Beatniks, bobby socks and ... Beyoncé? On Thursday night, King B premiered her eagerly anticipated, Adria Petty-directed "Countdown" video, doing a bit of time travel back to the Swinging Sixties. The colorful clip is packed with references and looks — spanning the '60s to the '80s, from vintage Vogue covers to a head-to-toe homage to the Hollywood musical "Funny Face."
The Banana Dance: Josephine Baker was just too hot for these United States, so she took her provocative act to the one place where a black girl in the 1920s could get down without the prude police knocking down your door: Paris. While B isn't topless with a fistful of ripe Chiquita bananas strung around her waist, she does La Baker proud in a series of twirls and booty-popping twists.
"Blow-Up": Influential Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni captured London's Mod scene in this 1966 flick. "Countdown" not only recalls the film's Technicolor glow and quick-cut technique, but B's exaggerated high-fashion poses also feel inspired by the ones depicted in the motion picture.
"Fame": Ragtag bunch of gifteds dance on tables at a New York City performing arts high school in early-80s TV series. Their leader (played by Debbie Allen) kicked off each episode with a pep talk about the high price of fame, but it's the studio and the modern dance duds that come to mind when we watch Petty's 2011 clip.
"Flashdance": Pittsburgh welder/exotic dancer has her heart set on getting into a prestigious ballet company in the 1983 cult classic. King B tugs at the shoulder of her gray sweatshirt, and pop culture welcomes another Jennifer Beals homage into the universe.