I have been slightly obsessed with Pearl Jam‘s Do the Evolution video for the past week or so. Since I’ve never really been into the whole MTV thing since they stopped focusing on music, I missed the video when it first came out in 1998. Unlike most music videos, Do the Evolution is just as relevant as when it was released, or perhaps even more timely today.
While the song itself is good, it can’t compare with the video. The real strength of the video lies in its animation; it would be impossible to create the video using real actors and the animated style is able to capture much more detail than would be possible with film. It makes perfect sense that the video was created by both Eddie Vedder and Todd McFarlane, the creator of the comic Spawn. The video matches the song so perfectly that you wonder if the video actually came first.
In addition to the fact that the song sounds great and the video looks amazing, the work covers an astronomical number of events. Do the Evolution was intended to represent the entire history of humanity, but it does more than that ambitious goal. It doesn’t just present us with a sad history of mankind’s past, it foretells the future of the planet as well. I know it sounds pretentious, but give it a view. Unfortunately, the video is only available in Real or Windows streaming media; and Real Player is real obnoxious. If anyone knows a place where I can download or buy the Do the Evolution video, let me know.
See Do the Evolution for 56K, ISDN, or T1. Read the lyrics too.