The Video Stars: Science Fiction Music Videos

Sci-Fi tends to be a popular genre for music videos, possibly because it's far easier to draw attention in a short amount of time, focusing on using special effects rather than storyline to convey an idea.  I had the most difficult time yet in narrowing these down to only 10.  So don't judge me too much if a favorite isn't here.  Also, don't expect Thriller or anything else that appears in another list - I'm only considering any music video in one particular category.

10.  Can You Feel It - Jackson 5, 1980.  Directed by Bruce Gowers and Robert Abel.

I think in the end I couldn't not add this video, if for no other reason than it gives us historical context for MJ's relationship to music videos.  For 1980, the visuals here are over the top and in our face, setting the standard early for Michael, and giving him a strong sense of relationship between song and video before many others ever did. 

9.  Home - LCD Soundsystem, 2010.  Directed by Rick Darge.

Not so much the effects, but the plot in this one draws me in, as a robot tries to party all night with the local hipsters.  I am pleasantly surprised with how easily I sympathize with this wordless and  generally unimpressive robot.

8.  California Love - 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman, 1996.  Directed by Hype Williams.

A classic post-apocalyptic America set in 2095, where California
still knows how to party better than anyone.  I'm not sure why they bothered to make a second video, but they did, so make sure you click the pic and watch the right one. 

7.  In This World/In My Heart - Moby, 2002.  Directed by Stylewar.

Right up there next to E.T. and Wall-E, these are some of the most loveable aliens on film.  Beautiful, emotional, and importantly for this particular top 10 list, Sci-fi.

6.  Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai, 1996.  Directed by Jonathan Glazer.

I suppose this is supposed to be on another planet, although this is never explicit.  Still, I would love to travel there one day.  Jamiroquai put themselves on the pop map with not only this song, but this powerful visual to conect it with. 

5.  Sock it to Me - Missy Elliott, 1997.  Directed by Hype Williams.

Missy is stylistically carving out an entire culture for herself in 1997 with this and Supa Dupa fly (with the help of Hype Williams' fisheye lens and Timbaland's beats).  Here she takes inspiration the Mega Man music videos and creates some visual fun to go along with her audio good times.  On another note, I wonder whatever happened to Da Brat's helmet... I would look boss in that thing.

 4.  Rockit - Herbie Hancock, 1983.  Directed by Godley & Creme.

A lot is going on, not only in this video, but in music history.  Here, Hancock is building a bridge between pop and jazz in an important way, and although it is moving towards the future, it still looks a little raw like the robotics in this vid. 

3.  Scream - Michael & Janet Jackson, 1995.  Directed by Mark Romanek.

When I first heard about this video I was 13 years old, and I remember thinking, "Finally Michael and Janet together".  And to this day when I watch it, although it's hard not to notice the amount of effort and money that went into this video, what gives it an unmatched charisma is the duo involved.  Janet looks as boss as ever, and both of them are bound by both love and anger.

2.  Intergallactic - Beastie Boys, 1998.  Directed by Nathaniel Hornblower (aka: MCA of the Beastie Boys).

Parodies bode well for these boys, while Sabotage worked off of Crime TV, Intergallactic bows to Japanese monster movies.  And what can I say, I am quickly acknowledging my soft spot for a dancing robot. 

1.  All is Full of Love - Bjork, 1999.  Directed by Chris Cunningham.

Slightly eerie, incredibly beautiful, and impossible not to watch.  An appropriate video of robotic love to a song composed entirely from "sounds inspired by machines" according to Bjork.  With both sound and film, Bjork shows us how sexy machines can be.  Who knew?     

The Video Stars: Top 10 Comedies

Time for my second installment of music videos.  Here's my choices for the top 10 comedy music video.  Enjoy!

10.  I Feel Better - Hot Chip, 2010.  Directed by Peter Serafinowicz.

At first you just think it's a great boy-band-parody video, and then a bizarre thing happens.  I nearly peed myself when I first saw this one.

9.  All the Small things - Blink 182, 1999.  Directed by Marcos Siega

Probably more the parody vid you were expecting.  Makes fun of nearly every bubblegum pop video that was out in the 90's, and does so in true Blink 182 style.  Now when I see an old Backstreet Boys video, I think of this.  Classic. 

