From groundbreaking choreography to revolutionary visual effects, these music videos changed the game forever! Join us as we explore the most influential clips that shaped pop culture, broke records, and redefined what music videos could be. Which iconic video do you think had the biggest impact?
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00:00Welcome to Miz Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the most
00:11groundbreaking music videos that changed the industry and created a cultural reset.
00:16Number 10 Gangnam Style Sigh
00:24Once upon a time YouTube had a limit on how many views a video could rack up,
00:29but then Gangnam Style came along.
00:31This viral hit blew past the algorithm's known limit,
00:44confusing the system so badly that it flipped to negative numbers. YouTube admitted,
00:49we never thought a video would be watched in numbers greater than a 32-bit integer,
00:54but that was before we met Sigh.
00:57Some Google engineers had supposedly foreseen the era of breaking the internet and wanted to prepare.
01:10Sigh's success forced YouTube to raise its cap to an unfathomable number,
01:15something starting with 9 quintillion.
01:18You might say Sigh galloped, so every viral video since then could run.
01:29Number 9 Single Ladies Put A Ring On It
01:32In 2016, Beyoncé encouraged her fans to get information, with a powerful video that addressed
01:40important social issues.
01:46But before that, in 2008, she amazed everyone with the single Ladies' music video.
01:54It was inspired by Bob Fosse's choreography, especially Mexican Breakfast.
01:59Another brother noticed me
02:01Beyonce's co-choreographer Jaquel Knight said she'd aim to create a fun and strong dance that anyone could
02:13learn. The video was actually one of her lowest cost and speediest to make,
02:17but it allowed the dance moves to take center stage.
02:20It launched a full-blown dance craze, with fans everywhere trying to replicate her moves.
02:33If TikTok had been around back then, this dance would have been all over it.
02:45Number 8 Baby One More Time Britney Spears
02:47Britney's debut single made her an overnight sensation and ushered in the golden age of teen pop.
02:53Just 16 at the time, she played a major role in shaping the video,
02:57even pitching the concept herself.
03:06That schoolgirl outfit became instantly iconic and stirred plenty of debate,
03:11blurring the line between innocence and rebellion.
03:13Her sassy dance moves and magnetic performance set a new bar for pop choreography.
03:25The video earned her first three Moon Men, landed in TRL's final countdown,
03:30and won TRL's 2007 award for most influential video of all time.
03:35The video's imagery and style have continued to influence fashion trends and pop culture references
03:41ever since.
03:49Number 7 Take On Me
03:51Aha!
03:52Believe it or not, this wasn't the first music video the group made for this song,
03:56but there's a reason it's the one we all remember.
03:59The video became famous for blending sketch animation with live action, achieved through rotoscoping,
04:13an animation technique where real-life footage is traced frame by frame for like-life effect.
04:19Reportedly, they traced around 3,000 frames, taking 16 weeks to reach the final product.
04:25Dire Straits also pushed boundaries with animation, using CGI in Money For Nothing.
04:37Aha! arguably laid the groundwork for what a music video could be.
04:42It cemented its place in pop culture and took home six VMAs.
04:47Number 6 This Is America Childish Gambino
04:56Childish Gambino's This Is America really made audiences sit up with its powerful take
05:01on American culture, especially the black experience.
05:04Don't that you slipping up? Look how I'm living up.
05:08Oh, at least be tripping up. Yeah, this is America.
05:12The video mixes fun dance moments with some pretty intense imagery,
05:16creating a striking contrast that reflects the country's struggles with politics, race, and culture.
05:22Its deep symbolism sparked a ton of discussions,
05:25pushing people to face tough truths about the world around them.
05:37The message spread fast, racking up 12.9 million views in just a day,
05:42so people were definitely listening.
05:44On top of that, its bold storytelling and sudden shifts in tone changed the game for music videos.
05:50It earned plenty of praise and solidified its place as a cultural milestone.
06:00Number 5 Bohemian Rhapsody
06:02Before music videos as we know them today, songs were sometimes accompanied by what was known as a
06:08pop promo.
06:20The game really changed with the release of the Bohemian Rhapsody promo,
06:24which proved to record labels just how much a great video could help promote their artists.
06:29This way, they could show off their music globally, without racking up the air miles.
06:34I see a little silhouette of a man.
06:37Scaramouche, scaramouche, will you do the pandango?
06:40Plus, it let them have more say in how their art was presented,
06:44while sidestepping the headaches of live lip-syncing.
06:48Especially with a tricky song like Bo Rap.
06:50Some have even said that this video played a big role in carving out space for the MTV era.
