First, two from a bit longer ago:
Hot for Teacher - Van Halen
The feminist in me is not a fan. The pop culture lover in me is relentlessly amused by this video. The little girls fluffing their giant metal hair. The mini Van Halen analogues. The rhythmless "dancing" to the chorus is one of my favorite things, like, ever.
Pink - Aerosmith
I'm a big Aerosmith fan - album-wise I prefer the harder, more bluesy pre-rehab seventies stuff, but I still love their later singles. Time renders effects like the superimposition of the band's faces a little low-tech, but I love Joe Perry as a centaur.
From this decade:
It's My Life - No Doubt
No Doubt has made some unbelievably entertaining videos - as a band they seem to really get into the "acting" aspect of the music video process. Even though they're probably not coming anywhere close to me, I'm still excited about the fact that they're reuniting to tour again. The best part of this video - Adrian Young's expression in the tub followed by the hair dryer flying through the air. Classic.
Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
I love the mini-chronicle of video-musical history that they pack into this video. The band is clearly having a ball, which sells any video.
Helena - My Chemical Romance
I love a band with a great sense of spectacle, which My Chem definitely does. They never go half-assed on anything. Also, the dancing in this video is really quality, a rarity in rock videos.
She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5 / Cool - Gwen Stefani
I know that more technically showy directors like Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry get a lot of press, but I love the dreamy aesthetic of Sophie Muller's videos. They're like mini-movies.
Roses - Outkast
The Grease-esque high school in miniature in this video looks like so much fun. I love Paula Abdul coaching the choreography from the wings.
The Hardest Button to Button - The White Stripes
One of the interesting things about researching MTV and the VMAs has been learning about the contrast between music videos as a commercial product selling a song and an artist and music videos as art themselves. The White Stripes are a band who continue to make artful videos, even as the form's heyday gets further and further away.
Perfect Situation - Weezer
Another band who really tries to do something with their videos. This song was, like, the soundtrack to my intermittent periods of depression and ennui sophomore year of undergrad. I love Elisha Cuthbert's over-the-top performance in this video.
Sugar We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy
As stated in the previous post, I love Patrick Stump's voice. This video was the perfect odd-yet-riveting accompaniment to the "hitting the big time" explosion of From Under the Cork Tree.
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