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Favorite Music Videos


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Rules for this thread: if you post a video, no more than three per post. Dont just spam, let people respond. In order to post a video from YouTube, just change https:// to http://

 

Beastie Boys have the best videos of all-time, but I especially love Elijah Wood as a young Ad-Rock in Make Some Noise;

 

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I understand music videos were a big deal once upon a time. But I am struggling to think of a music video made for and released to the American marketplace in this century that had a seismic and long-lasting cultural impact. Maybe Eminem's Stan (feat. Dido) which appears to have altered the language of young people so now they stan this, they stan that, they have NO choice BUT to stan, etcetera etcetera? Was there anything that's had an equivalent or greater role?

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I understand music videos were a big deal once upon a time. But I am struggling to think of a music video made for and released to the American marketplace in this century that had a seismic and long-lasting cultural impact. Maybe Eminem's Stan (feat. Dido) which appears to have altered the language of young people so now they stan this, they stan that, they have NO choice BUT to stan, etcetera etcetera? Was there anything that's had an equivalent or greater role?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyuUWOnS9BY

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P00HMxdsVZI

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbcLcSY2au4

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsm4poTWjMs

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I understand music videos were a big deal once upon a time. But I am struggling to think of a music video made for and released to the American marketplace in this century that had a seismic and long-lasting cultural impact. Maybe Eminem's Stan (feat. Dido) which appears to have altered the language of young people so now they stan this, they stan that, they have NO choice BUT to stan, etcetera etcetera? Was there anything that's had an equivalent or greater role?

While Icy posted a lot of very popular videos, I would argue that there have been maybe a dozen videos since the 80s that meet that criteria, most of them by Michael Jackson or Beastie Boys.

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I think Beyoncé's definitely counts as a music video made for and released to the American marketplace in this century that had a seismic and long-lasting cultural impact! I think this mostly because it was parodied on a sitcom long after it came out and I got the reference despite never having seen the original video. [Edit : Whoops! I thought the Beyoncé music video was the Lemonade one! It's not? Or is 'Flawless' part of Lemonade? Forgive me, Beyhive!] I think the 'Hot Girl Summer' maybe also counts because, again, I know what that is without even ever having heard the song (or if I've heard it I've completely lost the memory of how the song goes). But I have no way of knowing if the Lizzo counts or not (I fully admit that a lot of this stuff flies over my head! This is yet another one of those many areas where I'm probably in the wrong!) and I think it may be too early to tell re: the Cardi B one!

While Icy posted a lot of very popular videos, I would argue that there have been maybe a dozen videos since the 80s that meet that criteria, most of them by Michael Jackson or Beastie Boys.


You may be right! But I think that maybe growing up in a time when those dozen videos came out and were on MTV in constant rotation while you were an adolescent and a teenager and a young adult is what led you and others of your generations to approach this subject matter in a way where you have definitive preferences. I think for nearly anyone who wasn't an adolescent kid during the eighties/nineties having favourite music videos would kinda be like having favourite subway advertisements. (Maybe a better analogy would be ... having favourite liner notes on CD albums?)

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Flawless is not part of Lemonade! It was from the album before that one. I'd argue that Formation counts, too, but the "I woke up like this" with the hand wave is, IMO, more widely iconic than the "I slay" refrain.

 

Also, I think you're thinking of this video, which isn't a parody either of the two aforementioned songs:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUYXk-QcXZ0

 

Also also, I included Lizzo because the "I just took a DNA test, turns out I'm 100% That Bitch" line was probably as big as #HotGirlSummer last year.

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You may be right! But I think that maybe growing up in a time when those dozen videos came out and were on MTV in constant rotation while you were an adolescent and a teenager and a young adult is what led you and others of your generations to approach this subject matter in a way where you have definitive preferences. I think for nearly anyone who wasn't an adolescent kid during the eighties/nineties having favourite music videos would kinda be like having favourite subway advertisements. (Maybe a better analogy would be ... having favourite liner notes on CD albums?)

Music videos definitely primarily came from a time and place, there's no doubt about it. Roughly the period between the creation of MTV and the creation of YouTube. However, there have been plenty of popular videos since then, if that's the criteria. And it's a better criteria, IMO. Just like in cinema, there are few movies "that had a seismic and long-lasting cultural impact."

 

Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Beastie Boys, Kanye, Drake, Eminem, Gangnam Style (I know, not the artist), Nicki Minaj, and, of course, "This is America" by Childish Gambino, one of the biggest music videos of all-time.

 

Streaming music and video has changed the discussion, and true huge videos are rare because huge artists are rare, but there are still plenty of insanely popular videos being made today.

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Michael Jackon's Thriller video is the GOAT. That is a universal truth that cannot be disputed.

NIN's Closer is right up there at a close #2, and Beastie Boys' Sabotage at #3.

 

Honorable mentions:

Eurythmics: Sweet Dreams (are made of these)

REM: Losing My Religion

David Bowie's Black Star and Lazarus (might not be Bowie in his prime, but great videos for a dying man, and the guy went out strong!)

Peter Gabriel: Sledgehammer

Van Halen: Right Now

 

 

Three of some of my personal favorites:

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Oh! No! A memory comes to mind! I do have a favourite music video! I think it may be the only one among the few I actually own that I can remember and thus it wins that title by default! I bought it as a single on CD from Plan 9 Music in Richmond, VA for five American dollars!

 

 

Music videos definitely primarily came from a time and place, there's no doubt about it. Roughly the period between the creation of MTV and the creation of YouTube. However, there have been plenty of popular videos since then, if that's the criteria. And it's a better criteria, IMO. Just like in cinema, there are few movies "that had a seismic and long-lasting cultural impact."

Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Beastie Boys, Kanye, Drake, Eminem, Gangnam Style (I know, not the artist), Nicki Minaj, and, of course, "This is America" by Childish Gambino, one of the biggest music videos of all-time.

Streaming music and video has changed the discussion, and true huge videos are rare because huge artists are rare, but there are still plenty of insanely popular videos being made today.


I guess I'm not getting across what I mean. Torch's daughter loving Kpop is kind of what I'm going for here, that's the phenomenon I'm describing.

Also, I think you're thinking of this video, which isn't a parody either of the two aforementioned songs:


Yeah, that's what I was thinking of!

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