These music videos aren’t necessarily bad – just unique. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most over-the-top, of-their-time, or otherwise wild music videos from the 1990s!
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MusicTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most over-the-top,
00:08 of their time, or otherwise wild music videos from the 1990s.
00:12 They aren't necessarily bad, just unique.
00:15 [Music]
00:19 Number 30, The Sign, Ace of Bass.
00:24 The music video medium is eternally shifting,
00:26 and has undergone lots of stylistic changes over the years.
00:30 [Music]
00:33 Perhaps no video is more of its time than this one from Sweden's Ace of Bass.
00:38 The vocal group always brought the vocal thunder and melodic hooks with their music,
00:42 while this video attempts to incorporate the visual technology of the day.
00:46 [Music]
00:50 Floating gif-onks appear for reasons,
00:53 while the group is superimposed over other images of, well, mostly themselves.
00:57 It's not the worst offender on this list,
00:59 but the tendency of The Sign to take itself 100% seriously definitely earns it a spot.
01:04 [Music]
01:06 Number 29, No Diggity, Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen.
01:11 The R&B video tropes all seem to be in place upon an initial examination of No Diggity by Blackstreet.
01:17 [Music]
01:22 Limos? Check.
01:23 Background dancers? Double check.
01:26 Blackstreet also remembered to bring their matching overalls, which is a nice touch.
01:30 [Music]
01:35 That said, can somebody explain to us why there's a marionette performing on a piano?
01:39 It's an absurd element that's never really explained,
01:42 unless Dr. Dre thought it was a cool idea?
01:44 Puppets appear throughout the video, playing guitar and generally hanging out.
01:49 It's probably the most memorable aspect of No Diggity, however.
01:52 And one of the reasons why we're still talking about the video today.
01:55 [Music]
02:02 Number 28, Nothing My Love Can't Fix, Joey Lawrence.
02:06 It's a classic scenario, actors singing and musicians acting.
02:10 [Music]
02:13 Joey Lawrence was the latest in a long line of show business types
02:16 that attempted to stretch their creative legs with his single, Nothing My Love Can't Fix.
02:20 Lawrence's ties to the performing arts serve him well in selling the song,
02:24 while the video itself is colorful in that gloriously gaudy 90s way.
02:28 [Music]
02:35 The opening spray painting and paint splashes eventually shift to Joey in all of his glory.
02:40 Decked out in the, we're gonna go with best, fashion of the day,
02:44 Lawrence is notably seen on the beach and walking the streets,
02:47 running his hands through that perfectly coiffed hair.
02:50 It's all done without a shred of irony and we are here for it.
02:54 [Music]
02:56 Number 27, Aeroplane, Red Hot Chili Peppers.
03:00 The Red Hot Chili Peppers have always possessed a funky and unique visual style
03:03 and this also translated into their music videos.
03:06 [Music]
03:11 Aeroplane feels indebted to the variety show landscape of 1970s TV,
03:16 with tons of sequined jumpsuits and backup dancers.
03:19 The energy is kinetic, while the colors are saturated in a way that's garish,
03:23 but not entirely unpleasant.
03:25 [Music]
03:30 The group do their thing while the extras wave around paddles
03:33 that seemingly simulate runway landing gear at an airport.
03:36 Oh, and there are also trapeze artists for some reason,
03:39 as well as a giant swimming pool, all while the Chili Peppers rock the house.
03:43 [Music]
03:47 Number 26, Rico, Suave, Gerardo.
03:52 It's a song and accompanying video that became a punchline for the decade,
03:56 and probably for good reason.
03:57 [Music]
04:02 The overarching legacy of the 90s had not yet been codified
04:05 when Rico Suave by Gerardo was released back in '90.
04:08 As a result, the video still feels very much indicative of the late 80s,
04:12 with its gaze planted firmly upon selling sex.
04:15 [Music]
04:19 To be fair, both Gerardo and his backing dancers
04:22 service the camera to over-the-top effect.
04:24 Rico Suave will forever be a time capsule piece, however.
04:27 It's a snapshot of aesthetic taste that's either very bad or so bad it's good,
04:31 depending upon one's point of view.
