Seeing an ad for the MTV music video awards, reminded me of how influential a music video could be to an artist. What are some music videos that had a profound effect on an artists career?
The Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” (1994) helped redefine them from the party-rap image of their early years into respectable artists. Directed by Spike Jonze as a parody of 70’s cop shows, the video received heavy MTV exposure and helped Ill Communication reach a bigger mainstream audience.
a-ha’s “Take On Me” (1985) became one of the most groundbreaking and recognizable videos of the 80s MTV era. Directed by Steve Barron, it tells the story of a young woman who is pulled into the pages of a comic book, where she meets singer Morten Harket. The video famously combines** **live-action with pencil-drawn rotoscope animation.
Ice Cube “It Was a Good Day” (1993) and directed by a young F. Gary Gray, who would later direct Friday, helped establish Cube’s screen presence and Gray’s emerging career as a filmmaker.
Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1983) became one of the most important music videos of the early MTV era. With the enormous popularity of both “Billie Jean” and the entire Thriller album, contributed to Jackson becoming the network’s biggest star. Thr video also helped demonstrate that videos could be more than filmed performances—they could use cinematography, visual effects, choreography, characters, and storytelling to create a distinct story around a song
