Watch James Corden and Jim Parsons Spoof Kansas’ ‘Dust in the Wind’ Video
On Thursday's episode of The Late Late Show, host James Corden teamed up with Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons to have a bit of a laugh with the video for Kansas' 1977 smash hit, "Dust in the Wind." You can see it embedded above and, for comparison, watch the original at the bottom.
Corden handles Steve Walsh's lead vocals, while Parsons tackles Robby Steinhardt's harmonies and strings and two guitarists in the foreground recreate the poses of Kerry Livgren and Rich Williams. Although they sing it straight, it's the outfits that provide the humor. Parsons' wig seems to grow longer with each verse, eventually covering his entire shirt, and Corden is wearing an excessively frilly pink shirt. By the time the song gets to the solo, Corden has shed the vest, revealing a ridiculously long collar. The closing shot is of their clothes sitting side-by-side in piles.
Released on 1977's Point of Know Return, "Dust in the Wind" was a No. 6 hit for Kansas in the spring of 1978. It is Kansas' only single to reach the Top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100.
Last September, Kansas put out The Prelude Implicit, the first new studio recording from them since 2000's Somewhere to Elsewhere, and the Kansas debut of new vocalist Ronnie Platt, who replaced Walsh in 2014. "The title just means without a doubt, this is a new musical beginning ... for us," drummer Phil Ehart told us. "But at the same time, we couldn’t lose what was Kansas. It had to sound like Kansas, but be new Kansas and that was a major order.”
Watch Kansas' Original "Dust in the Wind" Video
Top 100 Classic Rock Artists