04:33 [Music]
04:40 Number 25, Socket 2 Me, Missy Elliott featuring Da Brat.
04:44 Fans could always count upon the fertile creative imagination of
04:47 Harold "Hype" Williams when it came to outside-the-box music video ideas.
04:50 [Music]
04:58 How else could one explain the pitch meeting behind Socket 2 Me?
05:02 A collaboration between Missy, Misdemeanor Elliott, and Da Brat.
05:05 [Music]
05:11 The pair's outfits apparently take cues from the Mega Man video game franchise,
05:15 while their adventures in space have little, if anything, to do with the actual song.
05:20 But who cares?
05:21 Elliott and Da Brat totally sell the ridiculous concept.
05:24 [Music]
05:27 Even Lil' Kim shows up to the party,
05:29 making Socket 2 Me an off-the-wall video from first frame to finale.
05:33 Number 24, No Limit, Too Unlimited.
05:36 The world of European dance music has, historically speaking,
05:39 been an out-there place in the wildest way.
05:42 [Music]
05:49 The genre's stereotypically low sense of self-awareness has given us countless clips
05:53 like No Limit from Too Unlimited.
05:55 We have to admit that the huge pinball set is imaginative,
05:58 and Too Unlimited makes the most of it with their dancing and pantomimes.
06:01 [Music]
06:08 Their wardrobe is luscious and leathery to boot,
06:11 almost coming across like a proto-version of The Matrix.
06:14 The end results are delivered straight-faced,
06:16 and this lack of irony makes No Limit feel like something we dreamt up.
06:20 But nope, it is very, very real.
06:23 [Music]
06:27 Number 23, Brain Stew, Jaded, Green Day.
06:30 [Music]
06:33 These two tracks from Green Day may be separate on their fourth album, Insomniac,
06:37 but their combination for this music video makes them feel forever linked.
06:41 [Music]
06:44 We're never quite sure why the band takes a trip using a bulldozer,
06:48 or why they're chilling in a junkyard.
06:50 The cutaways to an animal trying to get back on its feet are disturbing,
06:53 while the switch from sepia to color feels like something out of The Wizard of Oz.
06:57 The latter occurs when Brain Stew shifts to Jaded,
07:00 and the video steps on the gas.
07:02 [Music]
07:06 The rest is mainly chaotic angles and close-ups,
07:09 as the breakneck pace takes us to the end,
07:11 leaving us breathless, winded, and still with a lot of questions.
07:15 [Music]
07:19 Number 22, Nothing Really Matters, Madonna.
07:22 The Material Girl has graced us with some of the best music videos full stop.
07:27 [Music]
07:34 Is "Nothing Really Matters" one of those videos?
07:36 Perhaps, if you're into the image of Madonna rocking a kimono in a fashion
07:40 that just might have garnered criticism for cultural appropriation in the modern day.
07:44 [Music]
07:52 Elsewhere, Madonna is also seen holding this weird, see-through plastic container
07:56 that's never really explained.
07:58 The dancing is well executed, while simultaneously coming across as quirky and strange.
08:03 The effect as a whole feels in line with the star's electro dance-influenced ray of light era,
08:07 so it succeeds in this sense.
08:09 It's still weird though.
08:11 [Music]
08:19 Number 21, Hunter, Björk.
08:21 [Music]
08:27 The inclusion of Björk on this list should come as a surprise to absolutely no one.
08:32 Since the Icelandic singer has basically made a career out of being indefinable.
08:36 Hunter possesses the singular premise of giving its audience an eye full of her,
08:40 front and center against a stark white backdrop.
08:43 [Music]
08:48 The music video's director, Paul White, employed a team of digital effects artists
08:53 to overlay all sorts of effects over Björk's face.
08:56 These effects haven't really aged well, unfortunately.
08:59 And their initial newness now feels more quaint than anything revolutionary.
09:04 The song is still great, of course,
09:06 but the video arguably pales in comparison to some of Björk's older clips.
09:10 [Music]
09:12 Number 20, Give It Away, Red Hot Chili Peppers.
