Brow Beat

Pharrell’s New 24-Hour Video Is the Ultimate Musical Clock

Pharrell dances around Los Angeles.

YouTube

If you’re having a bad day and have a few hours to spare, Pharrell Williams’ music video for “Happy” (from the soundtrack of Despicable Me 2) will surely cheer you up. Touted as “the world’s first 24-hour music video,” the fun, interactive film was conceived and directed by We Are From L.A. and produced by Iconoclast. It allows you to switch between channels showcasing a different person (or persons) strutting and dancing towards the camera throughout the duration of the song. A mix of unknowns and the very famous appear, including Williams himself, Steve Carrell, Tyler the Creator, and Magic Johnson.

As my colleague Forrest Wickman put it, the idea is basically “Girl Walk All Day” meets The Clock. Between this and Bob Dylan’s similarly interactive “Like a Rolling Stone” video, the creative bar for the music video has been set considerably higher this week.

There are 4-hour, non-interactive segments of the video available on YouTube (see below, e.g.), but for the full effect, you need to head over to the site, and be happy.