A Tempo Beyond’s Top 5 Music Videos

Brandon’s Preamble: 

After days of deliberation and bouts of despair, I realized it was time to consolidate this lackluster list of videos. It seems there’s nothing more disheartening than realizing your childhood favorites were nothing more than creepy pedophiles carousing along the boundaries of incest, but more about my childhood Aerosmith obsession later. After a drastic overhaul of my initial video list, here’s how things look today, but first a more appropriate preamble:

Jeremy’s Preamble: 

Before MTV became the “I’m a bratty teenager, look at me” channel, and VH1 became the “I’m a celebrity train-wreck, look at me” channel, they were truly music channels and they were amazing. Music videos had an intense effect on pop culture, and right out of the gate artists wasted no time unleashing vibrant visuals to accompanying fresh sounds. MtV, in the 90’s alone, influenced my life as a musician and during those terrible, gross, awkward times of zits and all the feels, music and music videos helped me make sense of all of the confusion. As I’m finalizing this list in my head, a voice from my past says, ‘hey, don’t forget this one.’ I could easily list a dozen more, but I had to knock it down to my favorite 5. Enjoy

Brandon’s #5.) Talking Heads—“Road to Nowhere”

Released: 1985

Running in place, climbing ladders, babies in boxes, underwater singing, what’s not to like about this video? It’s pretty understandable when you find yourself enjoying anything (well most things) that David Byrne puts his hands on, in my mind he’s a legend. My enjoyment might stem from my own futile efforts of stumbling along my own unpaved road to nowhere. Fittingly, the song ends with a group of people on a road to nowhere. 

Jeremy's #5.) Peter Gabriel “Sledgehammer”

Released: 1986

Peter Gabriel is no stranger to the eccentric. The Genesis days’ costumes were a testament to his unique tastes and innovation. It’s not a surprise when he hit his solo career, and marked his place in the world of music videos, his bizarre flavor became staple. The Sledgehammer video was primarily a stop motion project in which Peter Gabriel was placed under a sheet of glass posing frame by frame for 16 hours. The claymation was provided by Aardman Animations (of Wallace and Gromit fame). I was 7 years old when the music video premiered, and it didn’t occur to me until a few years later, the opening flute solo was accompanied by a sex ed lesson. The video won a record 9 MTV music video awards in 1987. Also, dancing cooked chickens. Need I say more?

Brandon’s #4.) Grateful Dead—“Hell in a Bucket”

Released: 1987

Of course, anyone who knows me is familiar with my Grateful Dead obsession, so there’s no surprise that they wound up on the list. Watching a music video that perfectly displays the lyrical breakdown of Robert Hunter’s magic is like drinking a fine wine. I suppose that’d be if you enjoy spending loads of money on pointless endeavors, but I thought I moved on from the “Road to Nowhere”.

It seems the swan is star of the film, as he finds himself in nearly every scene. Meanwhile, Jerry Garcia only shows up on two occasions, in the same spot, sitting on a bar stool, unloading on his gorgeous electric. No real surprises in the video as we find Bill Kreutzmann and Mikey Hart (the drummers) both playing the devil. Phil Lesh (bass player) appears to be a magician of sorts (his usual self) and Brent Mydland (keys) is eerily stuck behind the piano. It’s like a children’s roller coaster, no need to hang on, but you might find yourself still enjoying the ride. 

The video reads like a maze of chaos which seems to pair seamlessly with lyrics like:

“You must really consider the circus

It just might be your kind of zoo

I can't think of a place that's more perfect

For a person as perfect as you.”

Jeremy’s #4.) Pearl Jam “Jeremy”

Released: 1991

By the time the 90’s rolled around, rock music had metamorphosized into the grunge genre. It was a wonderful era for me: I had found music that spoke to my teen angst, as well as fashion that catered to it­­--no more preppy wear. Find a shirt and a pair of pants on your bedroom floor, a flannel in your closet and start your so called life. Pearl Jam’s album, Ten, was one of the albums that truly spoke to me. I first saw the video, Jeremy, one weekend watching tv while applying fresh Patchouli oil. It was 3 or so minutes in which I felt a combination of emotions I had never experienced up until that moment: confusion, rage, love, sympathy for the protagonist. The music video was controversial in show “Jeremy” at the end shooting himself in front of a class of his peers. The original video was initially banned from the networks since it showed Jeremy actually producing a gun, putting it in his mouth and pulling the trigger. The revised video cut that particular moment and flashed to the classroom posed with spatters of blood splashed across them, implying the grisly act of suicide. It won 4 MTV music awards. The actor, Trevor Wilson, appeared with the band when they accepted the Best Video of the Year award.

Brandon’s #3.) Nirvana—Heart Shaped Box 

Released: 1993

The simplicity of this video is what makes this video work its way into the list. The message of the song was portrayed rather flawlessly with an old man on a cross, singing crows and perplexed children. The creepiness of Kurt Cobain’s lyrics, with lines like: “I’ve been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks” is copiously juxtaposed with the video of an old man nailed to a cross. That’s all I got, NEXT! 

