100 Best Music Videos Ever
A good music video should linger with you by either making you laugh, think, feel, or awestruck by its ingenuity. And when I say “feel”, that includes the negative (such as fear or discomfort), so I have videos that are hard to watch on here; therefore, fair warning, this list is NSFW and certainly not kid friendly (cussing, nudity, violence, you name it).
Some notes on my criteria: I will admit that I am partially using this to promote artists I like that are underrated, but it’s about the video, not the song (most of these songs aren’t even one of my favorites from said artists). I even have artists I hate on this list! I also decided to choose only one video per artist so that the list wasn’t dominated by the Madonnas of the world who put just as much effort (if not more) into their image as their music.
100. Little Mix “DNA”
If you aren’t paying attention to this song, you might think it’s just a poppy love song, but if you actually listen to the lyrics, you realize it’s unhealthy obsession, not love. It’s the “Every Breath You Take” of girl group songs, and this music video makes that crystal clear; Perrie has the poor guy tied up, Jade may jump off a building, Leigh-Anne has created a stalker photo collage, and Jesy is literally grieving over the end of their relationship. Since it’s a highly stylized pop video, it’s not as creepy as it sounds, but it’s fun to watch, nonetheless.
99. David Cook “Reds Turn Blue”
David is one of my favorite American Idol winners. He demonstrated so much creativity during that contest, but most of his music videos don’t reflect that (he was under the thumb of 19 Records for his first 2 albums before he got dropped by them; he mostly does lyric videos now, which is probably all he can afford). This most recent one, however, has a cool sci-fi feel. TBH, I have no clue what’s going on with the growing alien thing or why the astronaut’s helmet looks like an overturned canoe, but it puts David’s graphic art degree to good use. It’s wonderfully trippy without being scary or laughable.
98. Neko Case “Last Lion of Albion”
This music video employs a cool use of puppetry; just the lion alone is beautifully crafted. Not sure about the plot, though: a lion floats down a river while a rocket goes to a weird red planet, taking the lyrics perhaps a bit too literally.
97. Typhoon “Dreams of Cannibalism”
Typhoon could be best described as America’s answer to Arcade Fire. In this music video, lead singer Kyle Morton gets arrested and hanged by a group of colonial…children? It turns out to be a historical theme park attraction (…I think), but it’s still a little unnerving to see someone casually taking a Kodiak picture of kids jeering at a hanging man.
96. Backstreet Boys “Everybody”
In this music video, the boys stay at a creepy mansion and they each turn into a classic horror villain: Brian is a werewolf, AJ is Erik from The Phantom of the Opera, Howie is a vampire, Nick is a mummy, and Kevin is Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. I considered picking “Quit Playing Games” with its iconic shot of them singing in the rain in unbuttoned, white shirts, but it’s more funny than sexy. This one is just as dumb, but it’s self-aware, the makeup and costumes are on point, and they’re having fun with it. I feel like I’m laughing with them instead of at them. Plus, the costumes and dancing were fun for me as a kid.
95. Haley Reinhart “Shook”
Haley’s unique voice doesn’t garner much attention apart from her work with American Idol and Postmodern Jukebox, and she has some great original music that garners even less. This music video has the feel of a hungover walk of shame, but it’s the flirtiest video on this list; Haley has fun trying on wigs and lingerie when she’s not lying on the floor in a t-shirt and undies. It probably helps for a lot of people that she’s the definition of a blonde bombshell.
94. Christina Aguilera “Beautiful”
This is a moving music video that touches on a lot of issues: body dysmorphia and otherwise not fitting Western definitions of beauty, homophobia and transphobia, and bullying. It may seem tame by today’s standards, but the 2000s was a surprisingly conservative era, and Christina preaching love and acceptance of all kinds of people was radical at the time.
93. The Beatles “Help!”
I am really just excited to find a Beatles music video considering videos weren’t really a thing in the ‘60s. The band members play and sing the song sitting on what looks like a balance beam (except for Ringo, who must hold the umbrella, because, to quote John: “He’s not even the best drummer in the band!”). It then starts snowing on them, even though they are clearly inside a studio. It’s as nonsensical and fun as the movie.
92. Gnarls Barkley “Crazy”
This is the most simply fitting music video on this list, a kaleidoscope of Rorschach tests with the duo’s faces and different images.
91. The Revivalists “Wish I Knew You”
This cute music video takes place at a 50-year high school reunion where former interracial sweethearts get to embrace on the dance floor once again (or maybe for the first time? It was the ‘60s after all). It then culminates into a fun sequence of the other classmates break dancing with their canes and walkers.
90. Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up”
The funny thing is that there’s nothing remarkable about this video (except maybe that baritone voice surprisingly comes from a tiny ginger); it’s your typical ‘80s music video with people dancing in ill-advised fashion choices. Yet it’s one of the biggest things on the internet thanks to some prankster from about 15 years ago.
