark and very harsh, so be warned. Anyways, Spark is in part about being stuck in a place that you're not so sure you want to get out of down the line. Although maybe you should. Or not. What do you know? In this video, you see Tori has been kidnapped and while driving away, her kidnapper crashed the car into a forest. Gas is leaking on the ground and he seems to be unconscious. She has her hands tied and something on her eyes to blind her but she gets up and tries to escape. Eventually the man who kidnapped her starts going after her - he is wearing a suit, he is a very professional, charming man. Tori finds a lake in the forest, gets in - this is where the thing on her eyes is removed, see cleansing and purifying water symbolism - swims for a while before getting back into the forest, reaching a road and stopping a car. For a few seconds she thinks she's getting help but after giving her a look, the two girls in the car just leave. And Tori is left alone, still stuck in the same place because you know the man is going to catch up with her.

Cornflake Girl
"Never was a cornflake girl
Thought that was a good solution
Hanging with the raisin girls
She's gone to the other side
Given us a yo heave ho
Things are getting kind of gross
And I go at sleepy time
This, this, this, this is not
Really happening
You bet your life it is"
Cornflake Girl is about how girls easily go about stabbing themselves in the back and it's extremely well illustrated. Beautiful, nice little manicured girls who turn against whoever they feel just for the heck of it. Why watch out for anybody when you can just do whatever you feel like doing?

(to be continued...)