Jeremy’s #3.) Micheal Jackson “Thriller”

Released: 1982

It’s considered cliche or mainstream, but bite me.
The music video for Thriller (or music short film as it were) premiered when I was 4 years old. What would scare the hell out of most kids my age, fascinated me. The choreography alone was stunning, but we’ll approach that in a moment. Although I didn’t know anything about key signatures, chord changes, and modes, there was something musically that resonated with me. Its harmony was compelling and gave me chills even at a young age. But the paragraph is not so much about the tune as it is about the video. Jonathan Landis directed the 13 minute long music video and recruited such talent as Rick Baker for makeup effects, and Elmer Bernstein for opening movie music. The wicked Vincent Price offered the spoken ‘rap’ for the tune which appeared both on the track and on the video. The standout feature for the video is the mesmerizing choreography. When the initial zombie ensemble kicks into its opening head bob/shuffle combo (or whatever the technical terms are), you can tell this is going somewhere epic, and sure enough 8 or so beats later the ghoulish symmetry grabs you by your brain and yanks you straight into rhythmic possession. The music video received the Guinness World Record for most successful music video at over 9 million copies sold.

Brandon’s #2.) Beastie Boys—“Sabotage” 

Released:1994

The Beastie Boys strike again with a sort of movie trailer depiction of the video “Sabotage”. The main actors being nothing more than the band itself, featuring Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, whom all play undercover cops in this bizarre arrangement of cinematography. The video progresses like a undercover police highlight reel. A man is thrown into a pool after being chased down by an undercover bell boy and another hurled from a bridge after a knife fight. There isn’t anything that police partake in that the Beastie Boys didn’t cover. Cars catching air at the top of a hill and then donuts being devoured in synchronicity with the bridge. “Listen all y’all it’s a sabotage!” 

Jeremy’s #2.) Van Halen “Right now”

Released: 1991

Honestly, this video was going to make my honorable mention category until I watched it. Right away the music activates me with its opening D minor 16th note piano riff, followed shortly with the thunderous B flat in the bass. The video shows short clips of people, dogs, even a silicon breast implant overlapped with various text stating “right now____ is happening, is about to happen, or should happen. What makes this my number two video is the fact that, scary enough, some of the statements resonate 23 years later. Everything from the bold political statement “Right now oil companies and old men are in control” to the simplistic “Right now you could be outside.” That last one in particular is even more appropriate today with the current influx of social media. Facebook, twitter, etc takes precedent over fresh air. Not all of the statements are potent and lathered with some sort of activism. Some of the focus on the humor of life, such as someone walking on a nude beach, science building a better tomato (the implant reference) or band references: taking a tour, creating a solo project or even fudging the lyrics. Bassist, Michael Anthony, said in his book “it was the best music video Van Halen had ever done” and it was the winner of the 1992 Video of the year award for MTV.

Brandon’s #1.) Soundgarden—“Black Hole Sun” 

Released:1994

I think this was the moment when my parents truly began to worry about my well being. Contorted faces and creepiness weaved its way through every ounce of this video, meanwhile my mom’s irritation and annoyance took flight. What makes a good video great is ultimately the quality of musicianship behind the song. From a lyrical perspective, Chris Cornell truly nailed “Black Hole Sun” on so many levels. The reason this ranks so high on the list is because the video has stood the test of time, which is remarkable for really any video to achieve. “Black Hole Sun” was released in 1994 when I was a wee 9 years old and this obviously added to my magnetized bewilderment. The cinematography and acting is spot on for the story portrayed. 

“Hang my head

drown my fear

till’ you all just disappear

Black hole sun 

won’t you come and wash away the ran 

black hole sun, won’t you come, won’t you come”

Jeremy’s #1.) Annie Lenox “Little Bird”

Released: 1992

In 1983, an electric­orange haired androgynous superpower known as Annie Lennox made one of the most well known videos of that day and age--Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). She and David A. Stewart formed the duo known as Eurythmics and throughout their music video career, Lennox changed her style often­­ sometimes sticking with the masculine (Missionary Man), sometimes painstakingly feminine (There Must Be an Angel). Each of them, a different glimpse into the soul of Annie Lennox. By the time the 90’s rolled around, Annie had branched off into a solo career with the album Diva. Little Bird was the 3rd music video to premiere on the music channels (the others being Why and Walking On Broken Glass) and the video was almost a grand review into, not only the

career, but the psyche of Annie Lennox. She is joined by 8 lookalikes (some of them female impersonators), from 5 of her videos in the Eurythmics days, 2 from her solo career, and even one from her live performance at the Freddy Mercury Tribute Concert. To be honest, I don’t know what it is about this video that makes it my number one. I know I can’t limit it to just one particular element; the choreography is not overly flashy, but still impressive. The song itself could easily be lyrics to a folk prayer, but instead gets a jolt into epicness with a disco beat and synth brass hits. The characters from her past each have personalities their own, flawlessly performed. And still, it goes beyond that. The music video is a cabaret with multiple vignettes about Annie’s life and it seems there’s always something new that catches my eye when I watch it. Perhaps somewhere down the way I’ll have a “Eureka” moment and I’ll fully unfold the concrete reason(s) I love this video. Until then, whether it’s the 3rd time I watch it, or the 33rd time I watch it, I am still just as fascinated.

(Update: It looks as though you'll have to go directly to YouTube for my number one. It shows the video is not available in this country, but the actual YouTube page says otherwise.)