Music video from DJ Cassidy, Shaggy and Rayvon brings movie ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ to life
Trio brings summer banger vibes with redo of ‘70s classic
Published:Sunday | July 2, 2023 | 10:58 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
A reinterpretation of classics seems to be high on the things-to-do list of American DJ, record producer and emcee, DJ Cassidy.
Having linked with multi-award winning reggae and dancehall artiste Shaggy and singer Rayvon for a reinterpretation of Escape (The Pina Colada Song), he has provided yet another classic nugget with the accompanying music video. The track from the trio is titled If You Like Pina Colada and it was released last Friday on Ranch Entertainment/VP Records and Club Paradise Records, along with the visuals.
DJ Cassidy met Shaggy and Rayvon in 2022 when he recorded the reggae edition of his television series, Pass The Mic. Since its premiere in July 2020, the series has amassed more than 100 million digital views, and DJ Cassidy has now passed the mic to 211 legendary music superstars including Earth Wind & Fire, Nile Rodgers, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight, Charlie Wilson, Boyz II Men, TLC, Run DMC, LL Cool J, Salt ‘N Pepa, Missy Elliot, Wyclef Jean, Nelly, Ja Rule, Ashanti, Sean Paul, Luis Fonsi and Ozuna. For their performance last year, Shaggy and Rayvon performed their 2001 megahit Angel and DJ Cassidy subsequently roped them in for this project of reinterpreting one of his all-time favourite songs.
“I am so excited that this long-term vision has finally come to fruition and to embark of this journey with Shaggy and Rayvon. Shaggy and Rayvon are so iconic in their own right and their voices are so recognisable. This is a song that captures the energy of Angel. It is a feel-good song that will be the anthem for the summer and for years to come,” DJ Cassidy said confidently.
REINTERPRETATION OF 1989 COMEDY
Elaborating on the music video, he shared that it is “a reinterpretation of the 1989 cult classic comedy, Weekend at Bernie’s. In the movie, two young employees go to boss’s house in The Hamptons where they were invited for a weekend of fun, only to find out that their boss is dead, but they decide to party anyway”.
The twist in the movie is that other guests show up to a dead Bernie’s house and don’t even realise that he has met his demise, as the duo attempt to convince them that Bernie is still alive.
The music video, was directed by Joe Labisi and filmed on location on Miami Beach, does have its fair share of corpse-esque scenes, and shows a lifeless DJ Cassidy playing Bernie. It is real enough for those who know the movie to immediately see the comparison.
What happens is that Shaggy and Ravyon turn up at DJ Cassidy’s beachfront property, where the party will be held later, only to find him sitting sprawled out on the sofa, with his sunglasses on, but unresponsive. “He looks dead asleep,” Rayvon says, and Shaggy chimes in “He looks dead.” On that note, enters a bevy of lovely, bikini-clad girls and that is the signal that the party at DJ Cassidy’s has officially begun – sun, sea sand, pool, piña coladas, boat ride and line-dancing, all with a semi-dead DJ Cassidy (Bernie) comically in the mix.
The cover art for the track is actually a picture that was taken on location at the video shoot, and even that reprises the visual for the movie. It sees DJ Cassidy in thee middle, propped up by Shaggy and Rayvon on either side.
“Through the music video for If You Like Pina Colada you are transported to that era when every television show took place at a beach or by a pool,” DJ Cassidy said. “And, one of the original cast members in Weekend at Bernie’s also appears in the music video.”
Bernie, originally played by actor Terry Kiser, makes a special cameo in the video by reuniting with his original co-star, Jonathan Silverman, who also appears.
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) was written and performed by British-American singer-songwriter Rupert Holmes in 1979 and peaked at yearend to become the final US number-one song of the 1970s. It tells the story of a man who is bored with his current relationship and one day, he sees a newspaper ad from a woman seeking a man who must like piña coladas and other stuff. He is immediately intrigued and submits his response and arranges to meet the woman at a bar. As it turns out, the woman is actually his current partner and the song ends on a high as they find each other again.