The Music Video Is Dead, Long Live The Music Video (A video essay on why the 80's/90's music video era was so influential and awesome)

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VikDamnedLee@reddit

Great channel overall. This dude has made some of my favorite vid essays about movies - check out his Speed Racer and Streets of Fire videos.

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There are plenty of influential music videos post the dark age period between the end of MTV's original mission to the birth of YouTube. The ok go video that went viral kind of became its own video killed the radio star moment for online videos.

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Dangerous_Return460@reddit (OP)

No shade to OK Go, I love the video for This Too Shall Pass, they clearly led the charge for a while, but we used to get a Here We Go Again every day.

For reference, here are the nominees and winners of the 1998 MTV VMA's, all of these videos came out in 1 calendar year (give or take a month)

Video of the Year Madonna – "Ray of Light" (WINNER)

Brandy and Monica – "The Boy Is Mine"

Puff Daddy and the Family (featuring The LOX, Lil' Kim, The Notorious B.I.G. and Fuzzbubble) – "It's All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix)"

Will Smith – "Gettin' Jiggy wit It"

The Verve – "Bitter Sweet Symphony"

Best Male Video Will Smith – "Just the Two of Us" (WINNER)

David Bowie (featuring Trent Reznor) – "I'm Afraid of Americans (Nine Inch Nails remix)"

Busta Rhymes – "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"

Eric Clapton – "My Father's Eyes"

Brian McKnight – "Anytime"

Best Female Video Madonna – "Ray of Light" (WINNER)

Fiona Apple – "Criminal"

Mariah Carey (featuring Puff Daddy and the Family) – "Honey (Bad Boy remix)"

Natalie Imbruglia – "Torn"

Shania Twain – "You're Still the One"

Best Group Video Backstreet Boys – "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" (WINNER)

Garbage – "Push It"

Matchbox 20 – "3 A.M."

Radiohead – "Karma Police"

The Verve – "Bitter Sweet Symphony"

Best New Artist in a Video Natalie Imbruglia – "Torn" (WINNER)

Cherry Poppin' Daddies – "Zoot Suit Riot"

Chumbawamba – "Tubthumping"

Fastball – "The Way"

Mase – "Feel So Good"

Best Rock Video Aerosmith – "Pink" (WINNER)

Foo Fighters – "Everlong"

Dave Matthews Band – "Don't Drink the Water"

Metallica – "The Unforgiven II"

Best R&B Video Wyclef Jean (featuring Refugee Allstars) – "Gone Till November" (WINNER)

Brandy and Monica – "The Boy Is Mine"

K-Ci & JoJo – "All My Life"

Usher – "You Make Me Wanna"

Will Smith – "Gettin' Jiggy wit It"

Best Rap Video Busta Rhymes – "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" (WINNER)

Master P (featuring Fiend, Silkk the Shocker, Mia X and Mystikal) – "Make 'Em Say Uhh!"

The Notorious B.I.G. (featuring Puff Daddy and Mase) – "Mo Money Mo Problems"

Pras (featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard and Mýa) – "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)"

Best Dance Video The Prodigy – "Smack My Bitch Up" (WINNER)

Backstreet Boys – "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"

Janet Jackson – "Together Again"

Madonna – "Ray of Light"

Will Smith – "Gettin' Jiggy wit It"

Best Alternative Video Green Day – "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (WINNER)

Ben Folds Five – "Brick"

Garbage – "Push It"

Radiohead – "Karma Police"

The Verve – "Bitter Sweet Symphony"

Best Video from a Film Aerosmith – "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (from Armageddon) (WINNER)

Beck – "Deadweight" (from A Life Less Ordinary)

Celine Dion – "My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from Titanic)" (from Titanic)

Goo Goo Dolls – "Iris" (from City of Angels)

Pras (featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard and Mýa) – "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" (from Bulworth)

Puff Daddy (featuring Jimmy Page) – "Come with Me" (from Godzilla)

Breakthrough Video The Prodigy – "Smack My Bitch Up" (WINNER)

Busta Rhymes – "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"

Garbage – "Push It"

Sean Lennon – "Home"

Madonna – "Ray of Light"

Roni Size/Reprazent – "Brown Paper Bag"

Best Direction in a Video Madonna – "Ray of Light" (Director: Jonas Åkerlund) (WINNER)

Garbage – "Push It" (Director: Andrea Giacobbe)

Wyclef Jean (featuring Refugee Allstars) – "Gone Till November" (Director: Francis Lawrence)

The Prodigy – "Smack My Bitch Up" (Director: Jonas Åkerlund)

Radiohead – "Karma Police" (Director: Jonathan Glazer)

Best Choreography in a Video Madonna – "Ray of Light" (Choreographers: Madonna and Jonas Åkerlund) (WINNER)

Busta Rhymes – "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" (Choreographer: Fatima Robinson)

Wyclef Jean (featuring Refugee Allstars) – "We Trying to Stay Alive" (Choreographers: Henry and Crazy Legs)

Will Smith – "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" (Choreographer: Stretch)

Best Special Effects in a Video Madonna – "Frozen" (Special Effects: Steve Murgatroyd, Dan Williams, Steve Hiam, and Anthony Walsham) (WINNER)

Aerosmith – "Pink" (Special Effects: Kevin Yagher)

Aphex Twin – "Come to Daddy" (Special Effects: Chris Cunningham, Glassworks, Red, and Creature FX)

Foo Fighters – "Everlong" (Special Effects: Paul Sokol and Chris W.)

