The 35 Best Music Videos of All Time

This could be the all-time greatest celebrity feature in a music video. Christopher Walken’s stoic expression in this Spike Jonze-directed video—as he gets up and starts boogying in this empty hotel—is nothing short of delightful. This video could have gotten stale a couple of seconds in, but the choreography building up to the hilarious moment of him Walken around the lobby keeps the excitement going.

This wouldn’t be a proper list without “Thriller.” Whether you first viewed this epic, 14-minute-long, musical journey when it came out, or heard about it years later, the video is excellent—and chock full of references to classic horror films. The level of production value is still impressive—and we don’t see epic narrative swings like this music video nearly as often as we should.

All of Lamar’s videos would be worthy of this list, but his fiery and arresting video for his single “ELEMENT,” off the album DAMNis a moving example of the artistry possible with a music video. The video beautifully references several shots by the photojournalist and film director Gordon Parks, who was active in covering civil rights and poverty in America.

Some may forever associate “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Wayne and Garth singing along to it in their car, but Queen’s hit single has a great video in its own right. The epic song cuts between parallel footage of a traditional performance and a ghostly setup of the band members singing in harsh light, with a field of dark behind them. Even if bits of it look dated, the video fits the song perfectly—and that guitar solo feels just as cathartic today.

Madonna’s black-and-white “Vogue” video, directed by David Fincher, is a loving sendup of the Golden Age of Hollywood, as well as the New York City ballroom scene that developed the dance moves Madonna popularized in this video.

“Formation” was part of Beyoncé’s larger visual album Lemonadeand is dripping with more detail than some two-hour-long movies out there. This video will stay relevant with its iconic images—like Beyoncé singing on a police car sinking into floodwaters—and use of historical filming locations, like a New Orleans plantation house and Fort Macomb, a Confederate Army base that was taken over by an all-Black Union Army unit.

From the incredible collaboration between the electronic duo Daft Punk and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry, “Around the World” shows how great the results can be when you just commit 1000 percent to the weirdest ideas you have. Just putting dancers in weird costumes doesn’t guarantee a classic music video, but the slick editing sells this odd world.

This song from the music producer Flying Lotus, with lyrics by Kendrick Lamar, will absolutely stick with you. Set at the funeral of two children, who then begin an extended dance sequence, the video is a gorgeous meditation on grief and death.

The world desperately needs more animated music videos! This classic from The Beatles goes so far to capture the joyful feeling of the song. It’s endlessly rewatchable—and the drawing style feels perfectly handcrafted, with an amazing eye for color.

Monáe was clearly several years ahead of her time when the music video for “Q.U.E.E.N.” dropped. Monáe and Badu both perform their parts wonderfully, and every setup is bizarre and delightful throughout the whole video.

Spears’ 2001 video for this single signaled her departure from a more sanitized pop persona, which made a landmark 2000s hit in the process. Spears’ energetic commitment to the moves in the video is captivating—and the dystopian setting where Spears and her backup dancers are forced to dance to the point of dehydration is still well realized, over 20 years later.

This ambitious, tragic video for Guns N’ Roses’ iconic power ballad “November Rain” was based on the short story “Without You” by Del James. It is also lent a more epic quality through incorporating live footage of the band’s performance at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles.

Elliott’s pure charisma and showmanship is front and center for all of this incredible video. Enough said.

Outkast always had extravagant music videos, but the video for their single “Hey Ya!” took it up a notch, with a cool effect showing Andre 3000 as every member of the band. It’s a concept that harkens back to The Beatles’ legendary concert for The Ed Sullivan Show.

You know your video is good when Weird Al does a parody of it—and Nirvana’s grunge anthem, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” certainly has that with its setting of a school pep rally that devolves into anarchy by the end.

In “Opposites Attract,” Paula Abdul breaks out some excellent dance moves with a rapping cartoon cat named MC Skat Kat. The delightful animation-over-live-action filmmaking known from movies like Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Cool World is a great style for a music video. It’s used perfectly here.

This video shows how amazing something can be with minimal production value. Zach Galifianakis lip-syncing and dancing is delightful in itself, but Fiona Apple following him around with a sheet of lyrics adds a goofy dynamic to a simple video idea.

Beyoncé is still pushing what music videos can be to this day, but one of her classics, “Countdown,” still looks incredible. Its simple filmmaking tricks elevate it massively—like shooting some of Beyoncé’s singing and choreography slowed down, then speeding it in editing to get a unique motion effect. The creative split-screens and vibrant colors also fit the joyful and frantic nature of the song.

English pop band Dead or Alive, best known for their single, “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record),” bring the perfect amount of strangeness, style, and pure ’80s energy to this video.

This classic song from the Irish artist features her singing in a memorable close-up to camera, along with shots of her wandering a park in Paris. This video once again proves that complexity isn’t always better.