Cosmic Harmony
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2009
- Posts
- 12,935
- Reaction score
- 25
...or at least according to me and the bazillion factors I took into account.
26. Breaking The Habit- Linkin Park
I realize that Linkin Park is a band that is beyond hated here so I'd like to start by saying that I don't give two shits about your opinion of how much you think they suck.
This is the only fully animated music video to make this list and that is because it is the most fantastic animated music video I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Drawing heavily from Japanese animation the overall look of the video is gritty and frantic, as if the animators who worked on "A Scanner Darkly" drew up this video while wacked out on speed. The images are abrasive and quite dark and include intense themes such as drug addiction, murder, and suicide.
25. All The Things You Said- t.A.T.u.
This video comes to us from the Russian north. Not only is this video great but it deals with a message that I hold very near and dear (which is why it makes the list)....also it has two attractive girls kiss and that caused quite a stir worldwide which only gave the video more attention.
The two ladies of t.A.T.u. pretend to be lesbians lovers as a sort of gimmick and that is what the video is about. The two women appear to be locked behind a fence in the video and as it rains and snows a crowd of unpleasant onlookers glare at them and whisper to each other from the opposite side of the fence. Then at the end of the video there is an M. Night Shyamalan style twist that reveals the message of the video so that it's not just being sexual....because it would be otherwise.
24. Fell In Love With A Girl- The White Stripes
Making excellent use of one of the simplest, most colorful, and best toys ever Jack and Meg White revive the excellence of stop motion through the use of Legos. A very short video that as with any stop motion work took a great deal of time and effort yet it payed off as this video was the breakthrough for one of the most critically adored rock bands of the last decade, and rightfully so that this is the video that caught eyes as it's not only very entertaining it's also highly memorable.
23. Sabotage- Beastie Boys
Like what I said with Linkin Park earlier, I don't care what your thoughts on the Beastie Boys or hip-hop in general are. This video is great regardless.
Stylized similarly to the original Starsky and Hutch, our streets are kept safe by the mucho machismo of MCA, Ad-Rock, and Mike D, all sporting some impressive law enforcement upper lip fur. Running across buildings, engaging in car chases, munching donuts, these boys do it all with the wacky and hilarious flair that is expected of them.
22. Rockin' The Suburbs- Ben Folds
When white meets whiter and knows just how white it is you get the video for "Rockin' The Suburbs" by Ben Folds which is directed by Weird Al Yankovic.
Blatantly mocking angry white groups such as Limp Bizkit and Korn, Ben Folds and Al Yankovic's combined efforts produce numerous highly original and innovative moments throughout the video, numerous versions of Ben on screen at once, and several iconic nu metal staples such as Fred Durst's backwards, red cap and the scenery from Korn's "Freak on a Leash" video at the end (which I have always been a fan of). Pulled from the very original minds of Ben and Al this video is is soaked with the great sense of humor that both of these men have and it is in no way a let down.
21. Black Hole Sun- Soundgarden
Warped faces, bizarrely creepy imagery, and a fantasy-scape that appear far too pleasant are what makes up the video for Soundgarden's signature song. Mixed with footage of the band playing the majority of the video revolves around a small town and it's residents who all seem to be spawned from the mind of H.R. Pufnstuf during an acid trip gone horribly wrong. At the end of the video all hell breaks loose and the townsfolk are sucked into the black hole with looks of terror adorning their creepy faces.
20. Ashes to Ashes- David Bowie
Once upon a time ago "Ashes to Ashes" was the most expensive ever made and upon it's release it turned the music video from a simply promotional device to a full blown art form.
Filmed in highly solarised color the video has a very jarring appearance with even the sky being pitch black. Bowie also debuted the Pierrot clown costume that would become a major staple for him during this era of his career. Other bizarre scenes include the appearance of Major Tom and the iconic shot of Bowie and the Blitz Kids walking in front of the bulldozer. Truly a must see or anyone.
19. Knights of Cydonia- Muse
I only need three words for this video Futuristic-Kung Fu-Cowboys.
The story for this video is simply ridiculous and crammed full of so many awesome things that you can't help but scratch your head and smile while watching it. The story goes a little something like this: Futuristic Kung Fu Cowboy meets girl, get beat up by the villain, is left to die in the desert, is saved by a robot, a martial arts man, and a goddess on a unicorn, saves his lady on a dirt bike, and beats the bad guy. If that story doesn't make you want to watch this then you might want to get your pulse checked.
18. Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody- David Lee Roth
Oh Dave....he certainly made use of music videos in his solo career. Each and every one of them were positively oozing with comedic cheese that only someone with his charisma would manage to pull off without being lame.
As with all of his videos this one has an extended intro that features grotesquely unrealistic looking people before Diamond Dave drifts off into fantasy land where he thinks about how awesome of a video he could make. Over the course of Dave's daydream he sings and dances all around the television station and encounters many humorous mock ups of iconic artists of the time like Michael Jackson, Boy George, and Billy Idol the latter of he may or may not accidentally kill.
17. Hurt- Johnny Cash
A video retrospective of a dying man's life. Simply as that. Johnny pours every ounce of himself into not only the song but also it's video. I really can't say too much, just watch and you'll know.
16. I'm Going Slightly Mad- Queen
This video does a fantastic job of capturing the illogical products of madness in a truly humorous way. Beneath the surface however Freddie truly was going slightly mad from the dementia of his AIDS. Because of his weakness this was the last time fans saw him parade about with his flamboyant charisma as he became too ill to do so shortly after filming was complete. The video was filmed in black and white and Freddie wore heavy makeup and a wig to hide his very gaunt and frail condition. Despite the seemingly light hearted humor of the video it is obvious that there is something very dark and tragic underneath the surface...and I'm not talking about Elton John in a monkey suit.
15. Hardest Button To Button- The White Stripes
The second entrant from the White Stripes also uses a form of stop motion known as pixilation amination. This is used to make it appear as if dozens of drum sets and guitar amps are appearing magically with each beat of the drum. This is used in different ways in a subway, on the sidewalk, and in a park all in New York. They also take it a step further by making the drum kits and amps appear to move around as well as disappear with Meg and Jack traveling with them. As someone who's done this sort of thing I can fully appreciate all of the effort that I know when into this. It's such a cool video.
14. Sledgehammer- Peter Gabriel
No list of great music videos is complete without "Sledgehammer". It's one of the most complex, popular, and influential videos of all time. I don't think I even need to explain why it's so good. It's just spellbinding. If you don't know why or have never seen it then you need to watch it right now.
26. Breaking The Habit- Linkin Park
I realize that Linkin Park is a band that is beyond hated here so I'd like to start by saying that I don't give two shits about your opinion of how much you think they suck.
This is the only fully animated music video to make this list and that is because it is the most fantastic animated music video I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Drawing heavily from Japanese animation the overall look of the video is gritty and frantic, as if the animators who worked on "A Scanner Darkly" drew up this video while wacked out on speed. The images are abrasive and quite dark and include intense themes such as drug addiction, murder, and suicide.
25. All The Things You Said- t.A.T.u.
This video comes to us from the Russian north. Not only is this video great but it deals with a message that I hold very near and dear (which is why it makes the list)....also it has two attractive girls kiss and that caused quite a stir worldwide which only gave the video more attention.
The two ladies of t.A.T.u. pretend to be lesbians lovers as a sort of gimmick and that is what the video is about. The two women appear to be locked behind a fence in the video and as it rains and snows a crowd of unpleasant onlookers glare at them and whisper to each other from the opposite side of the fence. Then at the end of the video there is an M. Night Shyamalan style twist that reveals the message of the video so that it's not just being sexual....because it would be otherwise.
24. Fell In Love With A Girl- The White Stripes
Making excellent use of one of the simplest, most colorful, and best toys ever Jack and Meg White revive the excellence of stop motion through the use of Legos. A very short video that as with any stop motion work took a great deal of time and effort yet it payed off as this video was the breakthrough for one of the most critically adored rock bands of the last decade, and rightfully so that this is the video that caught eyes as it's not only very entertaining it's also highly memorable.
23. Sabotage- Beastie Boys
Like what I said with Linkin Park earlier, I don't care what your thoughts on the Beastie Boys or hip-hop in general are. This video is great regardless.
Stylized similarly to the original Starsky and Hutch, our streets are kept safe by the mucho machismo of MCA, Ad-Rock, and Mike D, all sporting some impressive law enforcement upper lip fur. Running across buildings, engaging in car chases, munching donuts, these boys do it all with the wacky and hilarious flair that is expected of them.