09:15 Give It Away proved to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers' first major hit,
09:19 reaching number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
09:22 [Music]
09:28 The concept of the bizarre music video stemmed from singer Anthony Kiedis,
09:32 who wished to make a visually unique video that would stand apart from its contemporaries.
09:36 [Music]
09:43 A French fashion photographer named Stéphane Sednaoui was brought in,
09:47 and he decided to paint the band members in a silver acrylic paint
09:50 and shoot the video in black and white.
09:52 [Music]
09:59 The video also contains a wide array of different cinematic techniques,
10:02 including superimposition and reversed footage.
10:05 [Music]
10:12 Warner Brothers hated it and wished for a more traditional music video.
10:16 [Music]
10:23 Regardless, it was a huge success and helped catapult the Peppers to stardom.
10:28 Number 19, You Can't Touch This, MC Hammer.
10:32 You Can't Touch This is one of the shining accomplishments of the 90s.
10:35 [Music]
10:39 It was the first rap song to get a Record of the Year nomination at the Grammys,
10:43 and its music video is an undeniable icon of pop culture.
10:47 [Music]
10:54 It reeks of the 90s, with the fashion and the super baggy pants being a particular standout.
10:59 [Music]
11:06 It also features Hammer performing some of his signature dance moves,
11:10 including the running man and his famous hammer dance that sees him scuttling across the floor like a crab.
11:16 [Music]
11:23 90s rap doesn't get much more memorable than this.
11:26 [Music]
11:33 Number 18, I Love You, Vanilla Ice.
11:37 Forget Ice Ice Baby, I Love You is where it's at.
11:40 [Music]
11:46 Released six months after the unbelievable success of Ice Ice Baby, on Valentine's Day 1991,
11:53 I Love You is a sappy ballad that sees Ice trying his darndest to be serious and emotional.
11:58 [Music]
12:05 The video was actually directed by Michael Bay, who would later find fame through his bombastic action movies.
12:11 [Music]
12:18 And it's like a parody you would find in a movie.
12:20 It's full of slow-motion shots of Ice looking contemplative and morose,
12:24 lots of sensual shots of dancing women,
12:27 and even a cheesy green screen effect showing some rapidly moving clouds.
12:31 [Music]
12:38 It looks like the video was made for 10 bucks, and it makes for some fantastically cheesy viewing.
12:43 [Music]
12:50 Number 17, It's All Coming Back to Me Now, Celine Dion.
12:54 Written by Jim Steinman, It's All Coming Back to Me Now was inspired by Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights,
13:00 and was originally performed by Pandora's Box before it was covered by Canadian icon Celine Dion.
13:06 [Music]
13:13 The full music video was more of a short film, spanning seven and a half minutes,
13:18 and containing many cinematic elements, including exterior shots of a gothic castle,
13:23 and a tragic motorcycle crash that results in a huge explosion.
13:27 It's also filled with many over-the-top elements, including slow-motion running down long hallways,
13:33 [Music]
13:38 lots of sensual kissing, ghostly apparitions, and dramatic lightning strikes.
13:43 It's all wonderfully campy, and you have to respect the craft.
13:47 [Music]
13:53 Number 16, Coffee and TV, Blur.
13:56 Coffee and TV is a different sort of song from British rock band Blur,
14:00 as it was sung by guitarist Graham Coxon rather than Damon Albarn.
14:04 [Music]
14:11 Its music video, while a spectacular piece of filmmaking that won several industry awards,
14:16 is like a fever dream of weirdness.
14:18 [Music]
14:25 The concept is that Coxon has gone missing and appears on the side of a milk carton.
14:30 The milk carton then grows arms and becomes sentient,
14:33 embarking on an epic adventure to find the missing Coxon.
14:36 [Music]
14:41 It's amazing how Blur and the video's filmmakers managed to make audiences cry over a freaking milk carton,
14:47 [Music]
14:53 but such is the genius of this bizarre, adorable, and touching music video.
14:58 [Music]
15:04 Number 15, Into Your Arms, The Lemonheads.
15:08 Serving as The Lemonheads' biggest hit,
15:10 Into Your Arms spent a then-record nine straight weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
15:16 [Music]
15:21 Released in 1993, the song came to epitomize the alternative rock craze of the time.
