Best Music Videos: 14 Top Music Videos

Music videos are a way for musicians to promote their songs. They can be wildly creative, out there, and sometimes just plain weird.

They’ve changed the way we listen to music, the way we watch television, the way we think about video technology. They even changed music itself.

The video is now a part of the song, in some cases it even influences its popularity.

Sometimes a song becomes popular because of its video and not because of how good the song is!

We call them “Best Music Videos” because they are, in our opinion, the best ones that have been released recently.

Best Music Videos

What’s the best music video ever? It’s tough to pick a favorite, but we’ve rounded up some of the best music videos of all time.

Let’s dive right in with a classic!

Michael Jackson, Thriller

Michael Jackson’s Thriller album has been called the best-selling album of all time, and with good reason. Although his death in 2009 brought him renewed attention, the King of Pop was a cultural fixture for more than three decades.

   

Touted as “the greatest selling album of all time,” Michael Jackson’s 1982 Thriller is still in demand more than two decades after its release.And why not? The blockbuster success of this CD has never been equaled, at least by a single artist.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) credits this album with an astounding 40 million copies sold in the United States alone, while other sources say as many as 65 million copies have found their way into consumer’s hands.

Billboard Magazine ranks it at No.10 on the magazine’s list of top 100 albums of all time, while Rolling Stone magazine calls it “a pop-music landmark” and “Jackson’s finest hour.”The 1984 music video for the Thriller track “Beat It” won an award for Best Video at the first MTV Video Music Awards.

In addition, Thriller won two Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Music Video (for “Thriller”), and two American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Soul Album. 

Nine Inch Nails, Closer

When Trent Reznor announced that Nine Inch Nails’ latest record, Hesitation Marks, would be available as a “pay what you want” download on the band’s website, it seemed like a novel way to release an album.The experiment was a success: In the first 24 hours of the album’s release, more than 175,000 people downloaded it for free.

But what happens when you pay nothing?The answer is that you get something for free.

You still get the music, but you also get advertisements for concert tickets and merchandise, and you can’t avoid them.

The choice is up to you: Pay $0 or $20 to get rid of the ads.Reznor’s experiment is just one example of how businesses are giving away products or services for free if people will accept targeted advertising in exchange.

These deals have been proliferating online in recent months.Not only are consumers seeing more of this kind of advertising — which has traditionally been called “sponsorship” or “native advertising” — they’re also seeing more ads in general.

That’s because companies are trying to make up for falling ad rates on traditional display ads by running more video ads on the same websites.

Radiohead, Karma Police

In the fade-out of the song “Karma Police,” Radiohead’s lead singer, Thom Yorke, moans: “This is what you get/ This is what you get/ when you mess with us.

“But many people believe that the lyrics are actually:  This is what you get/ when you mess with us/ This is what you get/ when you mess with us/ this is what you get, when you mess with us.”

Trying to decipher the meaning of the song? Join the club.According to an article in The Guardian , Yorke was asked about these lyrics and said, “It’s just a bit of fun.

It’s just taking the piss out of all this heavy rock stuff.”He added: “I used to go out with a girl who was into rock music, really into Led Zeppelin . 

I’d be in bed and she’d be sitting there with her candles going and listening to ‘Kashmir’ by Led Zeppelin. It’s just this feeling of presence.

She was really into that and I didn’t understand it at all. So it’s written from that point of view.”

He also told Q magazine (via NME ): “There are two meanings for everything I do.”

Kanye West, Runaway

Björk, Big Time Sensuality

I’m not much of a music person, per se (I mean, if I want to hear a good musical performance, I’d rather see Yo-Yo Ma or someone like that) but ever since Bjork came on the scene in the late 1980s, I’ve been intrigued by her.Tuck this away for your next party: The Icelandic singer-songwriter’s new album is called “Volta.”

And it involves a lot of exotic instruments from her native country.The album is quite different from what she’s done in the past.

But Bjork fans might not be surprised to know that she has a history of dramatic about-faces.

