4mo ago

I am entirely deficient in Music Videos for someone my age.

I really love to listen to a wide variety of music. Beethoven, Biz Markie, Salieri, Nina Simone, etc. but I just... never really watched Music Videos until recently. I am astounded that I simply missed out on decades of visual feast. Nine Inch Nails - Closer. George Michael, Freedom '90, an entire decade of MIssy Ellliot nonsense, and of course Aha.

What, in your opinion, is the best music video that you are sure I will like? I'm old, as evidenced by my grammar and lack of spelling.

35 comments

This might be my favorite music video of all time, at least specifically in terms of quality and production values: Madness - Night Boat to Cairo.
They've got nothing on the technical perfection of Madness, but OK Go is notable for the impressive choreography and authenticity of their music video performances: OK Go - Upside Down & Inside Out. Some, like this one, are particularly impressive for being filmed in a single take: OK Go - Here It Goes Again.
There's also, in the same vein as "of course Aha," the ones that are historically significant in terms of evolution of the medium: Video Killed the Radio Star, Thriller, Sledgehammer, Virtual Insanity, etc.

I love the Fincher-directed video for "Judith" by A Perfect Circle.
Other favourite music videos:
Aphex Twin - Come to Daddy
Smashing Pumkpins - Stand Inside Your Love
Tool - Parabol / Parabola
- Jesus, I really have found my people.
  
  One of us! one of us!

There's so many iconic ones! I'm going to skip the ones already mentioned and add:
Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight Tonight
Korn - Freak on a Leash
Elton John - I'm Still Standing
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Primus - Wynona's Big Brown Beaver
Weird Al - Smells Like Nirvana, Fat, White & Nerdy, Gump
Presidents of the United States of America - Peaches, Lump
Radiohead - No Surprises
Byörk - Army of Me, It's Oh So Quiet
Fatboy Slim - Praise You, Weapon of Choice, Rockafeller Skank

What about Everlong or Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters?
- I love those songs. Never seen the videos. Thanks friend.

OK, you've got me looking for shit now.
Carpenter Brut - Turbo Killer
Perturbator - She Is Young, She Is Beautiful
Both of these have strong neon synthwave type vibes but with different kinds of art direction
Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
Highly controversial video when it came out and I believe is highly regarded, bit Meh in my opinion but it caused a ruckus when it was originally released.

As an example, I didn't know this had a video until yesterday. https://youtu.be/8AHCfZTRGiI?si=MtmfLY-ePNNdLiIh
- You have to watch this one too Johnny Cash - Rusty Cage and then follow it up with this Soundgarden - Rusty Cage.

Oh yeah, how could I forget?
Daft Punk made the music videos for the songs on their album Discovery into an entire anime movie: Interstella 5555.

Friday - Rebecca Black
Yummy - Justin Bieber
Stupid Hoe - Nicki Minaj
My jeans - Jenna rose
Hot Problems - Double Take
Every time we touch - Cascada

Well this thread is going in my saved list.
For me, it's an odd one, but my love of jets means that Van Halen - Dreams is my all time favorite video.
I remember sitting around watching MTV just waiting for it to come on. Other distinct memories from that era.
Van Halen - Panama
Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue
And just some random picks of mine:
Alice In Chains - Them Bones
Tool - Vicarious
Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
Herbie Hancock - Rockit

I grew up without MTV. Are music videos still good? I feel like the heyday was like 1980-1998 or something, which was when I grew up.
- New ones aren't anything, but 80s to 2010 are pretty solid.
  After that it just becomes influencer porn with a video of the star getting ready for her concert or whatever.
  
  I just remembered a king gizzard video I saw a while ago. It was fucking cool. Wish I could remember which song.

Flogging Molly's "punch drunk grinning soul" or Modest mouse's "king rat" are the first two that come to mind. If you like those I can probably find some more gems from the hours a day I used to watch back in the mid to late 00's.

I've seen tons of music videos growing up but I never really liked most of them. Like, so, so many have a weird disconnect between the visuals and what the songs are about, it's just not what I would expect. I like when the video goes along to what the song is about.
At the same time, I immediately think of Beastie Boys' Sabotage when I think about good music videos. And a lot of videos directed by Spike Jonz, really.
- Imma sabotage.

Similar to kolanaki I've never really seen the appeal of music videos, I like music a lot but can absolutely live without the videos as I don't really feel like it adds a lot to the experience for me.
That being said I can still recommend a couple that immediately come to mind and hopefully you might like.
Lorn - Acid Rain Lorn has a lot of amazing music and quite a few interesting videos that tend to try and capture the feeling behind the music. This song is probably the most mainstream and probably one of the best videos for his music.
A$AP Rocky - L$D This one I quite like purely because it has some alright representations of an acid trip that most people don't capture when trying to represent LSD in the media. The way the light is used and over exposed making colours more vibrant, the sudden shift in both the music and the scene which can happen as your trip suddenly shifts. It is definitely not a highly accurate depiction of a trip but has elements that feel familiar that go some way to build up a familiar feeling in places.
- DUDE. Chills. Fucking chills. Thank you for the Lorn - Acid Rain link... WHOA.
  
  I will never not recommend Lorn at every chance I get. Lorn is life, Lorn is love!
  Enjoy :D
- Not as a big a fan of the A$AP Rocky video though.
  
  That is fair, I think memories of similar sights and feelings elevates that more for me as opposed to it being an exceptional video.

Viagra Boys - Punk Rock Loser

Here is another example. I love this song, I have no idae if this song has a music video. I experience this entirely through my ears https://open.spotify.com/track/2HRNRdM9n5CvcMYkvqPpI8?si=d62adccb7f2d46c8

Well, it looks like I have a whole day to enjoy watching all your submissions, my fine feathered friends! Thank you!

I'm going to continue to reply to myself with examples of amazing songs that I loved before I ever saw the music video. Perhaps my favorite of the last couple years has to be this one: https://open.spotify.com/track/0pJO1tc1GpnxFyQp6Zp82r?si=b910dd1069844a24

Nickelback - Savin' Me
- Brave son of a bitch.
  
  I thought it had a really interesting idea

I avoid music videos.
I want to actively listen to the music, i don't care about any visuals.

35 comments