Guest Post
A wise man once said, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” With the invention of music videos, this statement has never been more true. Music videos provide a multi-sensory experience of music, one that has captivated audiences for decades. MTV, the first 24-hour music video channel, was launched at 12.01am on the 1st of August 1981 – people were hooked! Music videos are constantly evolving with time with some artists continuing to challenge the boundaries between reality and fantasy. We have counted down the 5 greatest music videos of all time below and added a few fun facts to the mix as well!
- Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)
This video cost a whopping $500 000 to make 38 years ago, the song was originally title “Starlight” but Jackson didn’t like it. The album name “Thriller” was already on the table so renaming the song wasn’t a giant leap. This 13-minute video changed the face of music videos forever, turning them from simple promotional clips into a cultural phenomenon.
- Crazy – Aerosmith (1994)
We could not get enough of Alicia Silverstone in the 90s and, apparently, neither could Aerosmith – this is the 3rd music video Silverstone had appeared in. What made this video special was that it was the first video to feature frontman’s Steven Tyler’s daughter, Liv. Liv was just a teenager back then but her resemblance to Silverstone was remarkable. If you feel inspired to recreate this all you need is a shiny red car and a South Florida Video Production Company!
Fun Fact – The love interest in the music video for Baby One More Time was Britney’s cousin. Weird.
- Missy Elliot – The Rain (1997)
This iconic video of Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot’s featured her a what looked like a bin liner through a fisheye lens. Revolutionary! This lens went onto become a hip-hop video staple. Directed by Hype Williams and filled with cameos of many famous faces like Timbaland, Lil’ Kim and Puff Daddy. The ‘Femme It Forward’ trailblazer’s video has been viewed over 20 million times on YouTube.
- Sia – Elastic Heart (2015)
Whilst this video received a lot of internet backlash, if viewed as Sia intended, it is a beautiful and heart-wrenching story. Perhaps it could have been cast with an older female lead, Sia felt at the time that those two best portrayed what she was looking for. Sia has apologised for triggering her fans as this was never her intention. Love it or hate it, it is an emotional video for a beautiful song.
Fun Fact – In the dance scene for INSYNC’s Pop video, Joey was replaced by Wade Robson, the choreographer, because his foot was broken at the time of filming.
- OK Go – Here It Goes Again (2006)
The video that inspired hundreds of amateurs to attempt the same treadmill choreography routine, and then fail dismally (usually). This video inspires pure joy every time you watch it, which is why it gets to claim the top position on our list.
