Okay this list is about four years old but I'm curious what you guys think of it. It's a bit heavy on the camp but it's at least a better reference than the Stylus list.

         

That top 10 is wild. They kinda shoved the historically important vids into 11-20.

I could never understand why people like No Doubt's "New".

Mulcahy and Godley & Creme (and Coppola and Corbijn and Mills and Shynola and Hype) are underrepresented.

A valiant list, though.

         

i've never liked big time sensuality. It's such a "just okay" Bjork video. Nowhere near as good as Sednaoui's "Give it Away" or a dozen other Bjork clips.

         

And the list needs more, er, black people. How is Mariah Carey's "The Roof Top" better than Method Man/Mary J Blige's "You're All I Need"? Where is Snoop & Dre, Public Enemy?

         

no aphex twin vids either!

         

great selection... and i agree: where's come to daddy?

         

i see 'around the world' at number 98, and i read no further... what supreme wackness is this that no doubt 'new' is only one number ahead of that?? eh? it's a tough call, but i'd have sledgehammer way up higher too...

         

..Wow. Brosnki Beat's "Smalltown Boy" has almost 500K hits on YouTube. Music video will never die.

         

This is off topic, but people are absolutely shitting themselves if they think music video is dead. There are impressive hit counts for at least 1000 different bands on YouTube. Try Warrant, SWV, Bjork, Tears for Fears.. Even a band as unheard of as Atreyu has some impressive hit counts. Snoop's Sensual Seduction has 1.6M hits in just 2 weeks. This shit just ain't dying. It'll take an economic genius or a next phase of the Web (Web 3.0, maybe? Where the fuck is Google on this?) to integrate money with these kinds of hits, but there's money to be made here. Money = directors get jobs and music videos get made, in case you're unaware. Hopefully someday money won't always = obnoxious ads.

Btw you have got to see Snoop perform Sensual Seduction on Ellen. Since I'm unemployed I got to see it on TV and it was off the hizzy.

         

I agree 100% Kev but how do we get that fat internet cash without having to sacrifice artistry to product placement in every video. These videos get incredible hits because they are free and accessible and they are what people want.

I guess if Web 3.0 is some kind of metered invisible billing system where you can enjoy all the tv, videos movies and music you want and it goes on your bill. Like a cell phone tariff.

Any other ideas?

         

Kev, Two fun facts:

• Over 50% of youtube's current top 100 most viewed clips are official record label sanctioned music videos.
• Youtube pays labels .006 cents per view on their music videos. That might not sound a like a lot, but if the video gets My Chemical Romance or Avril numbers, they've practically recouped the entire budget.

         

Gordon: No, you got that right. The Internet has to be a billed system in some form in order for there to be any feasible future for things that we love.

There's some discussion of $ in Wikipedia's Web 3.0 article, particularly here.

YouTube apparently have a profit plan in place, and they're reportedly working on more stuff, hopefully for the users' benefit, not just their own -- lots more info here.

PS: Fall Out Boy are getting good hits at MTV. Seriously, this can only get better.

         

All i can say is that the 80's was the golden age for music video budgets. Madonna's 'express yourself' is hot and definitely deserves an applause. www.youtube.com

         

Interesting list... but no place for 'All is Full of Love'??! It's the greatest video ever!

         

I think it's a good list BUT: you missed Bjork's "All is full of love" directed by Chris Cunningham that to me it's absolutely great and many other videos. thanks

         

Mariah's "The Roof Top"?? Hello??? Cry Baby is the true classic. Who else would admit to popping pills and slurping Fruit Loops at 5am by way of a completely un-ironic and glossy music video? Talk about stark innocence and authentic vulnerablity. Slant clearly didn't do its homework.

         

animation was underrepresented... but maybe I'm biased as an animator.

         

well animated videos suck