Top 10 Music Video Parodies of All Time

Sometimes quantity over quality is the way to go. Instead of doing a high-budget parody of a single video, Fidlar decided that remaking 20 in low budget magic was better. Covering everyone from Missy Elliot to Sugar Ray and even the Hives and George Michael, the video seamlessly transitions from reference to reference, and it's surprisingly entertaining thanks to its cheap charm. What's even more impressive than their ability to parody several videos in one take is how they manage to recreate technical videos like Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" accurately, all with their lo-fi approach. And just in case you wanted to figure out all their references, they even sneak the list of songs onto the jukebox at the start of the video.
 
 

If you want every detail of your parody to be perfect, who better to hire than the original director. When Fall Out Boy decided they were going to parody *NSYNC's video for "It's Gonna Be Me," they wanted the best people for the job. Enlisting the directing talents of Wayne Isham, who directed the video for *NSYNC, the band instead play a bunch of dolls left in a bargain bin who come to life. With some choice cameos by Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, both with their own toys from the *NSYNC
video, it comes together as a clever sequel to a new millennium classic.
 

You can't make people laugh if you can't laugh at yourself. In this video, Eminem pokes fun at Michael Jackson, Madonna, MC Hammer and even Pee-wee Herman with his classically over-the-top satire. He goes so far as making a "Bad Santa" reference complete with actor Tony Cox as his elf, but Eminem really surprises when he parodies himself, re-framing scenes from "8-Mile," involving the other fake celebrities from the video. His self-deprecating humour continues as he accidentally hits on Dr. Dre at a bar, who rolls his eyes at him later in the video when he catches Eminem running through the streets naked. Thanks to a little controversy with Michael Jackson, the video also became a top request on MTV.
 

Ever notice that one little trope that doesn't seem to go away?  Why not make a whole video about it? After seeing countless hip-hop videos with artists dancing around on boats, The Lonely Island made their boat video to finally end the fad. With comically dumb lines glamorizing buoys, flip flops and engine noises, the video hits the low hanging fruit with everything the trio's got. Thanks to some hilarious additions from T-Pain including a run-in with a mermaid, and a nod to George W. Bush's “mission accomplished” speech, the video makes some deep cuts proving that no detail is too small poke fun at.




Instead of remaking someone else's video, why not make a sequel to your own? Following in the aftermath of "Fight For Your Right", "Make Some Noise" continues their mocking of party sprees with Seth Rogen, Danny McBride and Elijah Wood taking over their personas. With an almost nauseating amount of celebrity cameos from Kirsten Dunst to Ted Danson- who's the only person actually named in the song- the video is a star clustered dash through the streets of New York. If that wasn't enough, the video ends with them having a showdown with their future selves arriving in a DeLorean, leaving viewers with a cliffhanger.
 
 

Every decade has a couple videos that have survived the passing of time, for better or for worse. Thanks to some clever shooting and a stellar costume department, the RHCP boys play everyone from Elvis to Danzig to Cream and even the Beatles. Retelling the history of rock and roll through their satirical shenanigans, they actually cover a shocking amount of artists in their limited time. The self-aware, over-the-top finale shows the band finally arriving at the present as themselves, while also embodying their former heroes with new found intensity and humor, displaying John Lennon shredding and Flea going nuts on a stand-up bass.
 

Don't expect another simple boy band parody with Hot Chip calling the shots. Known for some deranged creativity in their music videos, it almost seems too simple when the band open on just a boy band for a satire, as funny as it is. But things get weird when the generic gimmicks are interrupted by a strange alien who joins the band on stage, quickly going from welcoming to hostile as he decimates the band. Much to the crowd's chagrin he revives them with some dance moves of his own but not before a floating head comes along to kill him, the crowd and even the actual members of Hot Chip before laughing to close the video on a very strange note.
 
 

Sum 41 is probably the last band you'd ask to do what's popular, unless you want some trouble on your hands. The band gets very meta, opening with a boardroom meeting with a label executive trying to tell them how to stay current. They even throw in some self-deprecating humour before being dubbed The Sums to be more like the garage rock bands that were exploding at the time. Launch into the music and the band thrashes through their song on a set spoofing the Strokes, among others, complete with video game cutaways to nail the look. Just when it looks like the guys have given up, they tear down the whole set, reminding fans they're not changing any time soon.
 

Ironically, standing out sometimes means doing what everyone else is doing, with just a few minor tweaks. Taking every popular video cliché of the 90s the band made their mark by spoofing every one of their pop contemporaries in goofy fashion. Lampooning boy-bands like the Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees were obvious choices but that didn't stop them from throwing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera into the mix, with the boys in drag to fit the bill. While the zooms and wipes would still make the video seem dated, it's all part of the look that cemented Blink-182 in video history.
 
 
Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions:
 
“Girls/Girls/Boys” (2013)
Panic! At The Disco
 
“This Note's For You” (1988)
Neil Young
 

If you haven't made a career strong enough to gargle your way through a solo you ain't nothing, nothing compared to “Weird Al” that is. In his take on Michael Jackson's "Bad" Yankovic turns the set from the original video into a comedic battleground, struggling through turnstiles, and trying to match all of Jackson's dance moves, all while in a fat suit. With wordplay down to the set design and even playing with the sound effects of the original, Yankovic left no detail unturned. With visual comedy hitting fast enough to leave you short of breath, this video set a precedent for parody videos as a genre of their own.
 
Do you agree with our list? What's your favourite music video parody? For more side-splitting top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.