Pop Quiz, everyone!

[theweaselking]

Best music video ever, GO.

Difficulty: Not "best music ever", not "best video ever". In fact, both of those would probably fail this test, because the music wouldn't add much to the video and/or the video wouldn't add much to the music. Instead, I want the best *combination* of music and video, where they reinforce each other the most strongly - assuming a ranking of "awesome = music x video", I want the highest Awesome with the lowest difference between music and video quality.

GO.

Comments

[kafziel.livejournal.com]

Die Antwoord - Enter the Ninja comes to mind.



I dunno, something about the energy of the lyrics combined with the kinesis of the video makes the whole thing feel very visceral. More than the sum of its parts.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Die Antwoord always makes me feel skeevy. I can never tell if they're casually racist and homophobic because they don't know better, or if theyr'e deliberately racist and homophobic because they're an all-white South African band.

[chrisrw109.livejournal.com]

Wow that's a toughie actually.

I think I'd have to go back into the way back machine to some of the early videos, where they really spent a lot of focus on crafting 'story' etc. Where now, at least for some styles of music, it's all about the most skin as can be displayed.

So.... let's say A-Ha, Take On Me.

My alternate pick (and I know a million people will say it) Hurt by Johnny Cash.

It's a great song and, because of the context, it's a great video. The song about crumbling and loss and grief, and the video intercutting between The Man in Black at his most powerful, and the collection of artifacts surrounding his broken self.

Yeah, it gets bonus points for being especially haunting given his death soon after it's release, but that don't make me wrong.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I think I'd have to go back into the way back machine to some of the early videos, where they really spent a lot of focus on crafting 'story' etc. Where now, at least for some styles of music, it's all about the most skin as can be displayed.

It doesn't have to be that complicated. Go back: When I said "best music video ever", what was your first thought?

[jasmine-koran.livejournal.com]

"Thriller" and "Smooth Criminal" come instantly to mind, as does "Janie's Got a Gun".

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Thriller was my first thought! I dropped it because I like the song way better outside the video edit - so it seems, to me, that the video makes the song worse, which disqualifies it for this - but it was my first thought.

[secretagentmoof]

Lindsey Buckingham, Go Insane?

[Error: unknown template video]

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I am tempted by Reggie Watts' "Fuck Shit Stack"

[frith]

I prefer this version.



Ok, it's pretty much just one visual joke for four and a half minutes, but, hay! ponies ya'll!

[dreamshade.livejournal.com]

Hrm, I'm drawing a blank here. The only thing that comes to mind is Short Skirt Long Jacket, but I'm sure there's better.

[dreamshade.livejournal.com]

Ah, someone in the thread reminded me that the Chemical Brothers exist. Let Forever Be was glorious.



And now that I'm remembering EDM from that period, I just remembered the one that gave everyone nightmares - Where's Your Head At by Basement Jaxx.

[jsbowden.livejournal.com]

One of my all time favorites:

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I was all prepared to be "good song! Video to good song is not enough!"

And then I WATCHED the video.

Okay, Wut. That might win.

[drcuriosity]

Might help to understand German, but:

[andrew montpetit (from livejournal.com)]

Alles Neu was good, but I was more entranced by Schwarz zu blau.



And for my "weird one" vote: Club Bizarre. Because it so is.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

I jumped to "I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" but then I like Meat Loaf's melodrama.

[jsbowden.livejournal.com]

Also, I've always loved this from Smashing Pumpkins:

[hwrnmnbsol.livejournal.com]

I second this. It was the first thing I thought of.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

I really wish I could find this in HD:




Then there's also something like Gangam Style, which could be perfectly great or perfectly terrible depending on how you think about it.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

And then further, there are ones like these that aren't officially music videos:

[harald387.livejournal.com]

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the original movie? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Got_His_Gun)

It is, for the record, an excellent film. And a total downer.

[jsbowden.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, and of course, one cannot leave out this:

[ladysisyphus.livejournal.com]

Tough call, but I'd have to go with:

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

My personal favourite so far, where a not-best song and not-best video becomes Best Music Video:

Tom Waits.