Garbage – "Push It" (Special Effects: Sebasten Caudron)

Best Art Direction in a Video Björk – "Bachelorette" (Art Director: Samantha Gore) (WINNER)

Death in Vegas – "Dirt" (Art Director: Andrea Giacobbe)

Foo Fighters – "Everlong" (Art Director: Bill Lakoss)

Garbage – "Push It" (Art Director: Virginia Lee)

Best Editing in a Video Madonna – "Ray of Light" (Editor: Jonas Åkerlund) (WINNER)

Aerosmith – "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (Editor: Chris Hafner)

Garbage – "Push It" (Editor: Sylvain Connat)

The Prodigy – "Smack My Bitch Up" (Editor: Jonas Åkerlund)

Best Cinematography in a Video Fiona Apple – "Criminal" (Director of Photography: Harris Savides) (WINNER)

Garbage – "Push It" (Director of Photography: Max Malkin)

Madonna – "Ray of Light" (Director of Photography: Henrik Halvarsson)

Dave Matthews Band – "Don't Drink the Water" (Director of Photography: Checco Varese)

Radiohead – "Karma Police" (Director of Photography: Stephen Keith-Roach)

Viewer's Choice Puff Daddy and the Family (featuring The LOX, Lil' Kim, The Notorious B.I.G. and Fuzzbubble) – "It's All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix)" (WINNER)

Celine Dion – "My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from Titanic)"

Green Day – "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"

Matchbox 20 – "3 A.M."

Will Smith – "Gettin' Jiggy wit It"

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sicariobrothers@reddit

Ha, I worked on this to shall pass. Heard that song enough times in one day to last a lifetime.

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Dangerous_Return460@reddit (OP)

I used it to teach simple machines at least a dozen times. I didn't hear it as much as you but I do the like finger taps to the spoon section.

It's a top 5 video of all time, amazin work.

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FoppyRETURNS@reddit

I dunno, they're some cheap music videos from the youtube era that are cool and enjoyable in their own way.

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DenaliBurnz@reddit

One could wonder. How many worthy bands/acts didn’t make it big time because they didn’t have access to music video type money.

Then consider how many one hit wonders exist merely because the video was good.

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mrmadchef@reddit

I've read a couple of books (well, listened to the audiobooks; 12 hour shifts give me a LOT of time to fill) about/relating to MTV in the 80s and into the early 90s. One of the craziest parts, to me, is that after MTV first launched and music videos came about, $20,000 was a big budget. By the end of the 80s, $500,000 was practically the minimum expected spend.

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Dangerous_Return460@reddit (OP)

In that video he has a quote that a famous director was complaining he only had $750K

Any book recommendations?

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mrmadchef@reddit

I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution This one was hard to follow in audiobook format, as the writing is EXTREMELY lazy. Most of it is quote after quote after quote, but they did talk to a lot of people who were in the know, and I'm pretty sure they got quotes from all of the four surviving original VJs.

I Am the Warrior: My Crazy Life Writing the Hits and Rocking the MTV Eighties This is more on the songwriting side, and includes a lot of personal stories from Holly Knight, but was still an interesting look behind the scenes of what went into writing a lot of the hits. Knight was close with Tina Turner and had some great stories to share.

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apple_soju@reddit

Kpop still has great music videos - the genre is alive and kicking over there.

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Celestial-Spell@reddit

bruh mtv was the real deal u had to be there

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Dangerous_Return460@reddit (OP)

After watching this I just started watching music videos with my wife and it hit me 4 videos deep.

"No wonder we sat around all day watching MTV, this shit was awesome!"

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jones_qc@reddit

There are still good music videos out there. One recent one that has stuck with me is the video for drag path by 21 pilots. It is a little sad tho it isn’t the spectacle it used to be.

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Dangerous_Return460@reddit (OP)

I don't want to say you're wrong but I remember when Barbenheimer was a big deal.

These 2 massive blockbusters from big name directors or actors or IP that made a lot of money and every one did a "See! Movies are back/still here!"

Like, brother, we had 4 Barbenheimers every week in 1996.

The scale is fucking insane. I've been watching "best videos of 199X" the past week and every single one is like a blockbuster.

Now we have to kind of dig deep to get a dozen top made videos from the biggest stars we have.

Again, no shade.

Times change.

But we had something very special.

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jones_qc@reddit

Fully agree, the sheer volume and $$ poured into it will never be replicated. Nor will the delivery mode of MTV. I just meant there are still hidden gems out there if you are interested. It’s a bit like an endangered species, back in the day they were in their prime and everywhere, now they are harder to find, but still there in smaller numbers.

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Dangerous_Return460@reddit (OP)

This video brought it all home.

He goes over the money and influence music videos had on culture but especially film.

Michael Bay, Spike Jones, David Fincher, and tons more all got their start in music videos.

It was the pipeline.

Set designers, cinematographers, audio mixers, costume designers, the entire Hollywood industry of the 90's came up through music videos.

It's why the 90's were so stylized and sick looking, movies were concise 1 hour 42 minute total stories because every one knew how to get all these visual cues across to the viewer.

A good nostalgia trip.