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Bessie Smith - St. Louis Blues
Often recognised as the first music video ever; Bessie Smith’s version of Saint Louis Blues was part of a six minute short film with the majority of the film consisting of the song. The music video can be found here. -
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
The song has no chorus, instead consisting of several sections: a ballad segment ending with a guitar solo, an operatic passage, and a hard rock section. At the time, it was the most expensive single ever made and it remains one of the most elaborate recordings in popular music history. The video can be found here. -
Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough
Directed and produced by Nick Saxton, It was Jackson's first music video as a solo artist. The music video features a smiling Jackson chroma keyed over a background of abstract geometric figures and performing dance techniques. At one stage, Jackson is seen dancing in triplicate, which was considered innovative at the time. The video can be seen here. -
Michael Jackson - Thriller
The best-selling music album in history. It sold over 65 domestically and 110 million copies world wide. Seven of the nine tracks on the album were released as singles, with each one reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video can be found here. -
Michael Jackson - Scream
The most expensive music video so far, costing over $7,000,000 to produce. The video can be found here. -
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R. Kelly - Trapped In The Closet
Trapped in the Closet is a "hip-hopera" from R Kelly, the first songs/videos of which were released in 2005. Dozens of further installments ("chapters") have been released since. The songs tell the story of Sylvester (played in the music videos by R. Kelly himself) and the crazy characters he encounters as a result of a one-night stand.
It's become a cult classic, generally regarded as So Bad, It's Good. It's very clear from interviews that R. Kelly takes it perfectly seriously. -
Shakira - Hips Don't Lie
Hips Don't Lie is currently the world's best-selling single of the 21st Century and is the world's biggest pop song ever. The music video, released in 2006, was shared on YouTube and held the top spot of most-viewed video until around February 2007. The video can be found here. -
Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
The music video has won 7 Video Music Awards:
Video of the Year
Best Pop Video
Best Female Video
Best Dance Music Video
Best Choreography
Best Direction
Best Editing The video can be found here. -
The Black Keys - Howlin' For You
Most commonly heard throughout numerous adverts, video game soundtracks, many American TV shows and the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes homerun tune. Also notable for the real trailer fake film sexploitation music video. It can be found here. -
Rihanna - We Found Love
Directed by Rihanna's frequent collaborator, Melina Matsoukas. It's currently nearing 300 million views on Youtube, after just 3 years after its release.
The video has received high critical praise, and won the 2012 Video Music Awards for Video of the Year, as well as garnering additional nominations for Best Female Video and Best Pop Video. It can be found here.
