Fou Nature – 5000 Ways to Love You

This is a very Polynesian sounding pop song. I went to Samoa around the time this song came out and this style of music could be heard everywhere – cheesy synth brass, South Seas guitar and sunny harmonies. While Fou Nature’s earlier single “Love Come Down” had a more mainstream pop sound, “It’s Our Party” is more niche.

The “It’s Our Party” video takes places at a backyard party. And unlike the Feelers’ crammed party in their “Anniversary” vid, Fou Nature’s shindig has a lot more room to move. I mean, if you’re going to dance, you want room to dance, right?

It’s an all-ages function, with kids chugging back cans of Coca-Cola, basketball tricks, dancing (of course) and sepia-tone group portraits. Feleti from Nesian Mystik shows up to perform a rap, which nicely brings in the sound of New Zealand-Polynesian pop and hip hop.

We only briefly see the group performing the song. Most of the time it’s just shots of partygoers. And there’s no attempt to turn this humble backyard party into a massive rave to look good in the video. Mostly it’s just groups of people standing around, enjoying the company and the long table full of food.

Best bit: the kids who all chug down cans of Coke together.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… a buzzy-as game of badminton.

There was a period in late 2001, early 2002 where I spent about five months watching a lot of Juice TV. Many of the videos from that period are seared in my memory, and “Love Come Down” is one of those.

It’s a brilliant pop song. Fou Nature are a Pacific pop group and one of their reasons for forming was to create “positive messages for youth at risk and underprivileged children”. Yay! And “Love Come Down” is about as positive as you can yet. The song and the video are like a big pop hug.

Suburban Auckland streets provide the location for the video. We see male dancers wearing lavalava busting some moves in the middle of the road, and a group of local kids shooting hoops.

The video is mainly split between the group’s two female members and two male members. The guys are hanging out on the street, wearing sports shirts and hi-viz vests. Meanwhile, the girls are cruising along the leafy streets (probably on the back of a ute) wearing a variety of different outfits, from casual streetwear to glamorous fun fur.

There’s also some not-bad formation dancing, like a chilled out version of full-on ’90s pop dancing crossed with traditional Polynesian moves.

The video ends with a slightly awkward sunset breakdancing display for a group of children who aren’t quite as enthusiastic as the band are. (It reminds me of the awkward crowd of kids in Mana’s “Ain’t Gonna Stop” video, though the “Love Come Down” kids do remember to jig around a bit.)

It’s strange but this song and video stand out because of their relentless cheer. There’s no attempt to show the mean side of suburban Auckland streets. This is just a group of young performers who are having a good time in the suburbs and want to share the experience with you.

Best bit: the big rainbow arching across the screen. Awww…

Next… back from the dead.

Tag: Fou Nature

Fou Nature “It’s Our Party”

Fou Nature “Love Come Down”