Top 20 Insanely Expensive Music Videos
#20: "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" (1999)
Blackstreet & Janet Jackson feat, Ja Rule and Eve While the CGI in "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" has aged, well, shall we say suboptimally, there's no denying the amount of coin that went into its production back in the late nineties. It's the sort of video where you're not surprised to hear that some of the artists who appear on the track, Eve and Janet Jackson, actually never met at all while working on the clip. It's all digital footage of Eve, Janet and Ja Rule as they pop in and out of the Blackstreet clip, while the group themselves appear in some sort of a modified pinball game. It's hard to believe "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" cost over a million dollars, but this video didn’t come cheap.
#19: "Unpretty" (1999)
TLC There's more dated CGI for our next entry, a phenomenon quite commonplace with music videos from the nineties and early millennium. "Unpretty" is actually just that: a gaudy video with a great message of self-empowerment at its core. It's obvious that the million-plus dollar price tag went into those embryonic CGI effects, with the end result being a sort of trippy "unreality" for Chili, Left Eye and T-Boz to do their thing. To be fair, the hair, makeup and clothing departments for the video make TLC look great on screen, even if the background palette doesn’t bowl us over. There's no denying "Unpretty" was a formative video clip for fans of a certain age who grew up on “Total Request Live.”
#18: "Freeek!" (2002)
George Michael Yeah, this is pretty freaky alright. This single from the late, great George Michael is from his last album, "Patience." The video mixes some — yes, again — typically bad turn-of-the-millennium CGI with a host of extras engaging in naughty behavior for all to see. It's basically very adult fare for the afternoon video set, but at the same time, it's very self aware of that fact. It's playing with sexuality while eating its sci-fi cake, too, and we can't help but chuckle at the "over-the-top-ness" of it all. Oh, and the price tag for this bad boy? Nearly three million dollars when adjusted for inflation.
#17: "She's a Bitch" (1999)
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Missy Elliot Here's a pro tip: if you want to ensure your music video actually looks like a million bucks? Hire Hype Williams. Williams worked on some of the most iconic and influential video clips of all time, including "Gold Digger" for Kanye West and "Woo Hah! Got You All in Check" by Busta Rhymes. "She's a Bitch" for Missy Elliot was no exception, looking like something straight out of a horror or science fiction flick. It could've been easy for such a muted color palette to be monochromatic, but Williams makes the black and silver pop for Elliot. Here, the two million dollar original price tag looks like it was totally worth it.
#16: "Miami" (1998)
Will Smith" Will Smith is certainly no stranger to extravagant music videos. That's partially why the two million dollar cost of the original video for "Miami" really wasn't much of a surprise. There's a whole lot of quick zooms, jet setting and morphing technology, as Big Willie Style and his crew venture from freezing Philly to the title destination. It's the sort of video that features tons of extras and sets to make "Miami" look as big as possible, and it works. Sure, this style of party-time cinematic celebration doesn't make its way around the music video world too often anymore, but that just makes it all the more nostalgic.
#15: "Larger Than Life" (1999)
The Backstreet Boys From the very beginning, as a giant spaceship passes over the camera akin to Star Wars, while playing the Backstreet Boys’ back catalogue, it’s clear that the next four minutes are gonna be boy-band epic! And for $2.1m it certainly should be! “Larger Than Life” was released as the second single from the band’s Millennium album, and this clip is a shiny sneak peak at what the next 1000 years could offer. As the five band members each find themselves in ‘out of this world’ situations, we’re left to sing-along and to contemplate the weird robot world to which we’re headed.
#14: "What's It Gonna Be?!" (1999)
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Busta Rhymes feat, Janet Jackson Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson both return to our list yet again, this time with a collaboration of their own. "What's It Gonna Be?!" was also directed by Hype Williams, but is an impressive offering if necessarily a bit dated by today's standards. Williams and crew seem to be going for an homage to "Terminator 2" with the silvery morphing effects on Rhymes and Jackson. There's some very cool fluid motion to some of the shots. It's crazy to think that "What's It Gonna Be?!" cost close to three million dollars back in 1999, which rounds up to almost four in today's dollars. It’s gonna be… expensive!
