Some music videos combine timeless music and groundbreaking visuals to create one of the best videos of all time.
It has been a long time since a music video became a hit, but, amazingly, the music-video form is still thriving in the modern age of YouTube. But it is a great time to be a fan of music videos, and watching them has never been easier with cool features like 'cue up' and 'replay' for your favourite party songs, dance songs, or workout songs from the comfort of your phone or computer. Below are five music videos that form the pinnacle of the art form—the best music videos of all time—check them out!
Thriller by Michael Jackson
The music video is over 13 minutes and 40 seconds long, but MJ, in his zombie and werewolf guises, simply cannot be cut down and packaged into a standard-length music video. Thriller remains profoundly influential even to the contemporary audience. This 13-minute musical of Jackson has campy fun with creepy authenticity to an astonishing degree.
November Rain by Guns N' Roses
In 1992, this was the fifth-most expensive music video ever made, and to date, November Rain is ranked 21 in terms of costliest music videos. Evidently, much of the expense was incurred on Stephanie Seymour's wedding dress and the helicopter that was used to capture the aerial shots of Slash. November Rain in July 2018 became the first video made before YouTube to surpass one billion views.
I Want Love by Elton John
This video features a single shot of Robert Downey Jr., pre-sobriety; lip-syncing the song while walking through Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills was a massive hit. Sam Taylor-Wood, the director, shot 16 takes, but John insisted for the last take to be used because "The way he underplays it is fantastic". It is noteworthy that this video was shot when Downey had just been left by his then-wife. Thus, Downey's delivery of the song's opening line becomes very moving.
In Demand by Texas
The mesmeric Alan Rickman comforting Sharleen Spiteri in a Bentley Azure is the epitome of maddening perfection for one music video. The car pulls in at a gas station, and Rickman discloses himself as a milonguero, leading Spiteri through a tango on the station forecourt. But Rickman supposedly dumped her and wants her back only when she is popular.
I Want to Break Free by Queen
This song talks about people feeling trapped in their relationships and wanting to break free of their lovers. The video features the band members dressed up as women - Roger Taylor as a young schoolgirl, Freddie as a housewife, John Deacon as a grandmother, and Brian May as a housewife.
So which music video is your all-time favourite?
