If you follow us on any of our social pages (Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or YouTube), you probably know that on Thanksgiving we released our very own music video, a tongue-in-cheek take on Taylor Swift’s increasingly popular mega-hit “Shake It Off” titled “Braces Off.”
The parody was a labor of love with involvement from the Harding Academy cheerleaders, the Memphis Breakers, and several friends, patients, and all-around cool Memphians.
Before I give you the low-down on all the work that went into this project, you should totally go watch the video. And if you’ve already seen it, but feel like watching it again…well, that’s OK too! I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes….
Inspiration for Braces Off
Clearly, Taylor Swift was the inspiration for our video. Her song “Shake It Off” is super catchy, refreshingly positive, and arguably the hit song of the year. I was driving to work one day and the idea for “Braces Off” popped into my head. I then proceeded to spend 2 weeks trying to talk myself out of doing the song… Once I decided the music video would be worth the effort, I hunkered down and wrote the lyrics. Writing the rap was the hardest part, mostly because I don’t rap and didn’t want to sound like a doofus. I’m not entirely sure I was successful at the doofus part… 😉
Recording the Song
Luckily, I have a background in music. I have played drums in bands since I was 14 and have been fortunate enough to work with several talented people in the Memphis music community. My friend and fellow band member Candice Goff agreed to sing the vocal part, while our mutual friend Curtis Epperson recorded the vocals for us in his home studio. You can see us pretending to be real-deal recording artists in the photos below. 😉
Filming the Video
The video was definitely the hardest part. It took a LOT of coordination and effort from dozens of patients, parents, and friends. The first step was getting our friend Russ Turman to agree to film and edit everything. Russ makes videos at Highland Church of Christ where we attend, but had never done a music video before. He is super-talented though, so we knew he would be able to pull it off. Russ is a huge Memphis Tigers fan, and so it’s no coincidence that he’s wearing a Tigers shirt in these photos.
For the role of “Taylor” we immediately wanted our patient Alondra to do it. After finishing Invisalign treatment, Alondra moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in radio and TV. We were extremely lucky to have her come back to Memphis on a Saturday to film! Oh, and in case you were wondering, Alondra’s “jacked up” teeth can be purchased on Amazon (Thank you Austin Powers!). I also added braces to her clear retainer for the parts of the video where she had braces, but the braces wouldn’t stay glued. So, I was forced to use super glue. For someone who makes a living gluing things to teeth, this was super embarrassing, but the show had to go on! 😉
We also had the pleasure of working with twins Hannah and Olivia Feruglio, who appear in the 2nd verse. In addition to featuring several of our real life patients, we got most of our “sick team” in on the fun (unfortunately, Tricia was out of town that weekend). Oh, and my kids Charlie and Libby were definitely the cutest members of our crew! Poor Libby got edited out of the video because she just stood there and stared off into the distance. …keep working on those dance moves, Libby!
In addition to the Memphis Breakers and Harding Academy cheerleaders, we also had the distinct pleasure of working with Sara Cooper and her friends with the Millington School of Dance. They choreographed all the dance moves themselves!
The Response
The response to “Braces Off” has been overwhelming! It has reached over 100,000 people on Facebook and received 6,000 views on YouTube during the first week. Heading into its third week, we are closing in on 11,000 views. Thanks also to the good people at WMC Action News 5 and WREG Channel 3 News for featuring us on the local news twice!
It will probably be a little while before we do another video, BUT, we hope that it brought some joy to your day. I also hope that “Braces Off” helped prove that braces really can be a lot of fun!! Leave your comments below and please contact us if you are interested in a free braces consultation.