'Finally' Getting To Discuss How CeCe Peniston's Biggest Hit Defined Early 90s House Aesthetic
When you think about big, feel-good 90s dance hits, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with a list that didn't include CeCe Peniston's 1992 smash hit 'Finally'. As a song, it hits all the right notes in being both a catchy House jam and also a great showcase for Peniston and her (supremely underappreciated) vocal abilities. Her voice has such a youthful, crystalline glide to it that helps imbibe her vocals with this effervescent, contagious joy. Finally good things are happening to her and, goddammit, we're right there with her.
The music video, directed by Claude Borenzweig, is a total complimentary piece to Peniston and her intangibles. A big showcase that is mostly various cuts of her dancing, close ups of her singing, and cut aways to a single male dancer going off.
Peniston is having the time of her life in this video. Her energy is palpable and the male dancer they keep cutting to is a great companion to that; never overbearing or overstated, but perfectly adding to the video like great seasoning on an already great meal.
But it's the visual cues and aesthetic choices that really sets this music video apart.
Big, bold primary colors on a stark white backdrop, transparent plastic shapes hanging around the set, prismatic color overlays and trail effects. When you think of 90s House music, you think about one of two motifs: the abandoned warehouse/factory (which I've covered before) and the kitschy retro 70s revival motif. 'Finally' falls squarely in the latter, with some 90s updates.
Instead of lava lamps and patterned wallpaper, we get the lava lamp shapes and colors blown up to the entire set. Skin-tight pants, go go boots, and a dark turtleneck with gold necklace adorn Peniston. All of it with a refined, sleek 90s edge & MTV editing style.
The resulting mix would be emblematic of the supermodel fashion and drag culture visual style of the 1990s.
It's just another example of how a great video doesn't need to necessarily have a big outline or huge production. All you really need is a great, simple idea that is executed well. In another universe, 'Finally' might have been a big multi-location affair showing CeCe Peniston finally finding true love in a relationship or driving around town jumping from one dance club to the other. Instead, they kept things grounded and let Peniston (quite literally) speak for herself.
By keeping things simple, 'Finally' is a music video that allows its star to shine brightest. Between her voice, fashion style, and that palpable energy; CeCe Peniston is the engine that makes this entire production hum. That would have been enough. But it's those visuals and color choices that truly put this over the top. Taking what could have just been a good music video and turning it into a video that, through the years, has remained a cornerstone of not only the 90s House repertoire, but of 90s style overall.
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