89. Panic! at the Disco “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies”
The song is about people gossiping about the unfaithful bride at a wedding, so you would expect the music video to tell that story. And it does…it’s just that all the wedding guests are clowns with painted-on eyes, and Brendon Urie is the ringleader. You know, your standard wedding.
88. Kelly Clarkson “Walk Away”
True story: when I was a college freshman, I once heard the punk guys across the hall blasting music; I went to check it out, and they were headbanging to “Since You Been Gone”. Yet the music video that best captures the ubiquity of Kelly’s catchy appeal is “Walk Away”. Everyone: your local cop, hairdresser, football player, diner waitress, etc. can’t help but sing to her on the radio. One guy even causes a traffic jam.
87. Shania Twain “Man! I Feel Like a Woman”
It’s pretty genius to flip the script on Robert Plant’s “Addicted to Love” music video so that Shania is not the only objectified person on the screen. She gets to be sexy on her own terms.
86. Sara Bareilles “Uncharted”
While making this list, I have found that I am a sucker for music videos where somebody other than the singer lip-syncs the song. In this video, a myriad of celebrities filmed their own lip-syncs for the song, including Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Josh Groban, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, Pharrell Williams, Vanessa Carlton, Ingrid Michaelson, Ben Folds, and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, just to name a few. Ben puts on a weird music teacher act, Josh uses a banana as a microphone, Ryan sings out in the snow, Jennifer jumps on the bed in her pajamas, internet star Keenan Cahill overdramatizes the crap out of the song, 2 guys from Guster sing under water in a pool, one of the Tegan and Sara twins provides written commentary, and Adam…just blandly sings in front of a bouquet of roses. The interesting thing about this video is that it looks like it was taped during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it wasn’t; this song came out in 2011.
85. Paula Abdul feat. The Wild Pair “Opposites Attract”
This music video seems to appear straight out of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. Is it kinda weird and uncomfortable that Paula’s flirting with a cigarette-smoking, anthropomorphic cat? Sure, but syncing him up with her when they’re hand-in-hand and tap dancing together takes impressive animation today, let alone the ‘80s.
84. Florence + the Machine “Free”
Florence is one of my favorite artists, and I just love the concept for this music video; Bill Nighy plays the embodiment of her anxiety. Given his comedic acting chops, I was hoping for this video to be funnier, but it still gets its point across (it was also done to raise money for the Ukrainian defense against Russia, so I guess they couldn’t get too goofy with it).
83. Huey Lewis & the News “Stuck with You”
In this music video, Huey and his girlfriend blow off a boring fancy party to go rowing and end up washed up onto a deserted island. While she shows herself to be better suited to the elements than he is, the News put into motion a rescue mission that turns into a beach party (with a buffet for $1.99, a sly reference to their song “Bad is Bad”). It’s goofy and very cute.
82. Hoobastank “The Reason”
This music video tricked me into thinking I liked the song until I heard how emo it was on the radio. A woman gets hit by a car, but (spoiler alert!) it turns out to be a distraction for an Ocean’s 11 style heist which, ironically, goes against the song’s message of trying to be a better person.
81. Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball”
Both the video and the controversy surrounding it were pretty ridiculous. I know Miley was a Disney child star, but she was an adult when she filmed this, and as we will see later on this list, it’s not like nudity had never been showcased in music videos before. I think people freak out about these things because it makes them feel old, not that it “corrupts children”; hasn’t it ever occurred to anybody that people who grew up watching Hannah Montana are now adults? OK, I’ll get off my soap box now. I’m not sure if the video is supposed to be sexy, funny, or moving (it makes me laugh more than anything), but you know you’ve made something iconic when Oscar winner Anne Hathaway parodies you. However, I will say that it does not look comfortable at all swinging on that thing, but you do you, Miley!
80. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Dani California”
Throughout the music video, RHCP pay homage to the different rock genres and artists that have come before and after them: rockabilly (Elvis Presley), British Invasion (the Beatles), psychedelia (Jimi Hendrix), funk (Parliament-Funkadelic), glam (David Bowie), punk (the Sex Pistols), goth (the Misfits), hair metal (Mötley Crüe), grunge (Nirvana), and pop rock (Green Day).
79. Bruno Mars “The Lazy Song”
It’s a simply funny music video; Bruno sings with a bunch of dudes in monkey masks. It’s really well choreographed juvenile humor, and true to the song, I’d be surprised if this took more than an hour to film. The only way this could be better is if they were all in PJs.
78. Drake “Hotline Bling”
A bunch of hot women in mom jeans working as phone sex operators in a mundane office setting is a funny concept for a music video. I seem to be the only person in the world who thinks Drake is highly overrated, but his adorkable dancing was enough to earn mockery from Stephen Colbert and many others, making this video part of our cultural canon.
