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A while back, in a typical fit of boredom I assembled a list (not for the first time) of my choices for the 125 greatest music videos ever created, with the intention of talking about them in detail online, one at a time. Thus followed a long period of brainstorming, shuffling around a few hundred index cards, transferring data to a spreadsheet, researching dates and directors, hunting down the videos in question (damned hard at times), uploading them to Vimeo when Vimeo didn't have them and then getting yelled at by Vimeo for doing that, etc. In the end it was finally time to do the analysis I had been preparing in my head all this time.
And then the write-ups never happened. Part of that was attention-span failure, but the main problem was that although there were clips I very much wanted to talk about, all too many boiled down to a shrug and a curt, "This is awesome, you should totes check it out." I got about a dozen or so screeds written up, hit one title that I really had nothing to say about, and once several months of dithering had passed and I began rethinking my choices and finding items that I hadn't seen prior to my initial list that I desperately wanted to include, the game was pretty much toast. Le sigh.
But I still have that list, and since the thought of all that work going down the tubes makes me cry almost as hard as last night's screening of Inside Out, here is the complete list in order, with links to the videos in question. Please share your agreements, your disagreements, your comments, your omissions—in short, please, somebody say something. I know it violates the cardinal rule that bloggers maintain the illusion that we're not attention-grubbing, but goddammit, this was several weeks of my life we're talking about here. (In particular, if you're wondering why I included something, please feel free to ask. There's probably half an essay about it still in my head.)
[EDIT: Soooo a bunch of the videos listed here are ones I'd uploaded to Vimeo myself, which some of the copyright holders weren't especially happy with. Long story short, they shut down my account, which means a lot of these links are now broken. Phooey. I trust your collective Google-fu, however, to find what's missing.]
The 125 Greatest Music Videos: One Bored Guy's Unsolicited Opinion
* = not safe for work
And then the write-ups never happened. Part of that was attention-span failure, but the main problem was that although there were clips I very much wanted to talk about, all too many boiled down to a shrug and a curt, "This is awesome, you should totes check it out." I got about a dozen or so screeds written up, hit one title that I really had nothing to say about, and once several months of dithering had passed and I began rethinking my choices and finding items that I hadn't seen prior to my initial list that I desperately wanted to include, the game was pretty much toast. Le sigh.
But I still have that list, and since the thought of all that work going down the tubes makes me cry almost as hard as last night's screening of Inside Out, here is the complete list in order, with links to the videos in question. Please share your agreements, your disagreements, your comments, your omissions—in short, please, somebody say something. I know it violates the cardinal rule that bloggers maintain the illusion that we're not attention-grubbing, but goddammit, this was several weeks of my life we're talking about here. (In particular, if you're wondering why I included something, please feel free to ask. There's probably half an essay about it still in my head.)
[EDIT: Soooo a bunch of the videos listed here are ones I'd uploaded to Vimeo myself, which some of the copyright holders weren't especially happy with. Long story short, they shut down my account, which means a lot of these links are now broken. Phooey. I trust your collective Google-fu, however, to find what's missing.]
The 125 Greatest Music Videos: One Bored Guy's Unsolicited Opinion