15:27 [Music]
15:34 The video sees the band singing the song in the middle of the woods,
15:37 and the camera literally never stops moving.
15:40 [Music]
15:47 It spins around the band members, it spins around people dancing in a square,
15:52 and it spins around frontman Evan Dando as he sings into the camera.
15:56 [Music]
16:03 The video also serves as a physical representation of the early '90s alt-rock movement,
16:08 complete with Dando's long hair and the drummer's red plaid shirt.
16:12 What a great time capsule.
16:14 Number 14, I Want You Back, NSYNC.
16:17 Serving as the debut single of one of the biggest boy bands in history,
16:22 I Want You Back was actually made into two videos.
16:25 [Music]
16:31 The second version was made for the British and American releases,
16:34 and it's far more boring and traditional than the vastly superior original.
16:38 [Music]
16:44 This one was released in Germany, as NSYNC had signed with a German label.
16:48 [Music]
16:55 It sees the group dancing in a horribly green-screened space station,
16:59 complete with laughably cheap mid-'90s CGI and glorious '90s fashion.
17:04 [Music]
17:11 We don't know what's trippier, the green-screen work, the subpar CGI,
17:16 or seeing Justin Timberlake as a 15-year-old kid.
17:19 [Music]
17:26 Number 13, Thank You, Alanis Morissette.
17:29 Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette ruled the '90s,
17:33 and Thank You proved both her fifth number one in Canada
17:36 and her highest-charting single in the UK, peaking at number five.
17:41 [Music]
17:48 The success was likely aided by its unconventional music video,
17:51 which featured a completely nude Morissette.
17:54 She walks through various crowded areas
17:56 and is continuously approached and embraced by strangers.
17:59 [Music]
18:05 Like Give It Away, the video was directed by Stéphane St-Henouy,
18:08 with the concept credited to Morissette herself.
18:11 [Music]
18:16 She told the Miami Herald that the video was, quote,
18:19 "less about overt sexuality and more about the symbolism of being really raw
18:23 and naked and intimate in all these environments where you seemingly need protection."
18:28 [Music]
18:34 Number 12, Barbie Girl, Aqua.
18:37 Few songs and music videos represent the '90s better than Aqua's Barbie Girl.
18:42 [Music]
18:46 This was pure, unashamed bubblegum pop,
18:49 and it may be one of the catchiest songs ever written.
18:52 [Music]
18:58 The video is hilariously tongue-in-cheek,
19:00 complete with an opening declaration that it was filmed in "Aqua-scope."
19:04 If this was a legitimate piece of work,
19:06 it could very well be the worst music video ever made.
19:10 [Music]
19:17 It looks cheap, it's filled with corny transitions and bright, gaudy colors,
19:21 and the band members, particularly Renee,
19:24 give numerous meme-worthy glances to the camera.
19:27 But the intentional corniness is part of the charm.
19:30 [Music]
19:35 It's goofy, it's silly, and above all else, it's tons of fun.
19:40 [Music]
19:46 Number 11, The Bad Touch, Bloodhound Gang.
19:49 Another glorious bit of dance pop,
19:51 The Bad Touch proved an enormous hit in Europe,
19:54 peaking at number one in eight different countries.
19:57 [Music]
20:03 And the music video, while very famous, also attracted some controversy.
20:08 It sees the band dressed in monkey-rat suits,
20:10 running around Paris, kidnapping and otherwise mistreating various people.
20:15 The video was deemed insensitive by various groups,
20:18 and in fact, MTV was called out for airing it at all by GLAAD.
20:22 [Music]
20:29 An edited version was then released, but even it's still ridiculous.
20:33 Not as ridiculous as the lyrics though.
20:35 [Music]
20:42 Number 10, Cotton Eye Joe, Rednecks.
20:45 In 1994, a Swedish Eurodance group by the name of Rednecks
20:49 covered the traditional folk song, Cotton Eye Joe,
20:52 matching southern twang and instruments like banjos and fiddles with their brand of techno.