Hell Broke Luce.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Holy crap. This is what I miss when the last Waits album I buy was Bone Machine.

Fricking awesome. Might have to get.

[frith]

Sledgehammer



No, scratch that. Big Time:



Contenders: Spadina Bus



Land of Confusion



Missionary Man



Clint Eastwood



Ponies (OK, no, it's Power, Kanye West)



When We Was Fab



Probably quite a few others, but my VHS tape snapped. One of the flayrod's gone out of skew on the treddle.

[xengar.livejournal.com]

Hmm, leaving out live performances and fan made videos and mashups (which both tend to be of interest more for how they changed the original(s) rather then their own merits) I think I'd have to go with the previously mentioned Genesis - land of confusion.

Runners up include:
David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails - I'm Afraid of Americans (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slKNd22GGaQ)
The previously mentioned (but not linked) Johnny Cash - Hurt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aF9AJm0RFc)
Blue Man Group - The Current (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8zsOkNs13s) (yes it's a movie tie-in, but it works)
I want to include a Madonna video, because she has done so many interesting and different ones over the years, but the best I've come up with for music times video equals awsome is Madonna -Bad Girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUII7DTACf4) with bonus Christopher Walken playing a creepy angel.
A study in well done minimalism, Rodrick Land - King Kong Tonight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUd6XF_8fGI)
Fiona Apple - Criminal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFOzayDpWoI) Which a friend of mine says "smells of stale beer and feet"
Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WruodIBlfs)

...right, I should probably stop now. I have a problem with picking "favorites." I mean, there are a number of videos that I like which I know aren't in the running for one reason or another, but beyond that....

[canid-anubis.livejournal.com]

A good list.
Cash's version of Hurt was truly a masterpiece for anyone who knew his story.
His abililty to spin that song's feeling or meaning even, was simply genius.

[prk.livejournal.com]

The Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist:



prk.

[tyoko.livejournal.com]

Good call!

[skiriki.livejournal.com]

Since my top #1 choice was already suggested, I'll go with #2:

Weird Al Yankovic, "Amish Paradise"

[dscotton.livejournal.com]

Good choice!

[geekweevil.livejournal.com]

Scorpio rising by Death in Vegas
http://youtu.be/oJu6vG64C2M

[canid-anubis.livejournal.com]

There have been many solid ones over the years, but simply going with who immediately comes to mind, I'd have to agree with the aforementioned 'One' by Metalica. In fact that is the version of that song that I listen to on audio as well.

My second choice, as cheesy as some may think it is, would be Guns N Roses' November Rain



Watching it also reminds me that full length films have had some gems within them as well, be that Purple Rain, Quadrophenia, Moulin Rouge or others.

UPDATE: A few 'Honorable Mentions' as I was fully forgetting 30 Seconds to Mars here.
They may not be on everyone's number one list, but some key notable mentions need to be:

The Kill (Their Shining homage)


From Yesterday:


And I really should include this for those that haven't seen it but might have an interest:
Hurricane (This is the NSFW/Uncensored version)

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

Well, Take on Me would be my first pick, my 2nd would be America by Rammstein, as it's wunderbar!

[beeblebabe.livejournal.com]

Take On Me is my gut choice. Also, Sweet Dreams Are Made of These.

To go more contemporary, Bad Romance is pretty damn fantastic.

[tyoko.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure you're going to agree with my taste in videos, but...

Propellerheads ft. Shirley Bassey - History Repeating
Late nineties dance in a sixties kinda thing. Bassey looks epic, effortlessly handing asses back to the little diva starlets who though they could swing!







Lady Gaga - Alejandro
Because nobody makes these kinds of theatrical heavily choreographed videos any more.






Beyoncé - Single Ladies
Dear god, those moves... The backing dancers are near-psychic in their timings. I still think there must be some digital jiggery-pokery going on to achieve this.