Edlergays, What is the Most Iconic Music Video of all Time?

I'm no Madge stan and only like a bit of her catalog.....but this is iconic, for sure.

(In some ways, truly adhering to the actual definition of the word "iconic")

Take Me On

^^Oops - Take On Me!! ^^

Rush, Rush

Paula and Keanu

Thriller - MJ

Rhythm Nation - Janet

[quote] Rush, Rush

Paula and Keanu

Thanks! I needed a good laugh!

Come on, people

This

R6 Rush, Rush -- I love Keanu's hair!!

Madonna - Material Girl

Mickey - You're So Fine

It's funny - back then there was no body-positive movement; you would never have chunky girls playing cheerleaders. I know these were actual cheerleaders from Toni Basil's high school, but I always thought she put them in the video to make herself look thinner (than she already was).

A very, very small choice reflecting a very small man.

Janet - Pleasure Principle. Best female video of all time.

Janet and pre-MAGA Antonio Sabato Jr.

She’s just a girl.

Palmer.

Gabriel.

Excuse me.

^^forgot to add "I want my MTV"

I submit, quite sincerely, this one. Great song, silly vid, but iconic for a different reason altogether

Uncle Fester nailed this.

^^"We're no strangers to love"

R11 Thank you! Toni Basil, the cheerleaders! I'm loving this thread but that one really punched a button!

For obvious reasons.

The brilliance of "Thriller."

Sure, Jan.

Lesbian the wheel

Another vote for Thriller. Amazing.

Go-Go’s “Vacation”

PLease it's THIS AWESOME GEM (and if you can figure out what the heck is happening is this video please tell me)

or related:

There are more iconic videos referenced upthread, but I'll throw in Talking Heads' Once in a Lifetime as an honorable mention

Totally forgotten now, but it was played non-stop in clubs and video bars in the 80s.

Who? ^^

C'mon you all know its this

Or this

No, r36 and r35. Not even by a long shot.

Not the most iconic but a memorable one

Why are people posting You Tube videos that don't have the graphic or name just a link to You Tube?

Click on the link and the full preview will show up r39

Its new a bug on DL….this old clap trap of a website is near death

SWEET DREANS BY EURTHYMICS

R30 I think it was all about female masturbation, especially with that opening. Nevertheless, I loved Laura Branigan! GLORIA!

And now, ladies and gentlemen, here's Grace!

Slave to the Rhythm ⬆️

Don't You Want Me - The Human League

In Cars

From the first year of MTV. I dropped acid and watched one night for 18 hours in 1982. This one terrified and mesmerized me.

[reply 31] truly a one-hit wonder and I was a little kid! We loved listening to this song. I had a cool mom who listened to the "cool" station in car pool hahahha.

#1 "Take On Me," obviously.

My #2 is Moby's "We Are All Made of Stars." A poignant little video with cameos including Angelyne, Ron Jeremy, Gary Coleman, and a surprisingly affecting Kato Kaelin.

For the people posting videos that show the actual thumbnail, how are you doing it?

R50 copy & pasting from YouTube

^When I do it, it shows as an offsite link as opposed to the playable thumbnail.

I think Madonna has an iconic videography.

Single Ladies Put a Ring on It followed by Thriller.

PSB, always.

If you notice the ones showing the thumbnail say YouTube.com and not .be

[quote]followed by Thriller.'

Thriller follows nothing. It is single-handedly the most iconic video of all time.

80s classic starring a now famous Beverly Hills Housewife

OP, is edlergays the new Lens?

A masterpiece of artist meeting artist.

Take On Me-a ha

Addicted to Love-Robert Palmer

Billie Jean-Michael Jackson

VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR.

Oh my bad I’m not an elder.

Kate Bush- Wuthering Heights.

No one had ever seen or heard anything like it.

R20, do you sometimes sing it in public?

I thought you loved me, but it seems you don't care.

I care enough to know, I'll never love you.

R25 and R57 are correct. It's "Thriller."

I'll add Whitney Houston:

Cum on Eileen

Love is a Battlefield

A lot of zillenials have never seen Thriller. Everyone and their mama has seen Single Ladies Put a Ring on it. And the onesie leotard with pinned up hair is an iconic look everyone immediately recognizes. It’s a staple for women and drag queens on Halloween.

I think Single Ladies is one of the top tier most annoying songs in the world. I'd rather hear It's a Small World on repeat for 24 hours than be subjected to listening to that song every again.

Come on Eileen is up there too.

Let's get physical, physical

I also say Thriller. It was big back then. I recall people rushed home for the premiere on MTV. I think it was the longest music video to date and had Vincent Price voice over/spooky laughter. Amazing make-up effects.

I skipped to the end when it seemed more great songs vs great videos, but I have to add: Britneys Toxic video was stunning and flawless, along with the OPs George Michael video (his Faith video also being ICONIC). There was a period when the genre was elevated by many artists. Some of the videos Guns N Roses did were short films, along with Michael Jackson doing the same. (Billi Jean, Smooth criminal, etc), more minimalist and less expensive videos like Paula Abduls, Cold Hearted Snake, or En Vogue they made some great videos, Madonna has a few, as do both Jacksons. Too many to name, but the ones specifically mentioned were great.

I great up watching MTV, there used to be entire weekends devoted to playing Madonna videos. Not really related but the thread made me think of that era.

^great = grew up...

