Idolator

Ed. note: It's no secret that we're big lovers of YouTube "tribute" clips—those fan-made videos in which users create musical homages to their favorite pop-culture properties. The only problem is that 3/4 of these mini-movies revolve around Star Wars, the Harry Potter films or Gilmore Girls, usually all at once. So from now on, Idolator intern Kate Richardson will be scouring the video sites, looking for the most unlikely objects of affection. In this entry, she meets the fans of Boy Meets World:

Anyone with a TV and even a passing interest in youth-oriented sitcoms is likely to remember the long-running series Boy Meets World. For seven seasons, the show followed perpetually spunky Cory Matthews; his trailer-dwelling best friend Shawn; crunchy girlfriend Topanga; kooky brother Eric; and, of course, his interminable teacher and next-door-neighbor Mr. Feeny. Yes, it was that kind of show: stock characters, wacky situations (hey, remember that time Cory and Shawn turned Mr. Feeny's house into a bed and breakfast while he was out of town?), and heavy-handed moral lessons. But somehow it was at least 100 times better than Full House. Let's see if BMW nostalgia works better in new-wave slow-motion or cheesy pop country slideshow mode.

Song: "Pictures of You" by The Cure
Concept Boy Meets World as serious, sad-eyed study of adolescence.
Obviously, you can't put together a tribute video of footage set to "Pictures of You" without the slow-motion button, but this is just excessive. Most shows about teenagers are going to have plenty of wistful, pouty scenes that are perfect to sync with the Cure, and this video would have been better off culling those moments rather than making everything—like that time Eric stuffed a whole slice of pizza in his mouth at once—artificially dramatic with slow-mo. That aside, it's an interesting song/content combination that intensifies the nostalgia factor and adds the illusion of gravitas to what was essentially a goofy laugh-track sitcom.
Best music-to-image sync-up moment: Toward the end, when Topanga shows up at Cory's door after a fight or separation of some sort; she says "Cory," he says "Topanga," and they stare into each other's eyes emotively as Robert Smith sings, "There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more/than to feel you deep in my heart." Don't mind us if we duck out for a second with a case of the sniffles.
Silliest music-to-image sync-up moment: Any Eric Matthews clip, especially the "Eric screams 'Feeny!' " montage. He's not what you would call a "Cure-appropriate" character.

Song: "Young" by Kenny Chesney
Concept: Boy Meets World as rollicking feel-good romp through the formative years.
This song is definitely more in tune with the general tone of the show: light, mischievous, affably cheesy. It's got a decent flow, although the character-by-character breakdown feels a little too PowerPointish for comfort. For some reason, most of the footage here is either overly grainy or in black and white, a seemingly pointless and distracting decision. Overall, this is a reasonably well-done video, but there's something annoyingly smug about the whole package; the song and the show are both so determined to wax nostalgic over the splendor of youth that the combination of the two is borderline nauseating.
Best music-to-image sync-up moment: The Shawn Hunter segment. Shawn was definitely the most likely to listen to music "just a little too loud," hang with the "outcast crowd," and get some "discount beer." He did live in a trailer, after all.
Silliest music-to-image sync-up moment: This isn't so much silly as it is sort of creepy, but I'm going to say: Eric Matthews trying to make out with Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Verdict: While "Young" is a more apropos song choice for Boy Meets World, the "Pictures of You" video is bold and effective, making it the winner of this very special match-up.