HAIM Walking — RANKED
Let’s cut right to the chase… HAIM, our favorite sister band, is perfect in anything they want to do. But when it comes down to their specialty, we all know what they thrive in. Walking. These sisters can WALK, as they reveal layers of their personalities and individual style every time they do so.
Many of their music videos feature them trotting down various blocks of Los Angeles, from strolling the surface streets of Silver Lake to they valley pavement in Sherman Oaks. But when we really analyze and dive deep into HAIM’s walking, which videos stand out above the others? Which walks brim with the most passion, the most urgency, the most character? Which walks feel like they have a place to GET TO? Today I rank all of HAIM’s music videos that heavily feature them walking, with brief reasonings as to why.
Danielle kicks us off in this video when she walks to a bar with urgency yet with a natural ease and grace. She’s late to the party but she takes her time, powerfully showcasing her calm and collected stance on life. She swings open the doors and enters the line dancing with grace, like someone jumping into a double dutch jumprope, easily parting through the already in-motion crowd. Alana and Este scale the perimeter flawlessly before joining in on the dance. While I wanted to rank this higher, the sisters quickly transition to dancing. Therefore, in terms of walking, I must place this at the back end.
In the HAIM sisters’ latest entry in their walking saga, we see them race for the very first time. They begin walking around the gorgeous LA Forum venue, but with each step find themselves competing and taking it more seriously. Danielle begins a full out jog, with Este and Alana following close behind. In a twist more shocking than The Sixth Sense, Danielle cheats by slowing the race to a halt when she bends over in exhaustion, only to erupt into a full on sprint leaving the girls in the dust. In retrospect, Este and Alana should have known Danielle’s exhaustion was fake, as these ladies are constantly getting their cardio in walking around Los Angeles.
Este nails the final coffin in the race, also by cheating, when she finds a parked car and races it into the finish line. We feel a deep shame because we know Este should have stayed on her feet instead of taking the easy way out. Alana really won this race because she played with her morals and kept her feet to pavement. I have to set this video in the back half of the ranking because they do indeed resort to other tactics, like running and driving.
This is their most sentimental of walking. This is their Oscar winning walking, galavanting around a vintage theatre and owning the space. At one point, Alana seemingly walks off the stage and into the venue, continuing to walk ON AIR, confirming that she is indeed a magical being of a higher power.
Then, Danielle walks us out of the theatre, proving she is magic by pointing her finger up and illuminating the theatre marquee. She didn’t even need to plug the sign in. The simply act of pointing up as she walked away was enough power to illuminate the sign for all of Hollywood to see. Pure magic.
Summer Girl is incredibly impressive walking, as they’re shedding clothes as they walk. Since the sisters wore too many layers in the Los Angeles sun, and they’ve clearly been walking miles and miles, they are forced to shed their sweaters and long-sleeved shirts MID-WALK. This act briefly blinds them as the clothing comes over their faces, but do they stop walking because of it? No. They keep putting one foot in front of the other, even though their vision is momentarily disrupted. It’s powerful, it’s uplifting, and it displays more courage than most of the U.S. police force.
Danielle starts off the walking in this video, hurriedly going back and forth across some Los Angeles streets, perusing diners and retail. In a rogue move, Danielle does not halt her walking by waiting at crosswalks. More determined than Indiana Jones running from the boulder, Danielle jaywalks to get to her destinations. That’s right, Los Angeles’ congested and chaotic traffic patterns can’t even stop her feet from moving.
In a stunning display of strength and courage, Danielle is carried by Este and Alana on a gurney when she faints from walking too much. By the end, the three sisters have gathered all their strength for a final strut down the streets of Silver Lake, banding together more powerfully than any of the Avengers ever could. They trot themselves into a bar and take well deserved seats to rest.
This is HAIM at their core. This is the kind of single take video that Birdman or 1917 wanted desperately to be. That’s right, HAIM did this video in one single take.With walking performances that would immediately qualify them all for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Want You Back has amazing rewatch value.
They cleared an entire street in Los Angeles, not because they blocked off the streets for filming but because nobody felt as though they were worthy to witness their walking in person. They walk toward something something vague yet concrete. Something beautiful yet mysterious. Something enticing yet scandalous.
They incorporate subtle dance moves in their walks before transitioning into a full on STRUT. They dance their way into the future, guiding all of us. And we really should follow them.