8.  Bien o Mal (Right or Wrong) - Julieta Venegas, 2010.  Directed by Agustin Alberdi.

So, I can't understand any of the lyrics, which may actually be part of the charm of Bien o Mal.  I find it adorable, lovely, and terribly giggle-worthy.  Even better, it's meant to be a feminist critique of who decides what is "lady-like".  I am totally for this parallel universe, especially if I get to fart butterflies too!

7.  I'm On a Boat - The Lonely Island featuring T. Pain, 2009.  Directed by Akiva Schaffer.

The Lonely Island have now made a bunch of videos to choose from, but this one stands out for not only its humor, but production.  It looks like the kind of rap videos it's making fun of, and got so much acclaim that  it was even nominated for a grammy!  Most importantly, I don't think I've since been on any kind of boat without this song being referenced at least once.  Granted, I am usually doing the referencing...

6.  Frontier Psychiatry - The Avalanches, 2002.  Directed by Tom Kuntz & Mike Maguire.

This is possibly the most random music video I've ever seen, and yet it ideally suits the song (which is composed of samples from 37 different spoken tracks).  Plus, there is just something so awesome about an old woman playing the drums.  

5.  Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters, 2001.  Directed by Jesse Peretz.

I've been noticing that I especially love videos where someone in the band is duplicated.  This is an extreme example, and I absolutely love it.  Especially when Dave Grohl asks Dave Grohl for his autograph.  For fun, try to figure out which characters are all played by which band members.  Also, see if you can recognize the song that's played muzak-style at the beginning. 

4.  Weapon of Choice - Fatboy Slim, 2001.  Directed by Spike Jonze.

What a beautiful marriage between band, director, and actor.  There is possibly no other actor that could have created the same effect that Christopher Walken does here; he has no deadpan/dance equal.  The comedy of this video relies entirely on his creepiness, and there was never any doubt it would succeed.

3.  Land of Confusion - Genesis, 1987.  Directed by John Lloyd & Jim Yukich

So many puppets, so much happiness.  Especially when the puppets represent Ronald and Nancy Reagan, a few other presidents and a whole host of celebrities.  The only video from the 80's in this particular list, and isn't it appropriate that it features puppets?  What was with the 80's and puppets anyway?

2.  Praise You - Fatboy Slim, 1999.  Directed by Spike Jonze.

So great.  Yes, it looks like someone caught a flash mob on their camera phone, and that's the point.  The choreography is wonderfully goofy, the crowd's reactions are 100% genuine, and this likely goes down in history as the cheapest music video to ever be shown on MTV.  Also, whenever this song gets played at a party, guess what happens. 

1.  It's Oh So Quiet - Bjork, 1995.  Directed by Spike Jonze. 

I won't pretend like this was an easy choice; at some point I considered nearly all of the top 5 videos for the number 1 position.  Yet, it does seem appropriate that Spike Jonze is involved considering his name is on so many videos I would consider hilarious or clever.  You should probably go right now and watch his entire videography if you haven't already.   

But in the end, Bjork's emotional ode to falling in love stands out.  There are two thoughts that simultaneously enter my head when I watch this entertaining video: 1. Where did they come up with these ideas?  I could never have this kind of imaginitive creativity!  and 2.  This video is exactly what the song needs - no other video could have possibly existed!  It captures Bjork's quirkiness, and her shifts between mellow and exstatic, with such fluidity considering they're terribly abrupt.  Genius.  Also, I totally have "dance with a mailbox" on my bucketlist thanks to this.  Totes. 

The Video Stars: Top 10 Dramas

I've decided to take a short break from albums to make a few top ten lists.  This week I have been on a major music video kick, and as a result I have discovered a whole new respect for the medium.  Just like physical albums allow us as listeners to tangibly and contextually connect with the music, videos allow us to experience a song in new, visual way.

There are those skeptics who would see music videos nothing more than advertisements, and I can see some truth in that: videos can massively effect the reception of a song or an album in the mainstream, so I'm sure many are made for purely promotional purposes.  But as I have been watching and picking videos for top 10 lists, I've been convinced of music video as a whole artistic category on its own.   


