We take a look at some of the top music videos still watched despite being released decades ago.
It’s been 25 years since Britney Spears pulled on a school uniform and danced her way along a corridor creating music video history.
While the teenage singer’s debut single Baby One More Time was a huge pop hit with 25 million sales, it was the song’s super-slick video that went stratospheric with 821 million views to date.
Today, music videos continue to push boundaries and innovate. So what makes an iconic music video that will still be watched in decades to come? Here we take a look at some of the best video hits.
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Britney Spears – Hit Me Baby One More Time video
WANNABE Spice Girls, 1996
The debut video of Scary, Baby, Sporty, Ginger and Posh. When the record label tried to pull the video over Geri’s showgirl outfit and Mel B’s skin-tight top, the group refused. It won Best Dance Video at the 1997 MTV video awards.
Like a Prayer – Madonna 1989
With burning crosses and saintly seduction, it was condemned by the Vatican, banned from Italian TV and led to Pepsi axing an ad campaign. But it won multiple video awards.
Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen 1975
With all four faces in single shots and trick photography, it’s seen as a visual masterpiece. Brian May revealed it was only made to avoid them having to appear live on Top Of The Pops.
Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel 1986
With animation by Wallace And Gromit creator Nick Park, this video required Gabriel to lie under a sheet of glass for 16 hours. It went on to win nine prizes at the 1987 MTV Music Video Awards and
is still one of the most played songs in the station’s history.
Waterfront – Simple Minds 1983
The video was a visual love letter to Glasgow. It was filmed on the Renfrew Ferry, with shipyard cranes in the background, and at a free gig the band did in the Barrowland Ballroom. The video led to the reopening of the dance hall as a music venue. Frontman Jim Kerr said the song was about the rebirth of the city.
Nothing Compares 2 u – Sinead O’Connor 1990
The Irish singer became an instant superstar with a cover of a Prince ballad with nothing more than the power of her face and voice, turning the song into a global hit. It won the MTV Award for Video of the Year.
November Rain – Guns N’ Roses 1991
The video is a nine-minute rock opera starring frontman Axl Rose. It was the first pre-YouTube video to notch up two billion views.
Video Killed The Radio Star – The Buggles 1979
MTV launched in 1981 with the three-year-old video. MTV’s Steve Casey said: “They thought we had to play a hit. I said, ‘Nobody’s going to be watching – it’s symbolic.’”
Weapon of Choice – Fatboy Slim 2021
Featuring actor Christopher Walken, then 57, the Oscar winner’s fancy footwork topped a poll for music channel VH1 and catapulted Fatboy Slim, AKA Norman Cook, to mainstream success.
Thriller – Michael Jackson 1983
The 13-minute video 40 years ago from the king of pop remains one of the most watched of all time. A killer track with zombie dance routine recognised the world over. It pays homage to Hitchcock’s Vertigo and An American Werewolf In London – and is still creepy.
