janelle monae - cold war

One of my favorite songs of 2010 also sports one of my favorite music videos of all-time. It's probably the simplest concept I've ever seen - singer looks straight at you as she belts this pained warning of a song - but the way it's performed is hypnotizing.

Your speakers aren't broken for the first 8 seconds or so, your ears are just being saved up, spared every last fraction of the experience they can receive.

And it stays basic for a little while. Then, everything collapses.

After the 1:30 mark, things start to unravel. It's beautifully acted...or is it really even acted at all? Is it genuine? All I know is that when 2:30 hits and I see that single tear fall, I feel whatever it is she feels. There's something very real here, and it's in the open for all to see.