After watching this music video a number of times now and pondering about it, I’m convinced that it’s representative of the schizophrenia and opportunity of our time. It’s a song performed by Ben Folds; lyrics written by famed author Nick Hornby, in a short-story style; and it’s presented in video form by a leading YouTube vlogger by the name of Charlie McDonnell. The song is fast paced, catchy, and complex—with that little bit of Ben Folds touch; intermingled with rapid-fire YouTube video editing, the antics of an adolescent, and many other things.

This juxtaposition of elements makes for an entertaining and engaging video, one that, in concept, sounds crazy, but is executed well. The song and video are perfect for its intended audience and will likely garner more views this way than if it had gotten the usual treatment. Then, there’s the story of in the song lyrics that pulls you in and the zaniness that is Ben Folds. Not every band can pull this off, but the story-telling, the viral style video, and the conjoining with a YouTube star; it feels like new music, for a new medium. Ben Folds didn’t have that grand intent. However, it shows that there are many opportunities for the combining of all these seemingly desperate elements. What is it? A song, a short story, a viral video, or does this production create something else entirely?

What videos have you seen that combine all of these elements?