I’m not sure if its my favorite (that’s too hard!) but I’ve always loved Bjork’s video for “Human Behaviour”. Well, really all of Bjork’s videos are pretty good; interesting and creative. And all the videos directed by Michel Gondry are excellent too. But I just love the moth, when she eats it, and that look on her face… fantastic!
[Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden.
It traumatised me; therefore, it is a good video.
Pitchfork released a list of their top 100 music videos a while back. Some of the ones you’d expect to be there are there, plus a lot of weird ones you may not have heard of. All are awesome.
A lot of my favourites have already been mentioned, so I’ll throw in a few odd bits and pieces:
Juanes - La Camisa Negra - the song’s catchy, the video’s vaguely unsettling…a winning combination. I haven’t the slightest clue what’s supposed to be going on, or what it means, but it’s
Lordi - Blood Red Sandman - it pretty much distills everything I love about the band. It’s got the horror movie sensibility (in fact it’s sort of a mini horror movie) the makeup, and all. Also the song is great.
***Tommy heavenly6 *- Wait 'Till I Can Dream. I’m not going to even try to explain why this one appeals.
Tommy february6 - Bloomin’ - the oddball Alice in Wonderland references, the tennis, the presence of of Tommy herself (she is a very attractive young woman)…
Halcali - Guri Guri Surfrider - again, I’m not going to bother trying to explain it. Its greatness defies rational explication.
People have mentioned several from the top of my list already… A-Ha’s Take on Me, Nirvana’s Teen Spirit, and Bjork’s Human Behavior are up there for me.
Here are a few that may be obscure but still worth a watch:
Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar
Some that I can’t find decent links to go along with would be XTC - Dear God, Metallica - One, The Vines - Get Free, Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight.
And yes I was kidding about The Hoff.
With that in mind, let me add “Fell in Love With a Girl” by the White Stripes.
“The Sailor Song” by ToyBox.
If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean.
Gonna rate them on originality, cultural impact (do people know this video outside of fans of the band?), and penetration (is it so well-known that everyone has seen it?):
[ul]
[li]a-ha, Take On Me[/li][li]Dire Straits, Money For Nothing[/li][li]The Buggles, Video Killed The Radio Star[/li][li]Toni Basil, Mickey[/li][li]Michael Jackson, Billie Jean[/li][li]Michael Jackson, Thriller[/li][li]Godley & Creme, Cry[/li][li]Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody[/li][/ul]
The technical aspects of these videos have been replicated a million times but these were the originators. I’d argue that the average person could see a clip of these videos and recognize it…
Of course they’re all old videos… I wonder if I should have included Gary Numan’s “Cars” on the list?
I recall being impressed with Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac as well as the Hold Me video: classy, but then again I was in the throes of my Stevie Nicks thing.
I also liked Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting.
I keep a warm place in my heart for the Divinyls I Touch Myself.
Hmmm, boy.
[ul]
[li]Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan[/li][li]Radio Ga-Ga by Queen[/li][li]You Might Think by The Cars[/li][li]She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby[/li][li]Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran[/li][li]Pressure by Billy Joel[/li][li]Land Of Confusion By Genesis[/li][/ul]
Just about any Men at Work video: Who Can It Be Now?; Down Under; Dr. Heckyll And Mr. Jive; It’s A Mistake.
–“The Wicked Game” by Chris Isaac (Herb Ritts version, not the David Lynch one)
–“Jeremy” by Pearl Jam, even though it scared them off from making videos for something like 15 years
–“Rock the Cradle of Love” by Billy Idol. Being overpowered and dominated by a cute nympho is kind of a fantasy of mine. Nominally a plug for The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, but because Andrtew “Dice” Clay got himself banned from MTV…
–“Dani California” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Pretend you don’t know what the lyrics are about and it’s a ripping fun video!
–“Perfect Situation” by Weezer. Again, the “bossy dominant nympho” theme…
–“Lady Marmalade” by the Moulin Rouge girls. Separately, I can’t stand any of those singers. Together, they just make it work…
–“Redneck Woman” by Gretchen Wilson. Damn that gal’s adorable!
I opened this thread to post this one. Apparently though, Walken is a dancer-turned-actor and allegedly tries to insert an unscripted dance routine into many of the movies in which he appears.
Queen’s Innuendo
Foo Fighters’ “Big Me”. I think it’s the only video that ever made me fall of the couch laughing.
I came in to say just that. This video is absolutely mesmerizing. In fact, that entire album is incredible, especially knowing that Freddy Mercury wrote those songs fully aware his end was near.
Maybe not the best video ever, but definitely the best treadmill dancing video 
The Police’s “Wrapped Around Your Finger” and Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” have to go down as classics.
“Unofficial” videos…rathergood’s Viking Kittens doing Zeppelin’s “The Immigrant Song” and The Electric Six’s “Gay Bar.”
[QUOTE=pesch]
Actually, Arnold, Dooku was thinking of thisThank you for the link pesch. I was just being funny. I remember that concert too, I was living in the greater Los Angeles area at the time (I read about it in the paper, didn’t see it in person.) It was an event I was sorry I had missed.
Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love.”
Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime.”
Beastie Boys’ “So What’cha Want.”
Tony Powers - Don’t Nobody Move (This is a Heist)
If I could link to it I would but I can’t even BUY it.
I have, like, notoriously bad taste in music and music videos. Some of the following are so cheesy that they’re good. Kind of.
Stay - Shakespeare’s Sister
Oh So Quiet - Bjork
All Is Full Of Love - Bjork
Remind Me - Royksopp
What Else Is There - Royksopp
Love Is A Stranger - Eurythmics
Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Time - Culture Club