Sam's Top 24 Favorite Music Videos of the '90s (Part 2)

As a special Thanksgiving treat, here’s part two (the final part) of my Top 24 Favorite Music Videos of the ‘90s! Gobble gobble, my darlings.

12. “I Miss You” by Björk (1997), dir. John Kricfalusi (NSFW)

Björk has a lot of great videos, but I’ve always been drawn to this animated masterpiece. It has the same animation style as The Ren & Stimpy Show (probably because it was directed by the show’s creator, John Kricfalusi), which means it’s packed full of crude humor and surrealism. This animation style definitely suits an artist like Björk because it’s off-kilter and kind of unnerving. Warnings for cartoon nudity and some strange imagery that may not fly at work.

11. “Liar” by Rollins Band (1994), dir. Anton Corbijn

Henry Rollins is a god amongst men, and this video proves it. It starts simply enough—Henry struts around doing his jazzy, spoken-word thing in a couple different costumes (including a superhero and a cop). But as soon as the chorus kicks in, he goes full ape-man, jumping around the set covered in red body paint. If you want to know what Henry Rollins is all about, look no further than “Liar.”

10. “Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys (1998), dir. Nathaniel Hörnblowér

Ah, the Beastie Boys. I was torn between this video and “Sabotage,” but I have to be honest—I just love “Intergalactic” more. I mean, what’s not to love about this video? You’ve got robots, a giant squid monster and it’s all set in Japan. It’s the Beasties at their most irreverent, and boy, is it entertaining. The corniness of the special effects just makes it all the more hilarious.

9. “Let Forever Be” by The Chemical Brothers (1999), dir. Michel Gondry

You will see Michel Gondry again on this list because he’s just an amazing director. “Let Forever Be” is one of his best videos because it’s a perfectly synchronized, surreal dance epic. His work has a lot to do with dreams, and this video is no exception. It just looks like a dream with the camera angles, the color scheme and all the cool effects.

8. “Smack My Bitch Up” by The Prodigy (1997), dir. Jonas Åkerlund (NSFW)

Okay, this video is 100% not safe to view at work. Just warning you now. I actually did a presentation with “Smack My Bitch Up” in an English class last year, and let me tell you, the looks on people’s faces were absolutely priceless. Controversy aside, this video is incredible. It’s shot from a first-person perspective, which gives the whole thing a more intimate feel. We follow a particularly rowdy individual on a night out and things get a little extreme. This also has a great twist ending, but I won’t spoil it here. (Note: You may have to sign into YouTube to watch it, since it's age-restricted.)

7. “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails (1994), dir. Mark Romanek (NSFW)

Here’s another one you might want to save for a home viewing. “Closer” is a visually stunning video because it has a 19^th century torture chamber motif. Okay, so it’s just really creepy and I dig creepy videos. The editing in this video is pretty cool, too. In order for it to be shown on MTV, certain scenes had to be removed. They were replaced by a title card reading “Scene Missing.” And every time the word “fuck” had to be censored, the video appeared to stop, like a defective filmstrip. The film stock Mark Romanek used gives the whole video a nice vintage look.

6. “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. (1991), dir. Tarsem Singh

This is a video that’s heavy in metaphorical imagery, but that’s what makes it great. There’s a lot of religious imagery here, but it’s not of the sacrilegious variety, as shown in “Closer.” The color contrasts are what really sold me—the video shifts between dark grays and browns in the band scenes and oversaturated colors in the other scenes. “Losing My Religion” is a gorgeously haunting song with an equally gorgeous music video.

5. “Everlong” by Foo Fighters (1997), dir. Michel Gondry

Didn’t I tell you that you’d see Michel Gondry again? This is definitely my favorite Gondry video. He still plays with the dream motif (this time by actually structuring the events of the video within a dream), but it has that trademark Foo Fighters humor to it. Also, Taylor Hawkins makes a surprisingly pretty woman.

4. “Longview” by Green Day (1994), dir. Mark Kohr

What’s a ‘90s countdown without Green Day? This was the band’s first music video, and it’s pretty underrated, if you ask me. It doesn’t have the cool special effects of “Basket Case” or the nice tracking shots of “When I Come Around,” but it perfectly captures the snotty essence of Dookie-era Green Day. Billie Joe Armstrong still has a nose piercing and the remnants of dreadlocks. Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool have enough pent up energy to rock out in a closet. This is what Green Day is all about.

3. “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana (1993), dir. Anton Corbijn

Kurt Cobain had a particular vision for this video and Anton Corbijn executed it perfectly. “Heart-Shaped Box” is a surreal trip into Kurt’s imagination, complete with hospital beds, poppy fields, little girls in KKK uniforms, human fetuses dangling from trees and an old man representing Jesus in a Santa Claus hat. It’s creepy, but visually stunning.