20:57 [Music]
21:04 The unique concoction proved infectious,
21:07 and the novelty of both the song and accompanying music video
21:10 helped Cotton Eye Joe reach number one in numerous countries around Europe.
21:14 [Music]
21:20 The video sees the band members performing at a raging barn rave.
21:24 [Music]
21:31 And it mirrors the song's unique blending of genres and styles,
21:35 proving to be just as fun as a real barn dance.
21:38 [Music]
21:45 Number 9, Groove Is In The Heart, D.Light.
21:48 Serving as this dance group's debut single,
21:51 Groove Is In The Heart is widely considered to be one of the best songs of the 90s,
21:55 and it made D.Light one of the world's most popular one-hit wonders.
21:59 [Music]
22:05 The accompanying music video harkens back to the psychedelia of the 1960s,
22:09 depicting the band superimposed over shifting shapes and popping bright colors.
22:13 [Music]
22:20 Some may ask why?
22:22 We ask why not?
22:24 [Music]
22:30 The unique style and theme made the video stand out among its contemporaries,
22:34 and it somehow manages to generate nostalgia for both the 60s and the 90s at the same time.
22:40 [Music]
22:47 Number 8, Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot.
22:50 Along with You Can't Touch This,
22:52 Baby Got Back serves as the quintessential representation of early 90s mainstream hip-hop.
22:58 [Music]
23:02 Both songs were huge hits, both were wondrously corny,
23:06 and both came equipped with silly music videos.
23:09 [Music]
23:16 This one sees Sir Mix-A-Lot standing atop a giant butt,
23:19 and features many gratuitous shots of dancing women and their shaking behinds.
23:24 Even the turntable has a little butt on it.
23:26 [Music]
23:32 While somewhat tame by today's WAP and Anaconda standards,
23:35 this music video generated some controversy for its overt sexuality,
23:39 and was shortly banned by MTV in the early 90s.
23:43 [Music]
23:50 Today, it is rightfully seen as a classic.
23:53 Number 7, Quit Playing Games With My Heart, Backstreet Boys.
23:57 Serving as NSYNC's biggest rivals,
24:00 the Backstreet Boys were the quintessential boy band of the 90s.
24:04 [Music]
24:10 And this served as their most successful single in America,
24:14 peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
24:17 [Music]
24:22 The concept behind the music video is simple.
24:25 The Backstreet Boys dance around in the rain,
24:27 and eventually take their shirts off.
24:29 An idea that nearly got the video banned from MTV,
24:32 who were feeling particularly prudish that day.
24:35 [Music]
24:41 Along the way, viewers are treated to many corny fade transitions,
24:45 close-ups of emotional and sexy faces,
24:48 and the Backstreet Boys dragging their hands through their wet hair.
24:52 [Music]
24:58 It's perhaps the most overdramatic music video in history,
25:02 and it tells you all you need to know about the mid-90s boy band boom.
25:06 [Music]
25:13 Number 6, Black Hole Sun, Soundgarden.
25:16 Black Hole Sun was released at the height of the grunge movement,
25:20 and it is very evident.
25:22 [Music]
25:28 Aside from the sludgy production and dark lyrics,
25:31 the song is accompanied by a creepy music video
25:34 with tons of surreal imagery and a horrifying concept.
25:37 [Music]
25:42 Everyone has chilling and exaggerated smiles plastered on their distorting faces,
25:47 people sit on all fours watching a static TV,
25:50 and little girls watch Barbies burn on the barbecue.
25:53 [Music]
26:00 And that's all before the sky turns red,
26:02 and a literal black hole sun destroys everyone.
26:05 [Music]
26:12 It's brilliantly imaginative, but man is it ever creepy and weird.
26:16 This is mid-90s rock personified,
26:19 and it serves as both a cultural icon and a fantastic piece of nostalgia.
26:24 [Music]
26:30 Number 5, What's Up With You, Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson.
26:34 Bear with us because we swear we are not making this up.
26:38 [Music]
26:45 Released in 1993, What's Up With You is sung by both Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson,
26:50 and it was included on Murphy's third studio album.
26:53 Oh yeah, Murphy had a brief music career spanning the mid-80s to the early 90s.
