Celebrity (Brad Paisley song)
Encyclopedia
"Celebrity" is a song written and recorded by American
country music
singer Brad Paisley
. It was released in March 2003 as the lead single from his album, Mud on the Tires
. The song reached the top five of the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
chart, peaking at number three. It also peaked at number 31 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Country.
programs.
, called "Celebrity Icon", with William Shatner
playing a Simon Cowell
-type judge who becomes very critical of Paisley during his performance. The video features various satirizations of reality TV shows, such as a take-off on Fear Factor
, where Paisley eats a plate of earthworms; a parody of The Bachelor, where Trista Rehn
chooses Little Jimmy Dickens
over Brad as her match; and a "Brad Paisley Show" where James Belushi
makes a cameo appearance.
The video also parodies specific tabloid targets, such as Michael Jackson
. In one instance, Brad is wearing a surgical mask (as Jackson was known to do) walking down the street with two masked children, played by Taylor Atelian
along with co-star Billi Bruno
from According To Jim
, similar to the scene in the Martin Bashir
documentary Living with Michael Jackson
. The video also has an appearance by Jason Alexander
as himself at a Starbucks
, who steals a pastry and makes a scene with the coffee shop manager and employee over a "mocha soy latte". The video ends when Paisley finishes his song and Shatner tells him that his performance was horrible, and how he (Shatner) enjoys when the song is over; a dejected Brad then walks off the stage.
The music video was directed by Peter Zavadil
and premiered on April 10, 2003.
country singles charts, reaching a peak of number 3 in the middle of the year and holding that position for four weeks.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
. It was released in March 2003 as the lead single from his album, Mud on the Tires
Mud on the Tires
-Musicians:*Ron Block - banjo*Jim "Moose" Brown - B3 organ on "Famous People"*Randel Currie - steel guitar, pedabro on "Ain't Nothin Like"*Eric Darken - percussion*Jerry Douglas - Dobro*Kevin "Swine" Grantt - bass guitar, upright bass, fretless bass...
. The song reached the top five of the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart, peaking at number three. It also peaked at number 31 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Country.
Synopsis
"Celebrity" is a song that takes a humorous look on show business and the many problems that current entertainers endure, along with the notion that anyone can be famous as a result of reality televisionReality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
programs.
Music video
The full length music video begins with a satirization of American IdolAmerican Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, called "Celebrity Icon", with William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
playing a Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
-type judge who becomes very critical of Paisley during his performance. The video features various satirizations of reality TV shows, such as a take-off on Fear Factor
Fear Factor
Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...
, where Paisley eats a plate of earthworms; a parody of The Bachelor, where Trista Rehn
Trista Rehn
Trista Nicole Sutter was the runner-up on season 1 of the ABC reality television show The Bachelor, before becoming the star of the first season of its companion show The Bachelorette....
chooses Little Jimmy Dickens
Little Jimmy Dickens
James Cecil Dickens , better known as Little Jimmy Dickens, is an American country music singer famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size, 4'11" , and his rhinestone-studded outfits...
over Brad as her match; and a "Brad Paisley Show" where James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
makes a cameo appearance.
The video also parodies specific tabloid targets, such as Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. In one instance, Brad is wearing a surgical mask (as Jackson was known to do) walking down the street with two masked children, played by Taylor Atelian
Taylor Atelian
Taylor Marie Atelian is an American teen actress. She was born in Santa Barbara, California.Taylor Atelian played Ruby, the older daughter of James Belushi and Courtney Thorne-Smith on the ABC sitcom According to Jim. Taylor Atelian appeared in Brad Paisley's "Celebrity" music video, along with...
along with co-star Billi Bruno
Billi Bruno
Sarah Bruno , better known as Billi Bruno, is an American teen actress who was born in Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her portrayal of James Belushi and Courtney Thorne-Smith's second child and youngest daughter, Gracie, on the ABC sitcom According to Jim...
from According To Jim
According to Jim
According to Jim is an American sitcom television series starring Jim Belushi in the title role as a suburban father of three children. It originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2001 to June 2, 2009.-Synopsis:Jim is an abrasive but lovable suburban father...
, similar to the scene in the Martin Bashir
Martin Bashir
Martin Bashir is a British journalist and media personality, currently with NBC News as a contributor for its Dateline program, and an afternoon anchor for MSNBC, hosting Martin Bashir...
documentary Living with Michael Jackson
Living with Michael Jackson
Living with Michael Jackson is a Granada Television documentary, in which British journalist Martin Bashir interviewed Michael Jackson over a span of eight months, from May 2002 to January 2003...
. The video also has an appearance by Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
as himself at a Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
, who steals a pastry and makes a scene with the coffee shop manager and employee over a "mocha soy latte". The video ends when Paisley finishes his song and Shatner tells him that his performance was horrible, and how he (Shatner) enjoys when the song is over; a dejected Brad then walks off the stage.
The music video was directed by Peter Zavadil
Peter Zavadil
Peter Zavadil is a music video director who works primarily in the field of country music. He has directed many music videos since the late 1990s.-Music videos directed:109 music videos are currently listed here.-References:...
and premiered on April 10, 2003.
Personnel
- Randle Currie - steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
- Eric Darken - percussion
- Kevin "Swine" Grantt - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Wes Hightower - background vocals
- Brad Paisley - lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, 12 string guitar, Tic tac bass, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Ben Sesar - drums
- Justin Williamson - fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
Chart performance
"Celebrity" debuted at number 56 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of March 22, 2003. "Celebrity" spent twenty-nine weeks on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country singles charts, reaching a peak of number 3 in the middle of the year and holding that position for four weeks.
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|