77. Rina Sawayama “STFU!”
In this music video, Japanese-British Rina is on the first date from hell with a guy so cluelessly racist: “You’re a singer, right? I was surprised to find you sing in English…Why don’t you sing J-pop?” It goes downhill from there, with him fetishizing her culture and comparing her to Asian-American actresses who aren’t even Japanese. When she finally snaps, it is liberating. It helps that the song is a banger that sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard, a mix of pop and rock that sounds like Ariana Grande decided to dabble in heavy metal.
76. Beastie Boys “Sabotage”
This is a fun music video where the gang put on a ‘70s-style crime show, complete with bad toupees and mustaches. My favorite part is when there is a pause in the music; the cops of course need to stop for a doughnut break.
75. Katy Perry “Not the End of the World”
I’m not a big fan of Katy’s music or voice, but she’s a good entertainer who doesn’t take herself too seriously. In this music video, aliens try to abduct her only to accidentally take Zooey Deschanel instead. The plot’s a bit nebulous (pun intended), but Zooey’s awkward charm gets the laughs.
74. Azealia Banks feat. Lazy Jay “212”
This music video’s just Azealia rapping and dancing with a couple of dudes in front of a brick wall in black and white with lyrics occasionally flashing on the screen, which is pretty nondescript. However, there is just something about the juxtaposition of a young woman in a Mickey Mouse sweater and braided pigtails rapping about cunnilingus and calling everybody a c**t that makes me smirk with amusement.
73. Carly Rae Jepson “I Really Like You”
Who doesn’t love Tom Hanks? Hearing Carly’s voice come out of him makes me smile even more. What amazes me is that it doesn’t even look like he’s lip-syncing in this music video; he’s just naturally singing the lyrics while going about his day (I guess he has won 2 Oscars back-to-back for a reason).
72. Solange “Cranes in the Sky”
This music video’s just so beautiful and elegant with the costume design and scenery, and you feel her connection with her fellow Black women in how she moves with them.
71. Britney Spears “…Baby One More Time”
About 25 years later, the fashion and choreography of this music video are still iconic. Yes, you can argue that they’re a bit problematic because they sexualize a 16-year-old girl, but most of the ideas for the video were Britney’s, and she’s a great dancer.
70. Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun”
While it annoys me that this is Soundgarden’s most famous song (they have better material), I can see how this eerie and surreal music video gave them their breakthrough. It’s suburbia meets the apocalypse, and while the cartoon face distortions are clearly from ‘90s graphics, I think that makes it more unreal and unsettling.
69. The Strumbellas “We Don’t Know”
This seems like your typical serious backstage music video, especially given the lyrics on the human condition. And then keyboardist Dave brings out the nun-chucks and starts fighting lead guitarist Jon, and you’re like “Wait…what?”. It then turns into a full-blown homage to Street Fighter II, arguably the best fighting video game my generation grew up playing.
68. OneRepublic “All the Right Moves”
This song mixes contemporary production and pop with classical cello, piano, and allegro tempo. The anachronistic mashup of the modern rock band playing at an Edwardian masquerade fits perfectly as a music video. The pickpocket straight out of Oliver Twist is a nice touch.
67. Earl Sweatshirt feat. Tyler, the Creator “Whoa”
Earl wakes up next to a way-past-her-prime ballerina in a trailer park, and everyone is hanging near an empty pool. There isn’t much going on in this music video, but everything feels kinda dingy and grimy, which fits the uneasy atmosphere of the song.
66. Hanson “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’”
This music video is an homage to the “Shake a Tail Feather” number from The Blues Brothers, with Isaac and Zac as the brothers (Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi, respectively), Taylor as Ray Charles, and yes, that is “Weird Al” Yankovic with the tambourine as Paul Schaffer.
65. Johnny Cash “Hurt”
This music video just has an old, frail Johnny singing the Nine Inch Nails song in a run-down house juxtaposed with videos of him when he was younger and more vibrant, which highlights the reinterpretation of a song about major depression to a rumination on a life lived with regrets. He died just a few months later, and Trent Reznor declared the song no longer his own.
64. Missy Elliott “Work It”
This music video is cool but weird like all of Missy’s videos, but this one spawned a minor celebrity: 9-year-old dancer Alyson Stoner, who went on to a decent acting career (which is kinda hilarious considering how dirty the lyrics are). There is also a blink-and-you-might-miss tribute to the late, great Aaliyah and Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes.
63. Halo Circus “Do You Believe in Shame?”
This is one of my favorite bands that definitely deserves more notoriety. I saw them for $10 at a local dive bar, and I got to meet the lead singer Allison Iraheta. The only thing I regret is not asking what the deal is with their obsession with rabbits; their debut album is called Bunny, there’s one in their logo, and then there’s this music video for their Duran Duran cover. 3 words: creepy rabbit cult.