Whitesnake - Here I Go Again

R5 I agree with Thriller, it's certainly the most entertaining.

Thriller was 13+ minutes long. Not a typical music video. It was a short film.

How many of you gaylings were copying these moves behind closed doors in 1989?

R76 that's relatively short for a Michael Jackson video. Bad, which is amazingly bad in the best way was actually 18 minutes.

There's two versions of 'Thriller', R76 - the short film at R57, and the shorter version, just the song, the version commonly played on MTV:

So much good stuff!

"Like A Prayer". I can't even start to tell you how controversial and daring that video was back in 1989. At the time when most acts of that caliber wouldn't think of doing anything that provocative in fear that MTV wouldn't play it.

As someone pointed out Thriller is not a music video it’s a short film so it cannot be number one. Bill Jean is actually quite iconic.

15 billion views

Single Ladies Put a Ting on it

Billy Jean

Addicted to Love

Nothing Compares 2 U

That’s the way Love Goes

Smells like Teen Spirit

Baby One More Time

Bye Bye Bye

Losing My Religion

The Real Slim Shady

Oh and California Love as an honorable mention

Oh-Well if your going to be technical we’ll never pick a winner.

I bet Cher would love to turn back to a time when her ass was this perky. Great song and unforgettable video.

R88 The Navy banned her after that video.

R11, the chunky girls serve the purpose of forming the base. You need heavier and stronger girls for that and as cheerleading has gone more in that direction (with the flight risks), you see a lot more of them.

Another one that was a mini film, so there are two versions of it. This is just the song.

When I think of the age of music videos — and I was a teenager when MTV started — I always think of three. (The third is a personal indulgence, not iconic).

First:

Second:

Third (the not iconic one):

Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer: Extra credit for the production design on this one too.

Two Words-Pat Benatar

Stevie

The snarl, the zombies - if I had a chance I'd ask someone to dance

Billy Idol - Directed by William Friedkin

The most iconic videos would be from the eighties, maybe the first years of the nineties, when we all devoted a portion of our day to watching MTV.

I always had a soft spot for Tom Petty and his music. “Into the Great Wide Open” featured a baby faced Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway.

Gnarls Barkley Crazy is up there too.

You really can't deny this one.

I think every generation has their "most iconic" video.

For those of us who came of age in the 90s, it was 100% Smells Like Teenspirit.

This was a great idea so many memories,thanks OP

Liza Minnelli - Losing My Mind

Madge’s Ray of Light is pretty iconic too.

TLC Waterfalls

Speaking of Tom Petty, r99, this video was definitely iconic.

What's with all these shitty Youtube links you have to click to see?

As was this one.

Start your own gay forum Miss r108 and show us how it’s done.

I don't like them either, r108, but if you tap them once lightly, you should be able to see the thumbnail without actually opening the video on Youtube.

Interesting R104 never knew that happened. I know ‘’that’s life’’ but sad to hear Liza not doing well and many view her as a joke.

R111 But why are some people able to post like always. Are they fucking Muriel or something. What’s the secret?

They’re just better than us-big brains-big bank accounts-big dicks.

Welcome to the Jungle

Elton and Kiki

I love the “Bad Romance” video. It’s so chic and sexy and full of fashion. That was just peak Gaga.

Jump

R93 Funny you made a disclaimer about the TMBG vid not being iconic. Of the three videos you posted, TMBG's "Don't Let's Start" is the only iconic one, to me. The other two are just videos. Maybe the songs are indicative of a certain time in pop culture but they were not "iconic" videos. "Don't Let's Start" is truly iconic.

Thomas Dolby in the 80s -- He was a force! Totally iconic video with the mad scientists lip-synchinG "SCIENCE!" "Miss Yakimoto! You're BEAUTIFUL!" And Thomas himself, an iconic.eccentric look. I miss the 80s terribly.

"Lika a Prayer" and "Take On Me" are the mic drops here. NOBODY did videos like Madonna and her people.

I remember a serious music snob of a friend telling me one time, "Her music SUCKS, but she makes a great video."

I'll add...

And this..

What R121 said, but we also forgot two very iconic videos here, which were truly controversial in 1984 when they came out. This one is still probably something that wouldn't be aired.

And this one:

Good ones R123.

I want to add this as well. I

Duran Duran had a few but this is my favorite by far.

Hey hey

See people like R125 are posting iconic SONGS that give nostalgia rather than a memorable, cutting edge VIDEO. I adore Soul II Soul but next to Thriller, Hungry Like The Wolf, Sledgehammer, Take on Me, etc this video is an unmemorable nothingburger.

The "Girl You Know It's True" video with the lip-syncing corn row twins in their cycling shorts is forever burned into my brain.

The anthem for all us smalltown gaylings for so many reasons.

Ahem......

Olivia Newton John's "Physical" is one that comes to mind from the super early MTV era.

Number One on my gym playlist!

Art school background, visualized the scenes

Sharif don’t like it

Yes R134 and R135, thank you!!!! Remember when we had true theatrical punk rock greatness on the CHARTS and on our TVs?

See, people like R128 always have to shit up a thread.

You'll be singing this all day now...

Has anyone submitted Like a Virgin?

OP: Here's my pick of one of iconic videos. Your pick and mine both have my, "90's supermodel godess", Linda Evangelista.

Peter Gabriel is an example of a handsome man with real teeth that have a lot to do with it. Not a white bar with lines on it.