#13: "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (1996)
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Céline Dion A song written by Jim Steinman, originally recorded by the girl group Pandora’s Box, and forever coveted by Meatloaf, who waited most of his career to perform it, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” was made most famous by French-Canadian songstress, Celine Dion. The $2.3 million video was filmed mostly in the summer palace of the Austrian emperor, and the clip’s moody atmosphere is the epitome of gothic grandeur. It’s forever compared to the video for another Steinman number, Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, but the latter cost substantially less to make.
#12: "Doesn't Really Matter" (2000)
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Janet Jackson Ms. Jackson returns yet again, but hey,,, it doesn’t really matter, right? Janet and director Joseph Kahn reportedly were going for a minimalist approach when working on "Doesn't Really Matter" from the soundtrack to "Nutty Professor II: The Clumps," and we can see it. There's a nice balance of small sets and CGI effects, alongside some great dance choreography from Janet and her crew, which includes future star Jenna Dewan. It's the sort of video that's of its time, but pleasantly so, and we can see that the two and a half million dollar price tag was thoughtfully spent to make it look as good as possible.
#11: “Heartbreaker” (1999)
Mariah Carey feat. Jay Z The cheating boyfriend in our next song breaks hearts, but the video accompaniment breaks the bank. Costing over $2.5 million, it sees Mariah Carey play herself and her own love rival, as part of a plot in which Mariah’s boyfriend, for some unimaginable reason, tries to two-time the legendary pop star. There are dancing ushers and animated sections, but the Mariah-on-Mariah ladies’ bathroom showdown has to be the highlight. “Heartbreaker” is not only set in the movie theater, it’s worthy of Hollywood itself.
#10: “Victory” (1998)
Puff Daddy feat, The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes Dennis Hopper and Danny DeVito both feature in our next video, which sees Puff Daddy at the height of his powers, and the Notorious B.I.G. brought back to life. The late rapper stars posthumously in “Victory”, which also features a feather-clad Busta Rhymes spitting lyrics from the shoulders of statues. In general, there’s a very ominous feel about this clip, which is all heavy rain and raging fire. And the grisly, ghostly, gloomy effect didn’t come cheap, with production costs running beyond $2.7 million.
#9: "Make Me Like You" (2016)
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Gwen Stefani "Make Me Like You" is one of the more recent video clips on our list, and this is mainly due to the fact that record labels… well, just don't tend to budget for music videos the way they used to. This Gwen Stefani clip was a collaboration with Target, and actually filmed live for television to coincide with the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. As a result, it has a cinema verite style that still seems cool and unique, especially given all the moving parts that had to come together during filming. It's a kinetic clip that uses fluid camera movements and excellent set design to bring something fresh from a true musical trailblazer.
#8: "Rollin'" (2000)
Limp Bizkit Cameos, cameos and more cameos. Perhaps this was part of the reason why Limp Bizkit's "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" cost almost three million dollars. Or perhaps it was the Bentley that Fred Durst and crew ride around in while Ben Stiller and Stephen Dorff do their cutaway gags. Either way, there's no denying that "Rollin'" is one of the most iconic videos from the nu-metal movement. From Durst's red cap and white shirt ensemble to guitarist Wes Borland's outlandish appearance, it's a video that definitely influenced tons of similar bands in its wake. It's flashy and fun, while still retaining some street level cred.
#7: "2 Legit 2 Quit" (1991)
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MC Hammer feat, Sala Here Comes the Hammer. Not only is this vintage classic one of the most expensive videos ever, it’s also one of the longest. And partly that’s because it’s pretty much packed full of famous faces – including John Belushi, Henry Winkler, Queen Latifah and James Brown. Now that’s what we call a party! It also features a levitating Mr. Hammer, a whole load of pyrotechnics, and the glitter-gloved hand of someone who may or may not be Michael Jackson. It’s got all of that, yet it’s still regularly remembered as one of the cheesier videos of the ‘90s. You just can’t pay for popularity. But boy oh boy could Hammer dance!