62. Hozier “Take Me to Church”
This music video depicts a gay couple going through a hate crime; it’s so heartbreaking, it honestly can distract from the beautifully poetic lyrics. Which, by the way, have nothing to do with LGBTQ issues, but the director decided to highlight this issue anyway.
61. Ed Sheeran “Lego House”
Ed’s celebrity doppelgänger, Rupert Grint from Harry Potter, performs in this music video. I hear you say “OK, cute…that’s it?”. I won’t spoil it for you, but you have to watch it until the end. Just trust me.
60. Marilyn Manson “Sweet Dreams”
Manson takes this Eurhythmics hit in a dark direction (shocking!). In this music video, he goes about a dirty warehouse in different shots dressed in a wedding dress, a little girl’s tutu, and riding a pig covered in mud. It doesn’t really sound creepy when I describe it (especially now that gender bending is far less taboo than it was when this was filmed), but the art direction and Manson’s performance sell it as a horror story. The camera shots are always distorted or slightly out of focus, making it feel like a feverish nightmare, and Manson is not exactly the fabulous RuPaul and is more like one of the twins from The Shining. I considered picking “The Dope Show” with that infamous pale Barbie body suit, but it’s far too glossy to be disturbing.
59. Sia “Chandelier”
Take a really talented pre-teen dancer in a leotard and wig and unleash her into a derelict apartment, and you get a music video that reflects the lyrics about the scary chaos of alcoholism without the obvious storytelling direction.
58. Courtney Barnett “Pedestrian at Best”
This may be the only music video of Courtney’s that I find more entertaining than the lyrics (although this song is not completely without her clever, deadpan wit). She plays a sad clown who is past her prime and is threatened by the new one at this amusement park.
57. Fiona Apple “Not About Love”
In this music video, a pre-Hangover Zach Galifianakis lies in bed with Fiona reading her lyrics; he acts aloof while she gazes at him, suggesting they’re a couple with issues. Zach being his weirdo self also highlights the unusual pacing of the song: strange poses during the abrupt chords and running like a maniac down the street when the tempo really picks up.
56. Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
I once read an article that argued Lady Gaga’s image is based on a combination of Madonna and Marilyn Manson. Now, the author concluded that makes her completely unoriginal, but sometimes barrowed elements that have never been combined produces something completely novel, and I think that’s what makes this music video work; it’s simultaneously stylish and weird as hell. It apparently depicts a story of an alien being sold into sex slavery, but I don’t think anyone cares. I just wanna know how and why her eyes are so big in the bathtub scene. Is it CGI? Makeup? It just really freaks me out!
55. The White Stripes “Fell in Love with a Girl”
Simple concept: make the entire music video, including the duo, out of Legos. Stop motion filming aways impresses me because it’s so time consuming (even for just a 2-minute song), and it’s got to be even harder to do it with Legos without it looking choppy. I studied media in high school, and I didn’t even have the patience for regular filming, let alone any sort of animation (I preferred live broadcasting).
54. Weezer “Buddy Holly”
In keeping with the ‘50s theme of the song, this music video has Weezer performing at Arnold’s Diner from Happy Days. Although the director, Spike Jonze, got Al Molinaro to reprise his role as the diner owner, he had to go through hundreds of episodes of the show to find shots with the other characters that fit the video.
53. Lil Nas X “Montero”
Most “controversies” surrounding music videos today involve women just enjoying their sexuality or gay and trans people just being themselves, and the only people who are really offended are old, conservative prudes. However, this video actually does push the envelope; Nas slides down a stripper pole to Hell, gives Satan a lap dance, and then kills him and wears his horns. Damn, that’s ballsy! I’m an atheist, and even I wouldn’t have the guts. This will still offend decades from now unless Christianity somehow goes extinct.
52. Michael Jackson “Thriller”
Going into this, I thought this music video was going to be laughably cheesy, but the only part that made me laugh was the disclaimer Michael put at the beginning of the video that just because he plays a werewolf and a zombie, it doesn't mean he believes in the occult. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a little campy, but it’s well-done B-movie horror; the practical special effects are actually pretty good given how old the video is. It’s a classic for a reason.
51. The Dresden Dolls “Backstabber”
I almost picked a different music video (“Shores of California” for fans who were wondering) for this duo because they have funnier and more interesting songs, but I’d forgotten how fun this video is. Singer/pianist Amanda and drummer Brian are about to do the deed, and they have tattoos with each other’s names…and many other tattoos with other people’s names, with each reveal upsetting the other person further. If you’re a music nerd, it’s even more clever; Brian has “Tori” for Tori Amos and “PJ” for PJ Harvey while Amanda has “Tommy Lee” (the drummer for Motley Crüe) and “Spencer” for Jeremy Spencer (the drummer for Five Finger Death Punch), so they are not only cheating on each other sexually/romantically, but also artistically.
