Music Video Thread

Mr. Stevens · Mar 25, 2023

I thought it would be fun to have a thread for creative music videos. There are a lot of great examples, but the late 80s and 90s in particular had so many. They got really inventive then, I guess because they helped sell records, and the budgets got bigger. Sometimes you don't really care for the song, but the video is great. After that they kind of faded, with the rise of downloads and reality TV.

They're a unique art form: impressionistic advertisements, set to a song they sell. They can be dull, or pile on ideas, like a cross between dreams and art. So this is a spot for videos you find inventive or creative. I'll start with this one:

"Regulate" by Warren G

Pretty simple stuff, but it has a lot of atmosphere. It really takes you into the world of the song, even with the intrusive film clips. I could do without them, but they're pretty brief, so it doesn't really matter. But, the color palette and lighting are so interesting. The silhouettes against purple brick, at the beginning, are enough to hook you in. A great package for a literate song.

Mr. Stevens · Mar 25, 2023

I suppose this is quite well-known by a generation:

Now it's a meme for their children. This was really exciting when it came out, though. Long before deepfakes you had to wonder, "How much is real?" The idea is so absurd, you have to be impressed a band would agree. Videos like this dared you to buy the record, and wonder what the band was like. I love all the little details too: the interactions with the audience. Spike Jonez did a lot of great videos, before moving onto Jackass.

Inspired by Nirvana's "In Bloom" video, probably.

"Undone (the Sweater Song)" was also pretty memorable. They took the band performance videos of the 80s and made them something goofy and memorable:

It kind of breaks the weak illusion those videos had, while building another one. The band seems silly, friendly, and inviting, but I don't think they were ever close. Brian Bell doesn't even play on the record.

Gerald Wilgus · Mar 25, 2023

Mr Brightside - Betrayal of love.

Then there is Teenage Anarchist, Reminds me of what a punk I was, feeling not a part of the world and wanting to tear it all apart.

Then reminds me of my first crush, a real tommygun. I lacked courage and then it was too late

Finally, my sentiments exactly. A big FU to a nation that abandoned all thought of principles, embracing cruelty resentment and hate.

LadyS · Mar 25, 2023

On second thought, after reconsidering the thread OP:

Loved this one. Possibly the lowest budget video ever? And the fact that they did this in one take is pretty cool...

Tom · Mar 25, 2023

Kayla55 · Mar 25, 2023

Kayla55 · Mar 25, 2023

I chose this video because I'm in chains and I needed a rooster to rescue me from myself, I think years of loneliness n I was too crazy/numb

Forest Cat · Mar 25, 2023

Very special and creative video. Icelandic.

Mr. Stevens · Mar 25, 2023

Kayla55 said:
I chose this video because I'm in chains and I needed a rooster to rescue me from myself, I think years of loneliness n I was too crazy/numb

Thanks for posting, Kayla. I meant for people to post official music videos they like, not just music on YouTube (since we have threads for that).

The "Rooster" video is pretty interesting. As you might know, the song is by Jerry Cantrell, who tried imagining his father's experience in Vietnam. They had trouble shooting the video because Layne Staley was high. The director had him wear sunglasses to hide this. They talk about making it in Everybody Loves Our Town: an oral History of Grunge. A good book if you like this stuff.

I really like the mix of styles, visually. The black and white footage is really beautiful.

I find a lot of videos from this time look amazing in high definition. It's interesting, the level of care put into them, for something essentially disposable. I doubt many people thought we'd be watching these today.

Mr. Stevens · Mar 25, 2023

Foo Fighters - "I'll Stick Around"

I was never a fan of the band, but I like the song and video. This was directed by Gerald Casale, the bass player for Devo. It looks like something they would make. Very simple, very effective. Unlike Cobain, Growl shows his face

And this was quite powerful, too:

As if David Lynch made Sid and Nancy. With a nod to Evil Dead. Taylor Hawkins as the girlfriend is really perfect.

I'd love to see the treatment for this. It's so loaded with images, but who can say it means anything.

Mr. Stevens · Mar 25, 2023

Tom said:

Thanks for posting this, Tom. I never saw it before. I think it's really memorable.

Mr. Stevens · Mar 25, 2023

Blur - "To the End"

I actually find myself trying to follow the story and ignoring the song (though this used to be a favorite album of mine). It's a rare video, in that sense. A nice tribute to French New Wave films: not an original idea for music videos, but this one seems different.

I also loved "The Universal," based on A Clockwork Orange. Another idea that could have fallen flat, but it works: