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The 18 Most Iconic Music Videos of All Time

By YPB Team

From big-budget cinematic spectacles to raw one-take performances, these clips reinvented what a three-minute song could look like across five decades. Which one changed the game for you?

  1. Thriller — ranked #11
    Thriller
    Michael Jackson's 1983 zombie-dance epic that redefined the music video as an art form.
    1000pts
  2. Smells Like Teen Spirit — ranked #22
    Smells Like Teen Spirit
    Nirvana's chaotic 1991 pep-rally clip that announced grunge to the mainstream.
    875pts
  3. Weapon of Choice — ranked #33
    Weapon of Choice
    Fatboy Slim's 2001 video starring Christopher Walken dancing solo through a hotel.
    643pts
  4. Formation — ranked #44
    Formation
    Beyoncé's 2016 video blending Southern imagery with pointed political statement.
    577pts
  5. Somebody That I Used to Know — ranked #55
    Somebody That I Used to Know
    Gotye and Kimbra's 2011 body-paint video that became a global viral hit.
    577pts
  6. Losing My Religion — ranked #66
    Losing My Religion
    R.E.M.'s haunting 1991 video steeped in religious painting imagery.
    577pts
  7. Come to Daddy — ranked #77
    Come to Daddy
    Aphex Twin's nightmarish 1997 video with a horde of grinning child-monsters.
    500pts
  8. The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) — ranked #88
    The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)
    Missy Elliott's inflatable-suit 1997 debut that redefined hip-hop visuals.
    500pts
  9. Hey Ya! — ranked #99
    Hey Ya!
    OutKast's colorful, Ed Sullivan-inspired performance video from 2003.
    409pts
  10. Just — ranked #1010
    Just
    Radiohead's 1996 clip ending on a mysterious, never-revealed secret.
    409pts
  11. California Love — ranked #1111
    California Love
    Dr. Dre and 2Pac's post-apocalyptic Mad Max-styled 1995 anthem video.
    409pts
  12. It's Oh So Quiet — ranked #1212
    It's Oh So Quiet
    Björk's exuberant 1995 homage to classic movie musicals.
    409pts
  13. This Is America — ranked #1313
    This Is America
    Childish Gambino's unflinching 2018 satire on gun violence and pop culture.
    409pts
  14. Bad Romance — ranked #1414
    Bad Romance
    Lady Gaga's avant-garde 2009 fashion-horror spectacle.
    300pts
  15. Sledgehammer — ranked #1515
    Sledgehammer
    Peter Gabriel's 1986 stop-motion claymation showcase that dominated MTV.
    0pts
  16. Take On Me — ranked #1616
    Take On Me
    A-ha's 1985 clip famous for its pencil-sketch rotoscope animation.
    0pts
  17. Nothing Compares 2 U — ranked #1717
    Nothing Compares 2 U
    Sinéad O'Connor's raw, single-take close-up performance from 1990.
    0pts
  18. Like a Prayer — ranked #1818
    Like a Prayer
    Madonna's controversial 1989 video mixing religious imagery with social commentary.
    0pts

#pop219#music835#rock210#music videos2

Comments

Directed by John Landis and running fourteen minutes, it became in 2009 the first music video the Library of Congress put on its film registry: https://youpick.best/articles/michael-jackson-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-team·Aug 21·
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