50. Alanis Morrisette “Thank You”
The idea for this music video came from Alanis herself; her walking naked in public and receiving affectionate touch from strangers echoes the healing effects of vulnerability the song celebrates.
49. Fall Out Boy “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down”
For one of the more lighthearted music videos on this list, this has the biggest WTF factor for me. A teen guy with deer antlers gets a girlfriend, and her father’s not too happy about it. You find out why at the end.
48. American Authors “Best Day of My Life”
This music video just brings me so much joy! It is just a day in the life of a bulldog. Because every day is the best day of a dog’s life.
47. No Doubt “It’s My Life”
I like most of No Doubt’s music, but again, this is a music video that made me think I like this Talk Talk cover more than I actually do. In what I now see is probably an homage to Chicago, 1920s Gwen kills off her bandmates in creative ways; she plays a sociopath very well. However, Roxie Hart meets a different fate this time.
46. Nine Inch Nails “Closer”
This is probably the strangest music video on this list. It’s interesting how disparate, bizarre images can sum up the feeling and message of a song: Trent levitating in bondage gear, an anatomical heart beating, a monkey on a crucifix (don’t worry, he wasn’t harmed), a naked woman spinning eggs on her fingers, a decapitated head of a dead pig, and just everything covered in cobwebs and bugs. All of this lends to this message of base sexual urges being not just dirty or morally objectionable, but repulsive.
45. Gotye feat. Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know”
In this music video, Gotye and Kimbra are naked in front of this painted wall; he gradually goes from standing out to blending into the wall while she goes from blending in to standing out. It’s not just a cool visual trick (which probably took a long time to film if they actually painted them), I think it’s a good metaphor for the change in power dynamics after they break up.
44. The Chicks “Goodbye Earl”
Ally McBeal era Jane Krakowski plays Wanda, the woman who kills her abusive husband, in this music video that ends with a dance party with the zombified Earl in attendance. It arguably has too cartoonish of a feel for the subject matter, but it fits the morbid humor of the song, and Wanda’s injuries look real enough to drive home the issue.
43. M.I.A. “Bad Girls”
I considered “Paper Planes” since while the lyrics satirically depict the stereotype of immigrants being violent criminals, the music video shows M.I.A. just making an honest living (like most immigrants) selling street food. However, this video is just so badass, depicting a joyride through the Moroccan desert, and she’s just so effortlessly cool; at one point she casually files her nails while sitting on a car riding on 2 wheels on its side. This video is a fitting celebration of when Saudi Arabian women finally won their right to drive.
42. Janet Jackson “Rhythm Nation”
The choreography in this music video may be the most in sync I’ve ever seen, and who knew that ROTC could be so chic?
41. Kylie Minogue “Come into My World”
In this music video, Kylie walks down a street in Paris in a circle, and there are various people in the background: a fighting couple, a teen jumping street posts, a guy on a vespa, an old man in a wheelchair, and a painter on a ladder, to name a few. As she crosses where she started, she multiplies, with her clone being slightly different, as well as everyone else. This happens 4 times, which is a technical feat, and it’s fun to watch everyone interact with each other.
40. Joyner Lucas “Ross Capicchioni”
When a music video has a trigger warning, you know it’s going to be hard to watch. Ross is a real-life survivor of an attempted murder by a guy who wanted to be initiated into a gang. Joyner takes us through the story first from the perspective of the victim and then the perpetrator with all the gory details.
39. Kanye West feat. Pusha T “Runaway”
People don’t typically describe rap as an elegant artform (although that might be due to racism), and Kanye in particular isn’t exactly the pinnacle of class. However, this gorgeous music video presents an enchanting mashup of ballet and modern dance.
38. Blink-182 “All the Small Things”
Blink-182 parody almost every boy band of my generation (Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and 98°) in this music video, complete with bad teeth, tighty-whiteys, and unwanted nudity.
37. Madonna “Justify My Love”
Madonna, the original provocateur. We would not have Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, or “WAP” without her paving the way. The depictions of BDSM and queer sexuality in this music video were incredibly controversial at the time, but I actually find this pretty classy with the film noir art direction and the erotic chemistry between Madonna and the leading man.
36. DJ Shadow feat. Run the Jewels “Nobody Speak”
This satirical music video depicts a meeting where old white politicians lip-sync the rap battle, which turns into an all-out brawl. Because of course it does.
35. David Bowie “The Next Day”
I had to include the master of alter egos on this list. This music video opens with a homeless man asking a priest for money and getting promptly punched in the face, which really sets the tone for the video and highlights the hypocrisy of religious figures in David’s lyrics. I didn’t even realize the priest was Gary Oldman until the second time I watched it (that seems to always be the case with him; he just disappears into every role he plays. I ended the video early the first time before David thanked his actors), and Marion Cotillard is one of the abused sex workers with a pure soul in this intense 3-minute video.