26:58 [Music]
27:05 Like Black Hole Sun, What's Up With You personifies the 90s, just in a very different way.
27:10 For one thing, it's sung by Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson.
27:13 [Music]
27:19 For another, there's that weird spelling of the title which just screams early 90s.
27:24 Finally, there's Murphy's stellar 90s fashion and cheesy green screen work.
27:29 Everything about this is ridiculous.
27:31 [Music]
27:38 Very memorable and entertaining, yes, but ridiculous.
27:41 [Music]
27:48 Number 4, I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred.
27:51 [Music]
27:58 A glorious bit of tongue-in-cheek, I'm Too Sexy is a dance-pop masterpiece
28:03 that parodies narcissism and self-aggrandizement.
28:06 [Music]
28:12 Right Said Fred is composed of brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass,
28:15 and the idea for the song reportedly came from the brothers' experience running a gym
28:19 and witnessing the narcissism on display.
28:22 And the music video is exactly what you'd expect.
28:25 [Music]
28:32 It contains ridiculous outfits, shirt ripping, lots of bare chests, popping muscles,
28:37 and even a runway with bikini-clad women snapping photos of the strutting and gyrating Fairbrass brothers.
28:43 [Music]
28:50 The video ends with a knowing and somewhat self-deprecating smile.
28:54 A smile that says everything about the three minutes of goofiness that came before it.
28:59 Number 3, Hooked on a Feeling, David Hasselhoff.
29:03 Beloved actor David Hasselhoff has toyed with music throughout the decades,
29:08 and in 1997, he released his ninth, yes ninth, studio album, titled Hooked on a Feeling.
29:15 Included on said album is the title track, a cover of the B.J. Thomas and Blue Swede classic.
29:21 [Music]
29:28 It was accompanied by what is either the best or worst music video ever made.
29:33 [Music]
29:39 The video is filled with some truly hilarious green screen work,
29:42 multiple shots of the Hoff flying through the air,
29:45 [Music]
29:52 and even Hasselhoff interacting with computer-generated cubes of the music video itself.
29:57 It's probably a joke, but we honestly can't tell.
30:00 Either way, it could very well be the silliest thing we've ever seen.
30:04 [Music]
30:10 Number 2, Blue Daba Dee, Eiffel 65.
30:13 One of the most popular Eurodance songs of the 90s,
30:17 Blue Daba Dee is a confounding yet incredibly entertaining song.
30:21 Such adjectives could also be used to describe its music video.
30:25 [Music]
30:31 Reportedly made by five people in a garage,
30:34 the music video is almost entirely computer-generated
30:37 and tells the story about blue aliens abducting lead singer Jeffrey J.
30:41 and taking him to their planet.
30:43 [Music]
30:49 He's forced to put on a concert for the alien residents
30:52 and the other members eventually rescue him using cheesy martial arts and fancy superpowers.
30:57 [Music]
31:04 It's a complete fever dream of a music video
31:07 and it's made all the more memorable owing to its cheap CGI.
31:11 It's silly, but it's also a masterpiece of late 90s music.
31:14 [Music]
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31:36 Number 1, Numb, U2.
31:40 It's amazing to consider that such a popular band can produce such experimental material.
31:46 [Music]
31:53 Numb is a weird bit of industrial rock complete with sound effects,
31:58 a grating guitar note and a droning vocal performance by The Edge.
32:03 [Music]
32:10 The music video consists of The Edge sitting in a black room
32:13 and staring into the camera while a strobing light plays across his face.
32:17 He's then forced to suffer feet and fingers prodding his face.
32:21 [Music]
32:28 Getting repeatedly slapped by a child.
32:30 [Music]
32:37 And even having his face be crudely tied up with a thin rope
32:40 before being pushed over by Larry Mullen Jr.
32:43 [Music]
32:50 The combination of grating music and violent visuals is both disturbing and off-putting.
32:55 It's easily the most bizarre thing that U2 ever did.
32:58 Do you remember watching these videos when they originally dropped?
33:01 Let us know in the comments.
33:03 [Music]
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33:16 [Music]