Top 10 Music Videos Inspired by Movies

Depictions of the D-Day beach landings are risky work for modern filmmakers, ever since the iconic opening to Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan”… And Marc Webb, director of this My Chemical Romance effort, certainly took inspiration from those scenes… But this video is a piece of art in it’s own right! More than just a bunch of musicians playing as soldiers, the shots are epic, graphic and ultra-realistic! With a narrative that flips between the beach and the ballroom, the lyrical theme of ‘love and loss’ is perfectly realised!

Any “Clueless” fan will tell you that there’s only one Cher Horowitz… But, on her breakthrough record, Iggy Azalea gained worldwide attention as an almost perfect reconstruction! This video, which heavily features English performer Charli XCX as well, pays homage to the cult mid-90s comedy, right down to its plaid, yellow back-to-school get-ups! Key scenes from the film are recreated, with XCX playing Tai Frasier, Cher/Iggy’s socially odd sidekick! The impressive on-screen chemistry is even greater, given that the two artists met for the very first time on the day of shooting!

Some scenes in our next video were actually duplicated shot-for-shot from the 1955 classic, “Rebel Without a Cause”. “Rush Rush” is a series of meticulous imitations, starring Paula Abdul as Judy, the object of many affections and a young Keanu Reeves as Jim, the film’s iconic James Dean character. Fresh off of “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”, Reeves is a little longer-haired than Dean in the original role, but otherwise he’s the full ticket, red jacket and all!

The very first music video ever created for a Metallica song, its subject is probably even heavier than the metal music for which the band are famous! The film incorporates actual footage from the 1971 anti-war movie, “Johnny Got His Gun”, including scenes in which an irrevocably vegetated World War One soldier struggles with his inner thoughts. When that’s edited together with black and white shots of Metallica playing inside a disused warehouse, the result is arguably even more haunting than the movie itself!

Appropriately enough, our next band have blurred the boundaries between movies and the music on more than one occasion! The video for “To The End” pays homage to the French New Wave film, “Last Year at Marienbad”, but today we’ve gone a little more mainstream… The video for “The Universal” is instantly recognisable as a rethink of Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange”! Lead singer, Damon Albarn, is legendary anti-hero Alex DeLarge, as the quartet frequent the ominous Milk Bar. ‘The Universal’s here’, and it’s clearly quite disturbed!

Another faintly frightening music video, this ultra-surreal Foo Fighters video is in part inspired by the 1981 cult horror classic, “The Evil Dead”. Enough to give us all nightmares, the video’s narrative is constructed around the dream worlds of two characters, a couple played by Dave Grohl and drummer, Taylor Hawkins. While their sleeping thoughts are plagued by zombies a la “Evil Dead”, Grohl battles the bad guys, in the hope of a return to happiness… We might’ve featured the “Falling Down” homage in “Walk”, but “Everlong” just edges it!

Widely considered one of the best modern rock videos ever made, “The Kill” was directly inspired by another Stanley Kubrick movie, “The Shining”! There’s the secluded hotel setting, the repetitive typewriter, allusions to the film’s eerie characters, and a constant theme of split personalities or double identities… Brilliantly edited together, especially on the demonic drum rolls, it’s also reported that Jared Leto adopted visual techniques from director Darren Aronofsky, having worked with him five years earlier on “Requiem for a Dream”.

There aren’t many people with the courage, or the class, to even attempt a serious comparison with Marilyn Monroe… But in the video for “Material Girl”, Madonna manages exactly that, imitating her performance of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” from the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. It’s not the only time the Princess of Pop has played around with the movies – her video for “Express Yourself” was directed by David Fincher, and based on the sci-fi classic “Metropolis”. However, hits rarely get bigger than “Material Girl”, and cinematic references rarely get better!

Our runner-up draws inspiration from the very, very early film work of Georges Méliès, and specifically his feature, “A Trip to the Moon”! Produced in 1902, the film relied upon basic editing and effects techniques, many of which are recreated here. The 1900s feel is finished with period costumes, which were actually incredibly difficult to obtain at the time of filming – James Cameron was shooting a little movie called “Titanic”, and had hired almost every item available!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Blue Velvet” (2012)
Lana Del Rey

“Stacy’s Mom” (2003)
Fountains of Wayne

“I’m Glad” (2003)
Jennifer Lopez

“Telephone” (2010)
Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce

“Body Movin’” (1998)
Beastie Boys

Consistently cited as the most influential music video of all time, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was an all-out game-changer! However, half the reason why it works so well, is its links to the feature film business! “Thriller” was directed by John Landis, who had previously directed “An American Werewolf in London”; it featured music by composer Elmer Bernstein, who had worked on the same movie; and had Horror legend Vincent Price as narrator! The Hollywood ties were indisputable, and it ensured a music video that’s incomparable!


Do you agree with our list? Which movie-inspired music video did we miss? For more silver screen top 10s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.