* = not safe for work
1) "Bachelorette," Björk (dir. Michel Gondry, 1997)
2) "California," Wax (dir. Spike Jonze, 1995)
3) "Sugar Water," Cibo Matto (dir. Michel Gondry, 1996)
4) "Trouble," Coldplay (dir. Tim Hope, 2001)
5) "Close to the Edit," Art of Noise (dir. Zbigniew Rybczynski, 1984)
6) "Losing My Religion," R.E.M. (dir. Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, 1991)
7) "Dear God," XTC (dir. Nick Brandt, 1986)
8) "Street Spirit," Radiohead (dir. Jonathan Glazer, 1996)
9) "Bastards of Young," The Replacements (dir. The Replacements, 1986)
10) "Glósóli," Sigur Rós (dir. Arni & Kinski, 2005)
11) "Subterranean Homesick Blues," Bob Dylan (dir. D.A. Pennebaker, 1967)
12) "Rabbit in Your Headlights," U.N.K.L.E. feat. Thom Yorke (dir. Jonathan Glazer, 1998)
13) "Hurt," Johnny Cash (dir. Mark Romanek, 2003)
14) "Lucas With the Lid Off," Lucas (dir. Michel Gondry, 1994)
15) "Jeremy," Pearl Jam (dir. Mark Pellington, 1992)
16) "My Culture," 1 Giant Leap feat. Maxi Jazz & Robbie Williams (dir. Tim Hope, 2002)
17) "Islands," The Xx (dir. Saam Farahmand, 2010)
18) "El Scorcho," Weezer (dir. Mark Romanek, 1996)
19) "The Scientist," Coldplay (dir. Jamie Thraves, 2003)
20) "Let Forever Be," Chemical Brothers (dir. Michel Gondry, 1999)
21) "Virtual Insanity," Jamiroquai (dir. Jonathan Glazer, 1996)
22) "Just," Radiohead (dir. Jamie Thraves, 1995)
23) "Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In)," Michael Penn (dir. The Brothers Quay, 1993)
24) "Come Into My World," Kylie Minogue (dir. Michel Gondry, 2002)
25) "Push It," Garbage (dir. Andrea Giaccobbe, 1998) *
26) "Ava Adore," Smashing Pumpkins (dir. Dom & Nic, 1998) *
27) "Coffee & TV," Blur (dir. Hammer & Tongs, 1999)
28) "Sledgehammer," Peter Gabriel (dir. Stephen R. Johnson, 1986)
29) "New York Is Killing Me," Gil Scott-Heron (dir. Chris Cunningham, 2010)
30) "Closer," Nine Inch Nails (dir. Mark Romanek, 1994) *
31) "Protection," Massive Attack (dir. Michel Gondry, 1994)
32) "Sabotage," The Beastie Boys (dir. Spike Jonze, 1994)
33) "Stinkfist," Tool (dir. Adam Jones, 1996)
34) "Fell in Love With a Girl," The White Stripes (dir. Michel Gondry, 2002)
35) "Cloudbusting," Kate Bush (dir. Julian Doyle, 1985)
36) "Hell Bent," Kenna (dir. Mark Osborne, 2003)
37) "Road to Nowhere," Talking Heads (dir. Stephen R. Johnson, 1985)
38) "Kiko and the Lavender Moon," Los Lobos (dir. Ondrej Rudavsky, 1993)
39) "My Country," tUnE-yArDs (dir. Mimi Cave, 2012)
40) "Pretty Good Year," Tori Amos (dir. Cindy Palmano and Sam Riley, 1992)
41) "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," U2 (dir. Barry Devlin, 1987)
42) "Only You," Portishead (dir. Chris Cunningham, 1998)
43) "Thursday's Child," David Bowie (dir. Walter Stern, 1999)
44) "Who's Gonna Save My Soul?" Gnarls Barkley (dir. Chris Milk, 2008)
45) "Ana Ng," They Might Be Giants (dir. Adam Bernstein, 1989)
46) "Mr. Krinkle," Primus (dir. Mark Kohr, 1993) *
47) "Easy Way Out," Gotye (dir. Darcy Prendergast, 2012)
48) "Imitation of Life," R.E.M. (dir. Garth Jennings, 2001)
49) "Burning Down the House," Talking Heads (dir. David Byrne, 1983)
50) "Lessons Learned," Matt & Kim (dir. Otto Arsenault & Taylor Cohen, 2009) *
51) "Karmacoma," Massive Attack (dir. Jonathan Glazer, 1995)
52) "From Your Mouth," God Lives Underwater (dir. Roman Coppola, 1994)
53) "Cry," Godley & Crème (dir. Godley & Crème, 1985)
54) "Freedom '90," George Michael (dir. David Fincher, 1990)
55) "Drop," The Pharcyde (dir. Spike Jonze, 1995)
56) "This Too Shall Pass," OK Go (dir. James Frost, 2010)
57) "Missionary Man," The Eurythmics (dir. Willy Smax, 1986)
58) "Around the World," Daft Punk (dir. Michel Gondry, 1997)
59) "Afrika Shox," Leftfield & Afrika Bambaataa (dir. Chris Cunningham, 1999)
60) "Praise You," Fatboy Slim (dir. Torrence Community Dance Group, 1998)
61) "Twist in My Sobriety," Tanita Tikaram (dir. Gerard de Thame, 1988)
62) "Weapon of Choice," Fatboy Slim (dir. Spike Jonze, 2001)
63) "Pagan Poetry," Björk (dir. Nick Knight, 2001) *
64) "First Day of My Life," Bright Eyes (dir. John Cameron Mitchell, 2005)
