#21-#30, #31-#40, and
41-50 can be found by clicking on the links, silly!
20) “Nuthin’ But a G Thang” Dr. Dre (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg) (1992)
Snoop Dogg was first introduced to the world by Dr. Dre via the “Deep Cover” single from the film and soundtrack of the same name, but this song and video was a re-introduction that assured no one would forget his name. The video takes us through a day in the life of Dre and Snoop in their native Southern California which is nothing particularly ground breaking as most of their activities had already been portrayed to mainstream audiences via films like Boyz N The Hood and other hip hop videos from artists also hailing from Compton. That being said, with a song this absolutely incredible (it was THE song that launched hip hop into the 90’s after all), it is quite easy to forgive the lack of special effects or ingenuity of the video and just sit back, relax and enjoy the all around bad assness of Dre and Snoop.-Nick
19) “No Rain” Blind Melon (1993)
It’s a simple, sweet idea. The poor bee girl gets laughed off stage, has her rejection compounded by indifference from the city folk, until she finally “escapes” to find a colony of dancing bee people, turning her rejection into acceptance. Watching the video now, I’m reminded of just how huge the song and it’s video clip were at the time of release. And of course, everyone loved bee girl Heather DeLoach, who went on to roles in ER, I’ll Do Anything and Reno 911!, among others. But she’ll always be the bee girl to us.-Dr. Gonzo
18) “Right Now” Van Halen (1991)
Never known for being a political band or the type of act that evokes it’s audience to weigh social issues, the messages in this video come across as authentic even from a party band like Van Halen. Funny how all these years later, most of the messages still ring very true (ie. “RIGHT NOW, OIL COMPANIES AND OLD MEN ARE IN CONTROL” and “RIGHT NOW, SOMEONE IS WORKING TOO HARD FOR MINIMUM WAGE”). I don’t think the band would have been able to pull this type of video off with David Lee Roth in the band, but it definitely works with Sammy Hagar. I don’t care what anyone says, Van Hagar is good stuff.-Nick
17) “Praise You” Fatboy Slim (1999)
I once read somewhere that the best dance/DJ artists understand that they need to get the hell out of the way and let other people take over their videos. Fatboy Slim certainly understood this, at any rate: his immortal “Weapon of Choice” clip is a marvel of camera trickery (and Christopher Walken’s natural charisma), but it’s “Praise You” that really takes the cake. The Spike Jonze-directed tour de force cemented the director’s rep as a winking, genial prankster, and there’s something infectious about the dance crew’s enthusiasm and sincerity. – Drew
16) “Come To Daddy” Aphex Twin (1997)
Given the menacing and ominous nature of this song both lyrically and musically, the video had to have an aesthetic to match. What was delivered is creepier and more sinister than 90% of horror movies ushered out by any movie studio. Those little girls bodies with Richard David James’ head on them will haunt your dreams (and would probably eat Damien Thorn from “The Omen” for lunch).
15) “Scream” Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson (1995)
By this point we’d seen MJ in graveyards, rough and tough streets, 1920s speakeasies, gritty subway stations, Egypt, weird fantasyland amusement parks, and all the rest. What could possibly be left? Why, outer space of course! Much of what makes the video fun and interesting is seeing Michael and Janet dance and interact with each other. Beyond that, director Mark Romanek also supplied a slick, artsy backdrop that had no real correlation to the song’s lyrics, but looked flippin’ cool. Aboard a seemingly huge spacecraft that they have to themselves, we’re taken into various “rooms” of the craft to see how the Jackson kids spend their time. Despite the aggressive tone of the lyrics, the video is generally playful, a seemingly honest reflection of Michael and Janet’s relationship. And the dance breakdown made it worth waiting to see the two most prominent and talented Jackson children collaborate.-Dr. Gonzo
14) “Big Me” Foo Fighters (1996)
Those uber-cheesy Mentos commercials were ripe for the picking, and although we were then unaware of Dave Grohl’s awesome sense of humor, in retrospect it makes total sense that The Foo Fighters would be the ones to spoof those ads. Boasting the cheesiest grins possible, this video proved that Dave Grohl’s latest project was going to be a 180-degree turn away from the angst-ridden mania that defined his previous band.
13) “Epic” Faith No More (1990)
My freshmen year of high school, I remember a kid coming to class one day (I believe it was Algebra class, not that that really matters) with a cassette tape entitled “The Real Thing” by Faith No More. He swore up and down that it was awesome, but I didn’t believe him and dismissed it because he wasn’t as into metal as I was. Months later, one goldfish gasping for air would permanently embed this band’s name in millions of people’s minds. These guys, at the time, sort of looked like EMF and Jesus Jones in terms of their style of dress, but much more gnarly and the guitarist was wearing a bootleg Cliff Burton t-shirt with big, ugly red glasses, they were sort of rapping, but it was kind of metal (rap metal hadn’t been widely birthed yet)….what in the hell was going on here? What was going on was the world at large was being introduced to one of the most inventive and creative hard rock acts ever to grace us with their presence. Surely many a person was disappointed when they purchased the album only to find that none of the other songs really sounded like “Epic” and that Mike Patton was not “rapping” the whole album, but for those who didn’t care about that, it was the beginning of a love affair with the band. An unlikely hit, from an unlikely band. Wonder if that goldfish lived or not?-Nick
12) “California Love” 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre (1996)
I remember the first time I heard California Love. And I didn’t even hear the entire song. There was so much demand for Tupac’s first song out of jail (especially living out in the Bay Area), one of the radio DJs secured a copy of a non-mastered version of California Love and played pieces of it. Talk about anticipation. In all honesty, the video for California is a bit hokey, but that’s part of the charm. For whatever reason, the setting is from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. It’s 2095 and the future is all about partying in the desert. Dre looks so silly that the Shrek character might’ve been imagined from Dre in this video. Chris Tucker is in it and this is before Chris Tucker did any of the Rush Hour films so he wasn’t such a big star yet as people mostly knew him from Friday. Pac and Dre are rapping on huge barrels while inside what looks like a modified UFC octagon. The video picks up during Pac’s verse. Whatever “it” is, he had “it”. Whenever the camera was on Pac, it was hard to take your eyes on him, even if he looked like a deranged nut in his costume. At the end of the video, Pac’s sleeping and it’s to be continued. Part two is all about partying in 1996 at Dr. Dre’s crib and part one was all a dream. Pac’s done better videos, but this is probably the most memorable simply because of the anticipation and because of the Hype Williams look and appeal.-GG
11) “Heart-Shaped Box” Nirvana (1993)
The enormous success of Nevermind and its singles/videos put undue pressure on the band’s follow up, and many of us questioned if Nirvana would be able to repeat their success. After much anticipation, “Heart Shaped Box” was the lead single and only proper music video for what would be the band’s final studio album, In Utero. The video’s dark surrealism came largely from a treatment penned by Cobain, but brought to fruition by Anton Corbijn. The clip takes us to a warped Technicolor world – fetuses hanging from trees, murky religious imagery, a child in KKK garb, a sterile hospital room, a winged visible woman – it’s difficult to make sense of. But the video’s creativity, uniqueness and striking imagery make it memorable, and arguably Nirvana’s greatest video achievement.-Dr. Gonzo