   

She went from being an indie rocker known for her songs about loss and heartbreak (the kind of stuff you’d expect from a singer who grew up in Iceland after being abandoned by her parents as a child) to doing some pretty strange stuff — including singing in gibberish and dressing up like a swan.

One thing Bjork is not — at least in recent years — is predictable.And that’s why she’s fun to listen to I’ve always had this impression of Bjork as an outlandish character — perhaps because she’s done so many crazy things throughout her career. 

White Stripes, Hardest Button To Button

It’s the perfect time of year to stay in, drink a beer and reminisce about the White Stripes.The garage rock duo, who haven’t released an album since 2007, played their final show on Oct. 23, 2011 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.

It was a great performance that lasted three hours instead of the typical 90-minute show. With Jack and Meg White calling it quits after that night, I’m sure many were thinking this is how they wanted to go out.

That’s all fine and dandy, but we’re here to talk about their music. The White Stripes’ discography is short but sweet.

Their third and final album “Icky Thump” is full of gems that deserve to be played again and again before being forever tucked away in your record collection.

There are so many songs from the White Stripes that deserve your attention but these are some of my favorites:”You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)” –  This song will get stuck in your head very quickly, which is unfortunate because it’s so damn good you’ll want to keep it there forever.

The White Stripes’ best song off their best album by far. 

Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit

The first track on Nirvana’s breakthrough album, “Nevermind,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was the song that fueled an explosion of interest in the Seattle-based band.It has since become one of the most imitated songs of all time and was a staple at live shows by Foo Fighters, who became leaders of the grunge rock movement after Kurt Cobain’s suicide in 1994.

The song opens with its instantly recognizable riff, played on electric guitar by Kurt Cobain. The riff is followed by a catchy, three-note sequence played on electric guitar by Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, which repeats over and over.

The song features an unexpected key change from D minor to G major partway through the first verse and chorus.The lyrics for the song were written by Cobain while he was living in Olympia, Washington.

He had been a fan of 1970s punk rock bands such as the Sex Pistols, according to Rolling Stone magazine.Nirvana recorded several versions of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with producer Butch Vig before reaching their final arrangement.

Cobain’s recording also includes two lines from the Pixies’ 1986 song “Debaser,” which he called back in to play before he started to sing.

Missy Elliott, The Rain (supa Dupa Fly)

Missy Elliott, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) Missy Elliott – Supa Dupa Fly This is the exact same thing I do whenever I want to hear a song that I used to love back in the day. It’s like stepping into a time machine and going back to some classic era in your life only to find that you loved it even more than you remembered and then poof, it’s gone.

I’m talking about the greatness of Supa Dupa Fly by Missy Elliott. For the sake of anyone who may not know what I’m talking about, here’s a quick history lesson.

The year was 1997. The place New York City.

Hip-Hop/R&B was dominant at that time as a few major artists were topping the charts with their hits.But there was one person who wanted to take her place among them: Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott.

Missy came out swinging with Supa Dupa Fly which would later be known as her debut single off her debut album Supa Dupa Fly released in 1997 on The Gold Mind Inc./EastWest Records/Elektra Entertainment Group label.

This song blew up and made its way up to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Missy Elliott, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)Created by: Missy Elliott.

Peter Gabriel, Sledgehammer

Sledgehammer is a song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel from his 1986 album So.It was released as the third single from the album in October 1986, reaching number 5 on the UK Singles Chart and number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song has since become one of Gabriel’s most well-known songs, and remains a staple of classic rock radio.Tipper Gore named this her favorite song of 1986 during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in 1999.

It is a reworking of “Avenging Annie”, a song that Gabriel recorded in 1982 which eventually saw release on his first greatest hits compilation Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats (1984), and was originally intended for the soundtrack to Stephen King’s movie Creepshow.

The song is about a man who feels like he is losing control over everything in his life, so he prays for God to help him through it all.

