I’ll start: November Rain
I only read as far as “first music video” before my brain served up the first video on MTV, “Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star.”
This is my all time favourite.
Thriller (Credits and everything…) - Michael Jackson
Hah, this is also what I thought of
Prodigy Smack my Bitch up (nsfw)
https://vimeo.com/144850907I’m always impressed by a music video that can “yes, and” the song it was made for - one that feels like it was created as an extension or an exploration of the song, rather than an expression of the vibes (though, don’t get me wrong, I’m all about the vibes too). I love that this video tells a clear story and puts a pretty fun twist on the lyrics while it does.
Bonus: The actors seem like they were having a blast during filming.
Goated song and music video
I’d nominate Bjork: All is Full of Love.
You made me rickroll myself. Never Gonna Give You Up is so iconic online, how could it not be the first thing that comes to mind?
Second one that came to mind was Somebody That I Used To Know.
Frankly, I don’t watch music videos, so internet memes are the majority of my exposure to them.
Literally this - the very first thing that I thought, was well it’s obviously going to Never Going to Give you up - before I could even actively start thinking of any other music video, like Zombies for example (it’s been on YouTube a lot recently because of people reacting to it).
Papa Don’t Preach by Madonna. We didn’t have cable/sat at home and my family went on vacation so I watched MTV as much as possible. They must have played it hundreds of times in a few days.
Black or White
Radiohead - Paranoid Android
Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcATvu5f9vE&ab_channel=RobertPalmerVEVOTake on Me - Aha
There are many other more impressive and even more famous music videos, but this one is THE video I think of when anyone mentions music videos.