Beautiful Music Videos

I never appreciated music videos as an art form until I read Andrew Zuckerman’s piece on beautiful music videos. I then spent the rest of that day watching music videos and I don’t regret it one bit.

Here are my personal favorites:

1. Space Oddity - Written by David Bowie, Cover by Chris Hadfield.

Though this is a cover, it might as well be an official music video. The fact that Chris Hadfield is singing this particular song in the International Space Station makes it that much more special.

2. Picasso Baby - Jay-Z directed by Mark Romanek and Marina Abramović

Jay-Z is one of my favorite rappers and here he pushes the boundaries of performance art, stands on the pedestal, and becomes art himself. The energy of this video is quite contagious.

3. That’s Jazz - Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong in High Society (1956)

I first saw this video when I took a course on the history of Jazz. This video is a performance from the film, High Society, thus it’s not really a music video but I had to include it.

This was the first time I saw Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong perform and you can see why both have reached legendary status.

4. Sanctuary - Joji Directed by Eoin Glaister

This music video is like a star trek esque short film, with a story of its own.

5. Luv (sic) pt. 2 - Nujabes featuring shing02 Directed by Sou Ootsuki

This is one of my favorite videos on the internet. There’s something about the simplicity, the childness, the ridiculousness, that resonates with me. Here’s how Ootsuki describes the video:

This work, in which young and old men and women who open their minds and bodies openly and madly on the streets and the like just run toward the camera, is said to be a “new paradigm of stress-releasing expression art born from Japan in a high stress society!”

I’d love to recreate this video with my friends someday.

6. You Should See Me in a Crown - Billie Eilish (Official Video by Takashi Murakami)

I’m fairly neutral when it comes to Billie Eilish’s music but I love Takashi Murakami’s work. Nonetheless, this video is mesmerizing.

7. Wedding Dress - Taeyang

Korean production value in the k-pop industry is insane, and this is one of the first k-pop songs I listened to. Watching this years later, that plot twist at the end still gets me.

What’s your favorite music video?