34. Blind Melon “No Rain”
The “bee girl” (played by Heather DeLoach) is probably the most well-known music video character ever. She keeps trying to entertain a bunch of boring, stern people throughout the city, and they either laugh at or ignore her until she finds similarly dressed people in a field who accept her for who she is. Heather still embraces her 15 minutes of fame; her wedding was bee themed, and I saw her don the costume recently on the weird game show I Can See Your Voice. She can still tap dance but can’t sing to save her life.
33. The Black Keys “Tighten Up”
In this music video, the duo bring their sons to the playground who end up fighting over the most adorable little girl. They cast super talented child actors; the kid who lip-syncs most of the song has all the rock star swagger.
32. The Cranberries “Zombie”
The shots of soldiers patrolling the streets and children playing with sticks and guns in this music video highlight the generational effect of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. I was distracted by a gold-painted Dolores O’Riordan and cherubs (with, notably, bows and arrows drawn) the first time I saw this video. When the playing becomes bullying, the final shot of the kid on the dirty ground is heart wrenching.
31. Charli XCX “Boys”
This music video features a whole slew of famous men: Joe Jonas, Charlie Puth, Khalid, Jack Antonoff from Bleachers, Brendon Urie, will.i.am, Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend, Wiz Khalifa, Vance Joy, and many, many more posing in ways normally reserved for female models (washing a car, licking food off their lips, pillow fights etc.), and everything is Barbie pink. It’s a great way to thumb their noses at the gender stereotypes perpetuated by the music industry.
30. Spice Girls “Who Do You Think You Are?”
I’ll admit that this is probably ranked so high because of my nostalgia of living in Scotland as a kid, but some of the best British women comedians of the ‘90s starred in this music video: Jennifer Saunders and Kathy Burke of Ab Fab, Dawn French of The Vicar of Dibley, Llewella Gideon of The Real McCoy, and singer Lulu. It starts with the former 4 playing teen girls dressing up as the Spice Girls (sorry, forming their own group, “The Sugar Lumps”) and arguing about which one they’re going as. Jennifer plays Ginger, Kathy plays Sporty, Llewalla plays Scary, and Lulu (as Jennifer’s mom) plays Baby, leaving Dawn to very reluctantly play Posh (explaining all of her eye-rolling, which I remembered as her making fun of Victoria’s too-cool-for-school attitude until I rewatched this recently). They then crash the Spice Girls’ video shoot and cause all sorts of havoc.
29. Foo Fighters “Learn to Fly”
In a tribute to Airplane!, Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D play cabin cleaners who hide smuggled narcotics in the coffee maker. The band play multiple roles (like in many of their music videos), including flirty flight attendants, various passengers, the pilots, and themselves. When the crew drinks the coffee, they become incapacitated, forcing the band to land the plane (because they drank liquor instead…and that’s much safer?).
28. Outkast “Hey Ya!”
This music video is a cool take on the first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show by the Beatles, but it’s not a straight up tribute; this time, it’s an American Invasion of Britain, and “The Love Below” is an octet all played by Andre 3000, each with their own personas. My only question is: were Polaroids around in the ‘60s?
27. The Smashing Pumpkins “Tonight, Tonight”
This imaginative music video captivated me as a kid (even with Billy Corgan’s annoyingly nasal voice). Inspired by the silent movie A Trip to the Moon, a Victorian couple fly to the moon and dive under the sea on a mechanical looking zeppelin. It was steampunk before that was cool.
26. Jason Mraz “You and I Both”
In this cute, goofy music video, a pre-Mean Girls Lizzy Caplan (she’s apparently older than she looks) plays a bank teller Jason has a crush on. After several botched attempts to gain her attention, he writes her a sweet note…which her boss mistakes for a stick-up note, and Jason gets arrested by dancing cops. They make it work in the end, though.
25. Billie Eilish “When the Party’s Over”
I went into this list thinking I would choose “Bury a Friend”, partially because it’s my favorite song from her (maybe tied with “Happier Than Ever”), but also because that song is about her experience with night terrors, and that music video perfectly exemplifies that. So why did I pick this song instead? Because, honestly, this music video makes me squirm more; I am the most squeamish with anything to do with eyes or eyeballs. And you don’t expect it with this sad, pretty ballad. Billie takes ugly crying to a whole new level.
24. Beyoncé “Single Ladies”
Beyoncé can make anything iconic; the simple but incredibly tight choreography from this music video has become part of our cultural canon. Kanye may have been a rude asshole when he interrupted Taylor Swift’s speech for Best Female Video for “You Belong with Me” at the 2009 MTV VMAs, but he wasn’t wrong.