06:56Can't do this to me, baby
07:00Just gotta get out
07:01Just gotta get right out of here
07:05Number 4 Sledgehammer
07:07Peter Gabriel
07:07Gabriel pulled out all the stops for this video, throwing in stop-motion, claymation,
07:13and even some dancing chickens.
07:15Found the car
07:17Pumping
07:19There's amusement never ends
07:24Aardman Animations
07:25Yes, the Wallet and Gromit guys helped bring the magic to life,
07:29while Gabriel himself spent 16 hours lying under glass to capture the shots.
07:34The grand finale involves a stop-motion swirl of people spinning around him,
07:38including his daughters, the animators, and even the director's girlfriend.
07:43Show me
07:45Oh, yeah
07:47You've been coming through
07:49Yeah, I gotta feel that power
07:51Apparently, filming took a wild 100 hours, with every single second made up of 25 different Gabriel poses.
07:59Sledgehammer ended up winning nine VMAs, which set the record for the most wins for a single video.
08:06It's also said to be MTV's most-played video of all time.
08:09Come on, come on
08:10Come on, come on
08:12Come on, come on
08:14Come on, come on, come on
08:16Number 3
08:18Smells like teen spirit
08:19Nirvana
08:20This video became the face of grunge music.
08:23Director Samuel Bayer was a newbie, and believed that Nirvana liked that he wasn't tied to big industry rules.
08:37He captured the raw energy of the band, filming them in a high school gym surrounded by wild, moshing teens.
08:44The whole thing screamed the rebellious spirit of 90s grunge, and helped cement Nirvana's place as the band that changed rock.
08:53Reportedly, Kurt Cobain wasn't happy with the first version of the video,
09:01so worked with Bayer to give it the perfect edge.
09:04According to Guinness World Records, teen spirit became MTV Europe's most-watched video.
09:10Apparently, it also helped bring in a whole new audience for the network.
09:13Number 2
09:22Like A Prayer
09:23Madonna
09:23Madonna has always been someone to break the mold, and her video for Borderline was definitely bold for its time,
09:30showcasing her no-holds-barred femininity. But it was the Like A Prayer video that really turned heads.
09:37I can feel your heart, just like a prayer, you know I'll take you there.
09:44In 1989, her $5 million deal with Pepsi was a game-changer. It was the first time a record debuted in a commercial.
09:52Skipping traditional airplays was risky, but Madonna knew exactly what she was doing.
09:57The video stirred up controversy with its mix of religious and sexual imagery,
10:09even catching the Pope's eye. And nope, he wasn't a fan, even calling for a boycott.
10:14Madonna's confidence stance paved the way for future pop rebels,
10:18making her video a cultural landmark that topped lists and won the viewer's choice VMA.
10:27Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:37Ashes to Ashes, David Bowie. With a hefty £250,000 price tag,
10:42this was the priciest music video ever made in its day.
10:46Ashes to Ashes, fun to fat kid, we know major talks are junkies.
10:54Here it goes again, OK Go, along with A Million Ways,
10:58the group ushered in the age of internet music video.
11:01Now, here it goes, get it, oh, here it goes, oh, here it goes, oh, here it goes,
11:06now, oh, here it goes, get it, nothing compares to you, Sinead O'Connor.
11:11The simple visuals, with that now-famous tear rolling down her face,
11:16made her the first female winner of Video of the Year at the VMAs.
11:20Nothing compares, nothing compares to you.
11:29Subterranean homesick blues, Bob Dylan.
11:31A trend-setting video that made cue cards popular long before Love Actually.
11:36Keep a clean nose, wash the plain clothes,
11:39you don't need a weatherman to know it till the wind blows.
11:42Nothing but a g-thang, Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg,
11:46paving the way for rap artists on the music video scene.
11:49Plus, it made a star of Snoop.
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12:13Number 1.
12:16Thriller Michael Jackson
12:18Michael Jackson made history with hits like
12:20Billie Jean, Beat It, and Scream with his sister Janet,
12:24which still holds the record for the most expensive music video.
12:28But nothing beat Thriller.
12:29When it came to revolutionizing the art form,
12:32It had a movie-like feel, an awesome storyline,
12:42and those iconic dance moves that we're still busting out.
12:46Plus, it broke racial barriers,
12:48becoming a massive hit at a time when black artists were still struggling to get airtime.
12:53It's dinner, dinner, night, night, and no one's gonna say you find the beast about the strength.
13:00Directed by John Landis, with a $1 million budget,
13:04Thriller was the first video to get an exclusive broadcast on MTV,
13:09which helped boost the network's popularity.
13:11The legendary Zombie Dance and Red Jacket became cultural icons,
13:15cementing Jackson's place as entertainment royalty.
13:25Which music video do you think was the most pivotal to its evolution?
13:28Let us know in the comments.
13:34Do you agree with our picks?
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