However, no matter how much he asks for assistance, nothing seems to go right for him.At one point in the song he says “I’m praying like a sledgehammer”, hence the title of the song.

The music video features Gabriel dressed in drag as Marilyn Monroe, with several other actors portraying John F. Kennedy and his entourage.

The Rain By Missy Elliott (1997)

Monday, Monday… Rain, rain go away… Tuesday, Tuesday… Rain all day…I love how Missy does the weather forecast in this song. She’s so cute and has such a great voice.

We can’t forget about Timbaland’s beat that accompanies her voice perfectly.Tupac Shakur once said “I can’t see me singing any other woman’s songs.”

Well, I can’t imagine anyone else singing Missy’s songs either. This song is a classic and it deserves more credit than it gets.

I mean, how many artists have you heard do a weather forecast? Not many!Missy Elliott is underrated as a singer and this music video proves it. The visuals are creative and she incorporates them flawlessly into the song.

It’s definitely a different concept but she pulls it off extremely well! You don’t hear much of Missy these days which is unfortunate because she is such a talented artist.

Elastic Heart By Sia (2015)

Watch the video:https://youtu.be/yKd1_L8B3qk

Elastic Heart is a song recorded by American singer Sia, featuring vocals by American rapper Gwen Stefani. The song was released on September 14, 2014, as the lead single from Sia’s seventh studio album This Is Acting (2016).

The song was written by Sia and Stefani, and produced by Greg Kurstin. Musically, “Elastic Heart” is a synth-led ballad with lyrics that discuss overcoming struggles in a relationship.

It marks Sia’s fourth collaboration with Stefani following her guest appearances on songs from Stefani’s debut solo album Love. Angel. Music.Baby (2004) and her own albums We Are Born (2009) and 1000 Forms of Fear (2014).

For Elastic Heart, Sia asked Kurstin to work with her in the studio for the first time.Following some media controversy as to who exactly would appear on the track, it was eventually revealed that Stefani was featured on the song; she recorded her lines separately from Sia in Los Angeles while she filmed her scenes for the 2014 American musical drama film Begin Again.

The song was released to iTunes Stores through MonkeyElastic Heart’ is a song by Sia Furler featuring The Weeknd and Diplo.It was released on 19 June 2014 as the first single from the soundtrack to the 2014 film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (in North America) and the sixth overall from the album1000 Forms of Fear.

The song peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, and stayed on that chart for fourteen consecutive weeks.

Come Daddy By Aphex Twin (1997)

For all the music out there, it’s not often that you find something that’s truly unique. There are plenty of songs that do different things with the same formula, but few stand out as being completely different.

That is, however, the case with Aphex Twin’s Come to Daddy. This song has been remixed, sampled and covered more times than I can count.

This song is really good because it represents a lot of what makes electronica so great. It doesn’t sound like anything else out there because it was made to be different.

The combination of the creepy vocals and the odd strings give this song a really dark feel. Listening to this song just leaves you feeling uneasy, which is probably why people continue to remix it.

I know I’m in the minority here, but this is one of my favorite Aphex Twin songs. It’s a little offbeat, but I like that about it.

It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’ve never listened to it before, give it a shot. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy something so strange.

At just shy of six minutes long, the song managed to become a hit in the U.S. 

Teardrop By Massive Attack (1998)

Teardrop (sometimes known as Risingson) is a song by Massive Attack, released in 1998. The song is featured on the soundtrack for the film The Jackal and was also released as a single.

It was released as a 1-track CD and 2-track CD; the latter included an edit of the song “Black Milk” from Mezzanine. It peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.

Tori Amos covered Teardrop at her Tiny Tour in 2000 and it appeared on her 2001 album Strange Little Girls. She also recorded a piano version and released it on the website Music For Tori, Vol. 1.

The song was used in the TV series Psych, in episode 9 of season 4 titled “Mr. Yin Presents”, aired on 19 January 2010.

It also appears in the 2011 film Paul, directed by Greg Mottola and starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Kristen Wiig; at the end of the film Simon Pegg’s character sings along to it in his car.