#6: "Bad" (1987)
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Michael Jackson It's difficult to explain to those who weren't there, but a new Michael Jackson video was an EVENT. It didn't matter whether it was "Thriller" or "Remember the Time," everyone waited with excitement for what MJ was going to bring to the table. "Bad" was definitely no exception to this rule, an epic mini-movie that featured Wesley Snipes as a gang leader who's out to disrespect Michael and ruin his day. The King of Pop, naturally, isn't having any of this, and proceeds to dazzle and wow us with some of the most definitive dance moves of his, or any other, generation. Money well spent!
#5: “Cartoon Heroes” (2000)
Aqua Euro-disco-pop simply doesn’t get any better than this, or more expensive. “Cartoon Heroes” was released only a month into the current millennium, as Aqua’s first record for over 14 months, and after the bubble-gum brilliance of “Barbie Girl”. Though it never hit the heady heights of its predecessor, it did perfectly sum up what Aqua were all about; clean, catchy, comic-inspired fun. And the over $3 million video certainly captured attention. It took us to outer space, underwater, everywhere in between, and definitively proved that ‘what they do really is what we wish to do’!
#4: “Black or White” (1991)
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Michael Jackson Yep, Michael again! The videos for both “Thriller” and “Bad” were the most expensive ever seen at the time of their release, but Jacko’s costliest video as a solo performer accompanies the 1991 single, “Black or White”. Costing $4 million and directed by John Landis, who also took the chair for “Thriller”, it sees the moonwalking pop icon dance his way across the planet, aided by classic-era Macaulay Culkin. Clocking in at 11 minutes the video has the rare distinction of debuting simultaneously to a global audience of 500 million people across 27 different countries.
#3: "Estranged" (1993)
Guns N’ Roses Directed by Andy Morahan, the video for “Estranged” is very much the third instalment to a Guns ‘n’ Roses trilogy, with “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain” preceding it. Just like the previous two, it’s an epic, all-encompassing narrative with Axl Rose at its core, and Slash taking center stage for some particularly incredible scenes – it doesn’t get much more rock ‘n’ roll than shredding guitar while walking on water! By the end of this $4 million video our emotions have been drained almost as much as the production team’s finances!
#2: "Express Yourself" (1989)
Madonna Madonna is a master of the music video medium. Alongside Michael Jackson, The Material Girl turned video clips into an art, from her early work to later pieces like "Die Another Day" or "Bedtime Story." For our number two pick, however, we gotta go with "Express Yourself," since this video was the most expensive clip ever during its day. The price tag reportedly reached almost five million dollars, which is almost double that by today's valuation. And you know what? It holds up, with a gorgeous color palette and the sort of production values that rival any big budget Hollywood movie of the day. There were few who did it any better than Madonna. Before we name our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions, with budgets in original dollar amounts: "Ready or Not" (1996) / Fugees $1,300,000 "Stronger" (2007) / Kanye West $1,200,000 "Work Bitch" (2013) / Britney Spears $1,200,000 "The Wild Boys" (1984) / Duran Duran $1,000,000 "Ashes to Ashes" (1980) / David Bowie $581,000
#1: “Scream” (1995)
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Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson Michael Jackson appears on our pricey podium yet again, this time atop the heap. But he shares first place with — and here she is again as well — Janet. The ultra-modern, monochrome video accompaniment to “Scream” reportedly required $7 million to make. And, although director Mark Romanek has refuted its status as the most expensive of all time, it’s listed in the Guinness World Records as being exactly that. The Jackson siblings really look the part though, and it’s not hard to see where all the money went. “Scream” is an abundance of special effects and arty cinematography. Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can get you a place in music video history!