I have grouped the videos based on what genre the video best fits into, and have one self-appointed rule that no video can be in two lists (even if they clearly fit into several).  Let's begin with my top 10 dramatic music videos.  These videos all have an uncanny ability to tell a story.

 10.  Mr. Brightside - The Killers, 2004.  Directed by Brad and Brian Palmer.

This song tells a great story all on its own, but with some incredible costumes, great acting, a magical setting, and references to one of my all time favorite movies (Moulin Rouge), the jealousy Brandon Flowers sings about comes to life. 

9.  This is Hardcore - Pulp, 1998.  Directed by Doug Nichol.

Three stories are interwoven, all using old film imagery to remind us that it is all hollywood pretend - a fitting mask for a song about a destructive lifestyle.  Creative and beautiful exploration of the song without taking a literal approach, but I kept it in the drama category because it holds intrigue, and asks us to look for the story behind the stories. 

8.  Like a Prayer - Madonna, 1989.  Directed by Mary Lambert.

Better known for its controversy with the Catholic Church and Pepsi, Like a Prayer actually tells a captivating story about a black man wrongfully accused of rape while still capturing the themes of spiritual and sexual ecstasy in the song.  Many videos would go on to push the envelope in order to gain popularity through controversy, but few would do it as well as Madonna. 

7.  November Rain - Guns n' Roses, 1992.  Directed by Andy Morahan.

An epic video for an epic song.  And it has become so Iconic.  And coolest setting for a guitar solo of all time.  The story for the video is based on Del James' short story "Without You", which gives a bit more context for the bride's death, but it seems GNR have decided to go for mystery here.  I think it works.

6.  Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Conner, 1990.  Directed by John Maybury.

Pretty much the opposite of November Rain, Sinead O'Conner gives us one of the most vulnerable moments in music video history: her unavoidable face.  The story doesn't need to be spelled out because our interest is in the emotions of this character, and we can't look away.  In the same vane, check out Janelle Monae's "Cold War". 

5.  Rabbit in Your Headlights - UNKLE feat. Thom Yorke, 1998.  Directed by Jonathan Glazer.

Eerie and intriguing, this videa was hard for me to watch at first and now I can't stop.  Is this a simple story about a man with mental illness, or is it a parable about the way society tackles its problems?  Either way, Rabbit in Your Headlights is thought provoking and unexpectedly beautiful. 

4.  Vidrar Vel Til Loftarasa - Sigur Ros, 2001.  Directed by Arni & Kinski.

The slow motion adds to the drama and beauty - very few directors hold a cinematographic candle to Icelandic duo Arni and Kinski - while telling a story so important, and yet barely before tackeled through music video.  I especially love the faces of the crowd at the football match.

3.  The Scientist - Coldplay, 2001.  Directed by Jamie Thraves.

Others have down the backwards thing, but none have done so in such a narrative focused and appropriate way, allowing us to nearly forget the novelty of it.  And I'm sure no one has done as convincing a job at singing in reverse action as Martin does here - mind you, it took him a whole month to learn to do it.  Oh yeah, and I think this is the only backwards video to not use the water effect.  An accomplishment in its own right.

2.  Just - Radiohead, 1995.  Directed by Jamie Thraves.

The best stories keep you guessing, even after you've heard them.  This is one of those.  Also, the best use (and non-use) of subtitles ever. 

1.  Hurt - Johnny Cash, 2002.  Directed by Mark Romanek. 

Everytime I watched this video it climbed higher up the list until I simply couldn't deny it the number 1 spot.  First of all, this is one of the best covers of all time.  "Hurt" is given all the more meaning when sung by someone who has lived as much life as Johnny Cash has.  And the line "my empire of dirt" is given a new context from a superstar in his 70's.

The video is fairly simple autobiography, with Romanek piecing old footage together, and yet he does so carefully and musically.  Cash allows himself to be vulnerable so near the end of his life, giving this video a haunting sense of eulogy or epitaph.  A fantastic last word from a complicated and beautiful man that gets better and better every time you watch it.  Really.