Iconic Music Videos

Hey Ya! - https://youtu.be/PWgvGjAhvIw

The green colour scheme is very iconic and the idea of duplicating Andre3000 to be all of the "band" members was executed amazingly. The band and video as a whole is a recreation of the Beatles' live performance of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. The video is very happy, contrasting the devastating lyrics of being distrustful of love. This contrast is referenced in the lyrics itself when he says "Y'all don't wanna hear me, you just wanna dance".

Thriller - https://youtu.be/sOnqjkJTMaA

Being arguably the most iconic music video of all time, Thriller was very revolutionary as it was almost 14 minutes, feeling like a short cinematic film. The video cost half a million dollars which at the time was the most expensive music video ever made. 

Take On Me - https://youtu.be/djV11Xbc914

The video for this song is regarded as the main reason this song became as popular as it is. It involves pencil-sketch animation which blends into a live-action actress who gets dragged into the pencil-drawn world. The video was so revolutionary that Take On Me is still one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Bohemian Rhapsody - https://youtu.be/fJ9rUzIMcZQ

Widely recognised as one of the first global hit singles where the music video was central towards its marketing strategy. The video is very iconic now with the shots of only the band member’s faces lighting up and singing in the section with layered opera-like vocals. Which is ironic as in that section it is lead singer Freddie Mercury who did all of the vocal tracks which were then layered together.

All Star - https://youtu.be/L_jWHffIx5E

The music video is a tie in with the 1999 film, Mystery Men. The music video ties into the lyrics with the themes of the song being about an unintelligent American man who has deluded thoughts of being an “all-star” and “rock star”, whilst keeping a comedic outlook on problems in our lives. Therefore, in the music video this character is seen acting almost like a superhero saving pets from burning buildings and flipping whole buses with just his own strength. Alongside its infamous inclusion in the opening scene of Shrek, the comedic values of this video have resulted in it being very iconic.

Humble - https://youtu.be/tvTRZJ-4EyI

The video has contrasting scenes of urban life juxtaposing religious imagery. Kendrick is shown in priest robes and even recreates the famous painting The Last Supper. The camera work in some scenes is done flawlessly such as the fast-moving zooms with Kendrick’s eyes following the camera as it moves and pauses in different positions.

This Is America - https://youtu.be/VYOjWnS4cMY

The cryptic messages and visuals set the internet on fire when it came out with people theorising every component of the video and finding its meaning. Ultimately, all the themes in this video link to the racial divide in America by dissecting the general public’s perception of black Americans. Its dark imagery and political commentary solidify it as a very iconic music video of our generation.