It can also be heard playing from a record player during a party scene in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, directed by Steve Carell, and can be viewed playing from an iPod nano in a deleted sceneIf you’re a fan of the song, it’s probably not because you’ve heard it before in a car commercial.

But the original version of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” was used on an episode of The Sopranos, which led to it becoming the theme song for Volkswagen’s 1999 European campaign. The song was re-released as a single in 1999 and became an instant success.

The original version goes like this:

What Is Best Music Video Of All Time?

The best music video of all time is a subjective topic. This is always going to be a question of opinion rather than facts.

However, there are certain aspects of music videos that are appealing to the general public and there are other things that turn people off.

Telling A Story

One of the biggies for getting people excited about your music video is telling a story.

It’s all well and good to have great music in your video but it has to be wrapped up in something that makes people want to watch it over and over again.It can be anything from a sad love story type of song, through to something funny or political.

Anything that can grip the viewer and make them want to watch it multiple times will score highly with the public as this kind of thing generates word of mouth marketing.

Being Current And Staying Relevant

If you have released a new album then you need to ensure that your music video reflects what you’re doing musically, so that it matches with the tone and mood of the song itself.The more closely matched they are, the more people will like it too.

What Is The Most Famous Music Video?

What is the most famous music video of all time? Well, there are several that are vying for that title with each other.

There are several videos out there that have been watched by more than one billion people worldwide.

Some of these videos are more renowned than others though, and some have even made it into the Guinness Book Of World Records for being the most viewed videos of all time.

Here is a list of the five most popular music videos ever:Michael Jackson – Thriller – 1.7 billion views This was one of Michael Jackson’s most successful songs and was released in 1983 as a short film.

It has won three Grammy Awards and is considered the best-selling music video of all time.This video was a critical part to Michael Jackson’s career as well, earning him much acclaim and notoriety.

Lady Gaga feat Beyoncé – Telephone – 900 million viewsLady Gaga’s Telephone music video was released in 2010. It has become an iconic piece of art, having won several awards including two MTV Video Music Awards, two Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award, among many others.

It is also one of Lady Gaga’s bestselling singles to date.

Who Made The Best Music Videos?

“Closer” may not be the best Radiohead music video, but it is certainly one of the most iconic.Directed by Jonathan Glazer, who also directed “Birthday Girl”, “Sexy Boy” and “Last Day of the World”, “Closer” is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Telling the story of three people, who represent lust, greed and death respectively, “Closer” is a powerful visual experience that uses themes such as love and death to convey the song’s message.

With its impressive symbolism and striking imagery, this video was able to capture the minds and hearts of people all over the world.

The director’s cut version of “Closer” combines all three original clips into one continuous journey that shows how each character is connected to one another.It starts with 2 lovers dancing in an apartment before they are interrupted by a mysterious woman.

The woman proceeds to steal something from them and walks out of their home.The two lovers then leave their apartment in pursuit of her.

What follows is a montage in which we see the three characters in various parts of London, including a graveyard and an abandoned building. Finally, we return to the couple’s apartment where they find themselves trapped by the woman.

Who Is The Most Famous Music Video Director?

The music industry is a tough one to get into. Especially if you want to be a famous music video director.

There are many people out there who want to do the same thing and they are all extremely talented.But who has achieved more than the rest?

Teddy Riley is one of the most famous music video directors of all time.

He not only directs, but he also produces and writes songs for his artists.He also has his own clothing line called Theodore Life Apparel.

Riley has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry including Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Usher, and even New Edition.His career spans back to the late 80’s when he first started working with Michael Jackson on the “Bad” album and tour.

You can see why he is one of the most successful directors in the industry today.Above all else, Teddy Riley makes great videos that get people talking.

He is no stranger to controversy as well as success! He was responsible for putting Janet Jackson on the map when she starred in his remake of “Let’s Wait Awhile.”

That song helped propel her career even further and make her into an icon that we know today!