65) "Nothing Compares 2 U," Sinead O'Connor (dir. John Maybury, 1990)
66) "March of the Pigs," Nine Inch Nails (dir. Peter Christopherson, 1994)
67) "Pumping on Your Stereo," Supergrass (dir. Hammer & Tongs, 1999)
68) "The Box," Orbital (dir. Luke Losey, 1996)
69) "Mad World," Gary Jules (dir. Michel Gondry, 2004)
70) "Airhead," Thomas Dolby (dir. Thomas Dolby & Drew Takahashi, 1988)
71) "Exhibit 13," Blue Man Group (dir. Blue Man Group and Kevin Frech, 2002)
72) "Want It Back," Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra (dir. Jim Batt, 2011) *
73) "Ride," The Vines (dir. Michel and Olivier Gondry, 2004)
74) "Smack My Bitch Up," Prodigy (dir. Jonas Åkerlund, 1997) *
75) "In Bloom," Nirvana (dir. Kevin Kerslake, 1991)
76) "Chiquitita," Sinead O'Connor (dir. Sophie Muller, 2003)
77) "The Perfect Drug," Nine Inch Nails (dir. Mark Romanek, 1997)
78) "I'm Afraid of Americans," David Bowie feat. Trent Reznor (dir. Dom & Nic, 1997)
79) "Oxford Comma," Vampire Weekend (dir. Richard Ayoade, 2008)
80) "On," Aphex Twin (dir. Jarvis Cocker, 1993)
81) "Oh Father," Madonna (dir. David Fincher, 1989)
82) "Twin Flames," Klaxons (dir. Saam Farahmand, 2010) *
83) "Head On," The Pixies (dir. Scott Litt, 1991)
84) "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore," Elton John (dir. David LaChapelle, 2001)
85) "Low Rising," The Swell Season (dir. Sam Beam, 2009)
86) "Leave Me Alone," Michael Jackson (dir. Jim Blashfield and Paul Denier, 1989)
87) "Who We Be," DMX (dir. Joseph Kahn, 2001)
88) "Can't Stop," Red Hot Chili Peppers (dir. Mark Romanek, 2003)
89) "Heart Shaped Box," Nirvana (dir. Anton Corbijn, 1993)
90) "Believe," Chemical Brothers (dir. Dom & Nic, 2005)
91) "Teardrop," Massive Attack (dir. Walter Stern, 1998)
92) "Declare Independence," Björk (dir. Michel Gondry, 2007)
93) "Pressure," Billy Joel (dir. Russell Mulcahy, 1982)
94) "Freak on a Leash," Korn (dir. Todd McFarlane, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, 1999)
95) "Boys of Summer," Don Henley (dir. Jean-Baptiste Mondino, 1984)
96) "Rockit," Herbie Hancock (dir. Godley & Crème, 1983)
97) "Hush," Kula Shaker (dir. Zowie Broach, 1997)
98) "Le Vent Nous Portera," Noir Désir (dir. Alexandre and Jacques Veneruso Courtes, 2002)
99) "Romantic Death," The Sun (dir. Alex Nam, 2005) *
100) "Caught a Lite Sneeze," Tori Amos (dir. Mike Lipscombe, 1996)
101) "Yonkers," Tyler, the Creator (dir. Wolf Haley, 2011)
102) "Right Here, Right Now," Fatboy Slim (dir. Hammer & Tongs, 1999)
103) "Stupid Girl," Garbage (dir. Samuel Bayer, 1996)
104) "Rock DJ," Robbie Williams (dir. Vaughn Arnell, 2000) *
105) "Atlas," Battles (dir. Timothy Saccenti, 2007)
106) "Knights of Cydonia," Muse (dir. Joseph Kahn, 2006)
107) "Take Me Out," Franz Ferdinand (dir. Jonas Odell, 2004)
108) "Addicted to Love," Robert Palmer (dir. Terence Donovan, 1986)
109) "Revolution 909," Daft Punk (dir. Roman Coppola, 1998)
110) "Star Guitar," Chemical Brothers (dir. Michel Gondry, 2002)
111) "Smooth Criminal," Michael Jackson (dir. Colin Chilvers, 1987)
112) "Never Is a Promise," Fiona Apple (dir. Stephane Sednaoui, 1996)
113) "Toe Jam," The BPA feat. Dizzee Rascal and David Byrne (dir. Keith Schofield, 2008) *
114) "Monkey Drummer (Mt. Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount)," Aphex Twin (dir. Chris Cunningham, 2001)
115) "Valtari," Sigur Rós (dir. Christian Larson, 2012) *
116) "Sacrilege," Yeah Yeah Yeahs (dir. Megaforce, 2013) *
117) "Bad Day," R.E.M. (dir. Tim Hope, 2003)
118) "Cell Phone's Dead," Beck (dir. Michel Gondry, 2006)
119) "You Gonna Want Me," Tiga (dir. Olivier Gondry, 2005)
120) "Free as a Bird," The Beatles (dir. Joe Pytka, 1995)
121) "High and Dry," Radiohead (dir. Paul Cunningham, 1995)
122) "Since I Left You," The Avalanches (dir. Rob Leggat and Leigh Marling, 2000)
123) "Remind Me," Royksopp (dir. Ludovic Houplan & Hervé de Crécy, 2002)
124) "Least Complicated," Indigo Girls (dir. Mark Fenske, 1994)
125) "Flat Beat," Mr. Oizo (dir. Quentin Dupieux, 2000)
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