23. Ariana Grande “Thank You, Next”
I love this music video because it parodies 4 chick flicks my generation grew up watching: Mean Girls, Bring It On, 13 Going on 30, and Legally Blonde, complete with Jonathan Bennett and Jennifer Coolidge reprising their respective roles. The funniest part is Mean Girls, where some of the original extras from the movie talk about Ariana like they talk about Regina George, which gives her a chance to poke fun at herself: “Ariana broke off an engagement, so I went and found a guy to propose to me, and then I broke off an engagement” (although the first one is the funniest, so I’m not going to spoil it for you). Kris Jenner playing Amy Poehler’s “cool mom” character is the cherry on top.
22. SZA feat. Travis Scott “Love Galore”
I made the mistake of watching only part of this music video the first time. It just seems like your typical sexy R&B/rap video (maybe just a little kinkier), but it takes a surprisingly dark and twisted turn at the end.
21. Taylor Swift “Blank Space”
What do you do when the media paints you as a Hollywood harlot who dates all the male celebrities and then writes bitter break-up songs about them? Write a song that makes fun of that image and then do a music video that leans into the crazy girlfriend stereotype. Taylor is a great comedic actress, having a crazed look in her eyes as she slices through a portrait of her beau, drops his phone in the pool, and cuts up his clothes.
20. Bob Dylan “Subterranean Homesick Blues”
This music video is just Bob with a deadpan look on his face holding up signs of parts of the lyrics. But, eventually, some of the signs are wrong, and he even starts poking fun at his own enunciation (“pawking metaws”). The last sign just says “What??” which is pretty much how you feel after watching this.
19. The New Pornographers “Moves”
This music video is a great parody of biopics of musicians starring many of The Daily Show and SNL alumni as the band and various other characters, complete with a teaser trailer starring Paul Rudd and Bill Hader being very preggers. This mock movie trailer hits all the clichés of sex, drugs, and rock and roll with a twist (like Wyatt Cenac snorting cocaine off a slice of pizza).
18. Björk “All Is Full of Love”
Um…I’m not sure how else to describe this music video; it’s 2 female robots having sensual sex. I think in some ways it’s sweet, and if they were human, most people would probably feel the same way, but apparently, when it was first released, people were really creeped out by it due to the uncanny valley effect. Also, I’m not sure if the extensive use of hydraulics is intentional or if it’s just my mind that’s in the gutter.
17. clipping. “Story 2”
Daveed Diggs has a rap group, and they are so underrated! His mile-a-minute rapping and clever lyrics are a great vehicle for highlighting many social issues. Their music videos are so creative and well done (it probably helps that Daveed acts for a living); so much so, that I had the most difficulty deciding which one to choose for this artist. In this video, you watch a man walking home from a late-night shift as he slowly realizes something terrible is happening at home. What’s really impressive is you can sense exactly what he’s feeling, despite only seeing him from the chest down. Yes, it helps that the Hamilton actor is narrating the story, but it’s still a surprisingly visceral 2 minutes for such a simple video.
16. Mumford and Sons “Hopeless Wanderer”
In this ridiculously funny music video, Jason Sudeikis sings and plays acoustic guitar, Ed Helms plays the old-timey piano, Jason Bateman plays the banjo, and Will Forte (complete with hipster-Pilgrim beard!) plays the upright bass. The director does a good job of making this seem like a serious video at first by showing body shots (even sun glare is used to make Sudeikis unrecognizable), but then as the tempo speeds up, it turns into rock and roll show debauchery which is hilarious given the aforementioned instruments, proving that Mumford and Sons don’t take themselves too seriously as their music may suggest. During an interview with Vanity Fair, Bateman mentioned this as a major touchstone of his career, along with Arrested Development and Ozark.
15. Radiohead “Just”
In this intriguing music video, with dialogue conveyed through subtitles, a man suddenly lies down on the sidewalk and refuses to get up. A crowd, including a policeman, first gather around him to try and help but then get frustrated and insist he tells them why he won’t get up. “You don’t want to know” he says. He finally gives in and whispers something imperceivable to the viewer…and, sure enough, it ends badly for everyone. Fans have been trying to decipher what he says for years, but the video director has vowed to take the mystery to the grave.
14. Jamiroquai “Virtual Insanity”
This isn’t just the most seamlessly smooth music video I’ve ever seen, the combo of a futuristic looking room where objects and the floor seem to move on their own and ominous images of a crow, cockroaches, and pools of blood reflect the cautionary lyrics about technology taking over our lives without beating us over the head with it (such as, for example, including a murderous computer à la HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey). Much of the effect was achieved through practical means (mostly the walls moving) with only augments of CGI, which is probably why the ‘90s video looks so much less dated than other videos from that decade (and even some from the 2000s).
13. Paul Simon “You Can Call Me Al”
Yes, this is yet another “different celebrity lip-syncs the song” music video (and, warning, there’s 1 more on this list. I told you I love these); this one stands out because Paul is still prominently featured. He tries to start singing, and Chevy Chase just cuts him off, forcing the dejected Paul to sing backup. However, as Paul brings in some instruments, his mood elevates as he rocks out on the piccolo which leads to the amusing sight of 6’4” Chevy and 5’3” Paul playing brass instruments in step with each other. And Chevy does about as well as Tom Hanks in our #73 video at making lip-syncing look natural.
12. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody”
This is the original iconic music video. Everybody pictures the 4 band members in dramatic up-lighting when listening to this tune, which highlights the unique operatic movement in the climax of the song.
11. Aphex Twin “Come to Daddy”
I forget where, but I once read a countdown of the creepiest music videos; this was #1 (#60 and #70 on this list were on it too!). I didn’t even watch the whole thing at the time (and I was probably, like, 25 years old, LOL), and I finally got up the nerve to at 36 years old. It’s an urban Children of the Corn where children and teenagers (or maybe little people?) wear masks of Aphex Twin with an evil smile and terrorize the area (and it doesn’t help that he keeps yelling “I WANT YOUR SOUL!” in his best Gollum voice from a tiny, discarded TV), but that’s not the scariest part. He then crawls out of the TV like the girl in The Ring and opens his pie-hole screaming like Pennywise in the most recent It movie in this poor old lady’s face. Oh, and he looks like a naked Slender Man as he gathers his “children” around him. Come to Daddy!
10. Young Thug “Wyclef Jean”
This isn’t so much a music video as a story about one that never got made because the rapper never showed up to the shoot. And it’s the funniest one I’ve seen in years. Through subtitles, the director explains the original concept for the video (which, unfortunately, seems like your typical kinda misogynistic party video; thank God they ended up with something so much better) and shows the B-roll he managed to get with witty commentary. What a happy accident!
9. Jay-Z “Moonlight”
This music video starts off with the Friends episode “The One Where No One Is Ready” with the characters portrayed by Black actors: Jerrod Carmichael as Ross, Issa Rae as Rachel, Tiffany Haddish as Phoebe, Lil Rel Howery as Joey, LaKeith Stanfield as Chandler, and Tessa Thompson as Monica. I would enjoy this video even if it was just this, if for no other reason, as a huge fan of the show, I’ve seen this iconic episode a million times, and it would be fun for me to see how actors with different backgrounds deliver these lines. Of course, I realize this is a critique of the whitewashing of the show and media in general, and this is made even more clear when Jerrod abandons the project as these lyrics come in: “We stuck in La La Land. Even when we win, we gon’ lose”, and you hear the botched announcement of which movie won the Movie of the Year Oscar in 2017. Now, what’s the name of this song again?
8. OK Go. “Here It Goes Again”
If there is a band famous solely for a music video, it’s OK Go. They look like figure skaters as they glide through the complicated treadmill choreography in one shot. I wonder how many takes it took to get right.
7. Fatboy Slim feat. Bootsy Collins “Weapon of Choice”
Take weirdo actor/classically trained dancer Christopher Walken, put him in an empty fancy hotel, and let him do what he wants. Simply genius.
6. Massive Attack “Teardrop”
I’m so glad Rolling Stone has this video on their list because I had no idea what the name of this song was or who sang it, and Googling “fetus singing music video” would’ve been a weird thing to have on my browser history. This freaked the hell outta me when I was 11 years old, so I never watched it long enough to learn the song (it actually has very pretty vocals!). You’ll either find it super cool or really creepy. I think it’s a little bit of both.
5. a-ha “Take on Me”
This is the OG special effects music video (honestly, the effects are better than a lot of ‘90s videos). It and its crazy-hard-to-sing single will live on in infamy.
4. D’Angelo “Untitled”
This music video just oozes sensuality, the way the camera shows close ups of D’Angelo’s face and naked body and then pans out until his private area is just barely out of frame. This was a sexual awakening for many millennials.
3. Elton John “I Want Love”
A young Robert Downey Jr. walks around an empty mansion while lip-syncing the song. In the wrong hands, this music video would be too mopey or just plain boring, but I think people forget that Iron Man was once a legitimate Oscar contender, and he gives such a moving performance here, every subtle facial expression conveying the conflicted longing of the lyrics.
2. Bad Suns “Salt”
This music video runs through the trials and tribulations of a transwoman: dating life issues, suicidal ideation, assault, and transitioning through gender affirming care, all completely seamlessly through interpretive dance and what feels like one shot.
1. Childish Gambino “This Is America”
In an empty warehouse, a Black man sits down and plays the acoustic guitar as the camera zooms in on Donald Glover dancing to it, luring you into a false sense of security; the camera pans out, and the guitar player now has a sack over his head, and before your brain can register that something bad is about to happen, Glover takes out a revolver and shoots him in the head. This juxtaposition of joyous expressions of Black culture and shocking acts of violence are strewn throughout the video just to give us a taste of how it feels to be a Black man in America. And it's scary.