Good music videos tell stories and connect the lyrics of songs to listeners through visual media. Let’s check the top 10 best music videos of ever one by one.
1.Thriller – Michael Jackson
This is the top one of the best music videos of all time. Thriller set the stage for music videos to be an art form. Director John Landis and Michael Jackson modeled the video off of An American Werewolf in London. Filmed in October 1983, the nearly 14-minute video is more of a short movie than a music video.
2. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
Smells Like Teen Spirit was directed by Samuel Bayer and cost less than $50,000. This music video is based on the concept of a school concert. And Rolling Stone writer David Fricke described the video as the greatest gig you could ever imagine.
3. Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel
To shoot this music video, Gabriel was forced to lie down under a piece of glass for 16 hours while shooting one frame at a time. He made a sacrifice for his art, creating one of the greatest music videos ever. Sledgehammer received 10 VMA nominations in 1987 and won 9 of them, including the Video of the Year Award.
4. Weapon of Choice – Fatboy Slim
Weapon of Choice directed by Spike Jonze, features actor Christopher Walken dancing around a deserted hotel lobby. Although Jonze’s excellent shooting is commendable, the success of this music video should be attributed to Walken’s crazy charm. It won 6 VMAs in 2001 and a Grammy Award for Best Music Video in 2002. This is one of the best dance music videos of all time.
5. Freedom! ’90 – George Michael
By 1990, Michael had grown weary of the pressures of fame, so he hired David Fincher and came up with radical ideas for making music videos. Michael and Fincher hired the five hottest supermodels and some male models in the world to sing the song. The result was that Freedom! ’90 became one of the most iconic music videos of all time.
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6. Everybody Hurts – REM
Everybody Hurts was directed by Jake Scott and was filmed in February 1993. The video was largely inspired by the traffic jam in the opening dream sequence of Fellini’s 8½. And it won four VMAs in 1994.
7. Runaway – Kanye West
Runaway is a 30-minute music video directed by Kanye West. It serves as the music video for a compilation of songs from West’s upcoming album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It is inspired by other music-related films such as Purple Rain, Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Henri Matisse, etc.
8. Jeremy – Pearl Jam
Jeremy clearly shows the life of a lost teenager. Strobe lighting and fast cropping in the video brought real distress. This is indeed a visual masterpiece, accompanied by a powerful song. This video received four VMAs in 1993, including an annual video.
9. Gangnam Style – Psy
Gangnam Style is directed by Cho Soo-hyun, is another best dance music video. It shows Psy performing a comical horse-riding dance and appearing in unexpected locations around the Gangnam District, such as an outdoor yoga session and a hot tub. Currently, it’s been viewed more than 3.4 billion times on YouTube.
10. Firework – Katy Perry
Firework was starred in Katy Perry, directed by Dave Meyers, carefully arranged by Natria Bernard, and filmed in Budapest. It won the 2011 VMA for Video of the Year. Now, it has accumulated more than 1.2 billion views on YouTube.
Bottom Line
The above have discussed the top 10 best music videos ever. What’s your idea? If you have any questions or suggestions about it, please let us know via [email protected] or share them in the comments section below.