Channel 4's '100 Greatest Music Videos'

I knew that going into this assignment there would be so many well credited and popular music videos over the years that I would have no knowledge of. It was brought up that Channel 4 had done a programme concerning '100 Greatest Music Videos', which was exactly what we were looking for, so we watched it as a class.

Through this viewing there was a huge mixture of opinions from the class on some of the videos, and interesting debates on why some were given or deserved a spot in the top 100 occurred, which was an worthwhile experience, which i felt i learnt from, in terms of target audience.

In my eyes some of the music videos were very un-interesting and ultimately not entertaining at all, however during post-viewing discussions it came to light that many of the videos, from many years ago, were revolutionary and meant a lot in their own time. For instance, '#100: Pass The Dutchie' by Musical Youth in 1982 was so popular because it was one of the first music videos to present African Americans, and more so, they were singing about drugs!

Initial Notions on my favourites

• Queen - I Want To Break Free; this particular video stood out to me, because of it's comical connotations. The band are shown as drag queens, which I think is a fantastic idea seeing as the all male band is called 'Queen'. The best part is that lead singer Freddie Mercury is still sporting his very distinguished moustache! Mercury actually is homosexual, however it wasn't known at the time, thus the video is almost symbolic of this. (#21)
• U2 - The Sweetest Thing; the first use of the 'point-of-view' shot i had noticed in the top 100. This music video appealed to me because for the duration of viewing the programme, this was the first time i felt a connection with the artist themself. Bono, U2's lead singer, is apologising to his partner throughout the video. Usually video's exhibited a performance of the band, special effects or a storyline, however this felt very personal and deep, as if we simply had a view through a window into his relationship. (#33)
  
• Christina Aguilara - Dirrty; this music video stood out to me as it was the first single she released from her fourth album 'Stripped', which marked the beginning of a huge change in Aguilara's appearance and portrayal of herself. In her first single 'Genie In A Bottle' in 1999, besides having her middrift exposed, she presented herself as 'the girl next door' with a fresh, attractive teenage look. No piercings, no tattoos, barely any make-up. However, 'Dirrty' represents her rebellion against her good-girl image and her transformation to a artist bursting with sex appeal. The mispelling of the title alone represents her personal upsurgance. (#14)
• Coldplay - The Scientist; a very memorable music video, for it's extremely difficult and gripping effect of rewinding time. Not only does the music video demonstrate Chris Martins revisitation of the previous 5 minutes, but he is singing the lyrics as he goes.
  
• Madonna - Like A Prayer; the video for this song was well known for it's blasphemous controversy, which actually served as a strong element in the accomplishment and success of the video. It touched some religious topics as well as racial aspects, as Madonna kisses an African man, which at the time, was something that hadn't really been seen before. (#5)
• OutKast - Hey Ya; this is a very lively and upbeat, feel-good song, but the thing i found most appealing about it was that all the band members are played by Andre 3000, the singer of the song. This is engaging because all the characters he plays take on a different persona, for instance the drummer is shirtless, tatooed and has a rock-star image, whereas the backing singers are dressed preppy, with glasses and shirts with ties. Additionally, the mise-en-scene aspects of the video somewhat represent a different decade to the 2000's as the television is black and white and the clothing and set up of the stage resemble and 60's feel. (#16)
• Robbie Williams - Rock DJ; The video for rock DJ, directed by Vaughan Arnell, was released in 2000, and was surrounded by controversy because of its explicit content. The video exhibits Robbie dancing at a roller disco surrounded by woman, and as he dances he begins to undress, followed by ripping off his own skin until he is simply a dancing body of bones. Somehow, although every viewer wants to look away, they cant! (#6)
  
• Michael Jackson - Thriller; it is very easy to see why Thriller will always be number 1. It was the first music video to embody a film-like appearance, starting and ending with a short movie clip. This is not its only appeal though, it has a very memorable dance sequence, as well as fantastic, unforgettable make-up effects, transforming the dancers and cast, including Michael Jackson, into zombies!