The Greatest Music Video of All Time is...

Breaks my heart every time I watch it. Julie's anguished cries, David Geddes dramatic storytelling as well as the "You Can't Always Get What You Want" chorale at the beginning and end of the song.

This song was played at my wedding as my dear bride was being escorted up the aisle and I assume it'll be played at my funeral along with the other immortal David Geddes classic "The Last Game Of the Season (Blind Man In the Bleachers)"....

David Geddes - Run Joey Run (with lyrics)


David Geddes Blind man in the bleechers

 

Without reading all the replies and not a favorite genre of mine I would say..Thriller.

 

ONJ's 'homage' to Ashes to Ashes

 

cant figure it out, but I love it !

 

Obviously.

 

"Hurt" Johnny Cash (2003)

The scenes of the young, vibrant Cash throughout his career leading up to his final days in obvious frail health. Also, including the brief shots if his longtime -- also frail -- wife June Carter Cash gazing lovingly at him never fails to affect me.

The dark Trent Rezner song is an unlikely but impossibly perfect choice to cap to Cash's long, amazing career. Triumphant and heartbreaking at the same time about as much as any music video could hope to accomplish.

A one-of-a-kind video that couldn't be more perfectly executed:

 

I second that emotion.

 

Without a doubt, the best ever is Tom Petty & the Heartbeakers , "Don't Come Around Here No More", which almost won the Best Video at the first MTV music video awards in 1985 ( the winner was the Cars "You Might Think", which is another great video)

 

Another great video even though I am sick of hearing the song on classic rock radio, "Sledgehammer"

 

Another great video is "You Might Think", which like I mentioned earlier won the Best Video at the very first MTV VIdeo Music Awards in 1985,

 

How about Weird Al Yankovic "Like A Surgeon", gotta love the operating room

 

Might as well be...

 

Break out the lube for this one jk LOL!

 

I'd have to give a couple of examples of excellent videos -- 1st is YOU MIGHT THINK from the Cars -- very difficult to render the video, and very groundbreaking. Venus from Bananarama -- beautiful if you have equipment that can display it, Girls Just Want to Have Fun -- Cyndi Lauper -- silly and happy, Drive -- again from the Cars -- kind of sad about mental illness, and Luka -- sad about an abused kid.
I did like Take On Me by Aha, kind of creative and cute. Not quite of the calibre of some of the others even though the rotoscoping was quite good, and the music was catchy. I am not so much into the 'big productions' like from Michael Jackson, even though they are excellent.

Of course, thinking about deep history -- (pre MTV), would be ABBAs videos and Queen's videos. You have to give them credit for being early in the 'rock video' genre and good production values.

Last but not least -- Weird Al's parody videos. Only for entertainment value and sheer humor/creativity.

One more -- and incredibly good -- Supernatural Parody from Hillywood Show, and the equivalent Taylor Swift Shake it off.

John

 

Two come to mind for me:

PLASMATICS - "The Damned" (1982)
I was 12 when this video hit MTV (if memory serves, it was pulled after only a few airings) and it completely blew my mind... I had never seen/heard anything like the Plasmatics in my life. Wendy O. Williams terrified and fascinated me in equal measure (actually, she still does)...

 

#2:
RAMONES - "Something To Believe In" (1986)
A parody of "We Are the World"/"Hands Across America" style charity songs/videos, featuring cameos by Weird Al, members of Sparks, Toni Basil, Spinal Tap, Penn & Teller, and many more. Added bonus, it's a great song. Probably my favorite Ramones ballad.

Weird Al: "This is Debby Boone, urging you to give till it hurts."

 

Got to be this one for the amount of time they spent on it.