2. “Criminal” by Fiona Apple (1997), dir. Mark Romanek

So if you read this blog on a regular basis, you already know that I’m in love with Fiona Apple. This is one of her best videos because turns the whole female exploitation thing on its head. Fiona was barely legal at the time, making the scenes of her mostly naked a little risqué. Though it was deemed controversial, the video was all Fiona’s idea. She said, “I decided if I was going to be exploited, then I would do the exploiting myself.” Nicely played, Fiona.

1. “Tonight, Tonight” by Smashing Pumpkins (1996), dir. Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris

There are too many things to love about this video. Based on the groundbreaking silent film, George Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon, “Tonight, Tonight” successfully evokes a sense of whimsy and pure magic. It’s almost frame-for-frame identical to the film, with shots of the band performing in the clouds added for good measure. I’m actually speechless when it comes to this video. It’s just perfect, okay? 

Radiohead

Sound Familiar?

“Creep,” “Fake Plastic Trees,” “Karma Police”

Who Are They?

The hugely successful British quintet that gave Oasis some tough competition. Thom Yorke and company emerged on the music scene with 1993’s Pablo Honey and its lead single “Creep.” The song got the boys some attention from British critics, but not all of it was favorable. NME initially wrote them off as a run-of-the-mill rock band and BBC1 Radio just couldn’t fathom playing a song as depressing as “Creep.” But Radiohead found sympathetic ears in angsty American teenagers.

The Bends, released in 1995, seemed to have the opposite effect. It struck a chord with British fans, but was lost on American fans, who were probably expecting another anthem about self-loathing. Radiohead maintained some popularity with help from R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe. Let’s face it: if Michael Stipe likes your band, the rest of the world is bound to follow suit.

And then there was Ok Computer, and it was good. Actually, it was better than good. Rolling Stone readers voted it as the second best album of the ‘90s, beaten only by (wait for it) Nirvana’s Nevermind. Critics praised it, fans loved it, and all the other Britpop bands were kicking themselves for not thinking of it first.

Where Are They Now?

On top of the world. Radiohead decided to change things up for the new millennium. Albums like 2000’s Kid A and 2001’s Amnesiac featured diverse and textured instrumentation, as well as a sudden obsession with electronic gizmos. But it certainly worked in their favor. Kid A won the band their first Grammy in 2001 for Best Alternative Album.

Critics accused Radiohead of “treading water” with 2003’s Hail to the Thief, as it didn’t really bring anything new or mind-boggling to the table. After a brief hiatus, the band gave birth to the immensely successful In Rainbows, which fans could pay a pretty penny for. Or not. In a surprising move, the album was released through the band’s official website as a “pay-what-you-want” digital download. Whatever you thought it was worth, critics thought it was worth much more. In Rainbows earned Radiohead another Grammy for Best Alternative Album and cemented them as a music critic’s wet dream.

In 2005, Rolling Stone ranked Radiohead #73 on their list of “The Greatest Artists of All Time.” Not bad for a band everyone assumed would be a one-hit-wonder.

But Why Radiohead?

The band’s eighth album The King of Limbs dropped last week, along with a bizarre, yet oddly hypnotic music video for the first single “Lotus Flower.” Spoiler alert: Thom Yorke is actually a crazed dancing Muppet masquerading as a droog from A Clockwork Orange.

What Does Sam Think?

There are plenty of people out there who would call Radiohead overrated. Who these people actually are and what they’ve been smoking, I couldn’t tell you. The fact is that Radiohead are an incredibly talented band. Rolling Stone actually got something right there. They’ve remained relevant for two decades by experimenting with their sound and taking risks. And while they’re certainly not the first band in history to do so, they’ve mastered the art of it all with flying colors.

The general consensus among fans is that Ok Computer and Kid A are the two biggest contenders for the “best” Radiohead album (although my personal favorite is still Hail to the Thief. But alas, I am just one person). Between the two, my vote goes to Ok Computer. Surprise! I picked the ‘90s release. But when it was released doesn’t really matter. The album has a well-rounded sound while still managing to be fresh and intriguing. The lyrics aren’t as personal as those on The Bends, but are instead contemplative and observational. Thom Yorke is no longer a detached loner, but a philosopher of the new millennium. The best example of this? “Paranoid Android,” the three-part transcendental epic.

Comparing the Radiohead of the ‘90s to Radiohead now is almost unfair. If you listen to Pablo Honey and The King of Limbs back to back, it’s like listening to two great, but drastically different bands. The instrumentation, the vocals, and even the lyrics are polar opposites. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Radiohead accomplished what most bands wish they could, and that’s creating an almost entirely flawless catalog. I may go as far as to say that these guys can do no wrong. After hours of relishing in the wonders of The King of Limbs, that may be true.

But for old time's sake...

-- Sam Boyer, reporting from the ‘90s.