22. Rockin' The Suburbs- Ben Folds
When white meets whiter and knows just how white it is you get the video for "Rockin' The Suburbs" by Ben Folds which is directed by Weird Al Yankovic.
Blatantly mocking angry white groups such as Limp Bizkit and Korn, Ben Folds and Al Yankovic's combined efforts produce numerous highly original and innovative moments throughout the video, numerous versions of Ben on screen at once, and several iconic nu metal staples such as Fred Durst's backwards, red cap and the scenery from Korn's "Freak on a Leash" video at the end (which I have always been a fan of). Pulled from the very original minds of Ben and Al this video is is soaked with the great sense of humor that both of these men have and it is in no way a let down.
21. Black Hole Sun- Soundgarden
Warped faces, bizarrely creepy imagery, and a fantasy-scape that appear far too pleasant are what makes up the video for Soundgarden's signature song. Mixed with footage of the band playing the majority of the video revolves around a small town and it's residents who all seem to be spawned from the mind of H.R. Pufnstuf during an acid trip gone horribly wrong. At the end of the video all hell breaks loose and the townsfolk are sucked into the black hole with looks of terror adorning their creepy faces.
20. Ashes to Ashes- David Bowie
Once upon a time ago "Ashes to Ashes" was the most expensive ever made and upon it's release it turned the music video from a simply promotional device to a full blown art form.
Filmed in highly solarised color the video has a very jarring appearance with even the sky being pitch black. Bowie also debuted the Pierrot clown costume that would become a major staple for him during this era of his career. Other bizarre scenes include the appearance of Major Tom and the iconic shot of Bowie and the Blitz Kids walking in front of the bulldozer. Truly a must see or anyone.
19. Knights of Cydonia- Muse
I only need three words for this video Futuristic-Kung Fu-Cowboys.
The story for this video is simply ridiculous and crammed full of so many awesome things that you can't help but scratch your head and smile while watching it. The story goes a little something like this: Futuristic Kung Fu Cowboy meets girl, get beat up by the villain, is left to die in the desert, is saved by a robot, a martial arts man, and a goddess on a unicorn, saves his lady on a dirt bike, and beats the bad guy. If that story doesn't make you want to watch this then you might want to get your pulse checked. 18. Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody- David Lee Roth
Oh Dave....he certainly made use of music videos in his solo career. Each and every one of them were positively oozing with comedic cheese that only someone with his charisma would manage to pull off without being lame.
As with all of his videos this one has an extended intro that features grotesquely unrealistic looking people before Diamond Dave drifts off into fantasy land where he thinks about how awesome of a video he could make. Over the course of Dave's daydream he sings and dances all around the television station and encounters many humorous mock ups of iconic artists of the time like Michael Jackson, Boy George, and Billy Idol the latter of he may or may not accidentally kill.
17. Hurt- Johnny Cash
A video retrospective of a dying man's life. Simply as that. Johnny pours every ounce of himself into not only the song but also it's video. I really can't say too much, just watch and you'll know.
16. I'm Going Slightly Mad- Queen
This video does a fantastic job of capturing the illogical products of madness in a truly humorous way. Beneath the surface however Freddie truly was going slightly mad from the dementia of his AIDS. Because of his weakness this was the last time fans saw him parade about with his flamboyant charisma as he became too ill to do so shortly after filming was complete. The video was filmed in black and white and Freddie wore heavy makeup and a wig to hide his very gaunt and frail condition. Despite the seemingly light hearted humor of the video it is obvious that there is something very dark and tragic underneath the surface...and I'm not talking about Elton John in a monkey suit.
15. Hardest Button To Button- The White Stripes
The second entrant from the White Stripes also uses a form of stop motion known as pixilation amination. This is used to make it appear as if dozens of drum sets and guitar amps are appearing magically with each beat of the drum. This is used in different ways in a subway, on the sidewalk, and in a park all in New York. They also take it a step further by making the drum kits and amps appear to move around as well as disappear with Meg and Jack traveling with them. As someone who's done this sort of thing I can fully appreciate all of the effort that I know when into this. It's such a cool video.
14. Sledgehammer- Peter Gabriel
No list of great music videos is complete without "Sledgehammer". It's one of the most complex, popular, and influential videos of all time. I don't think I even need to explain why it's so good. It's just spellbinding. If you don't know why or have never seen it then you need to watch it right now.
Nothing from the greatest video band of all time though, The Smashing Pumpkins? 
