Top 10 Music Videos of 2017

 
Directed by Adam Green, this comedic video mixes the historical with the absurd, and will leave you saying: “What?”. Indie musician Father John Misty’s lyrics do little to explain the papier-maché fueled fever dream taking place on screen, as Kurt Cobain – played by Macaulay Culkin – is whipped and crucified by madmen wearing McDonald’s inspired uniforms. The video explodes with color and creativity, and features plenty of cameos from famous faces like George Washington, Bill Clinton, and Garfield’s own Jon Arbucle. With so much going on, “Total Entertainment Forever” more than lives up to its name, and definitely warrants multiple viewings.


 


Retro styles rule in this Jesse Peretz-directed video, which features fashion, hairstyles, and mustaches straight out of the 1970s. Gomez gets to show off not only her tried and true singing voice, but also her acting versatility, portraying a shy high school girl, the girl’s mother, a gym teacher with Farah Fawcett hair, and a male school teacher with a ‘stache that’d make Burt Reynolds jealous. The high school setting appeals to Selena’s younger fans, while its nostalgic costumes and set designs are sure to make older viewers reminisce about their own teenage years. In other words, this video has something for everybody. Oh, and the song’s pretty catchy too.
 
 

 
Less is more in this relatively simple production, and Mars does what he does best: he Performs, with a capital “P”. But to add a little extra flair, Mars and co-director Jonathan Lia sprinkle in some animation to complement the lyrics. There’s nothing too visually complex, nor does Bruno go over-the-top with his routine. It’s just a celebration of what makes him tick; a visual homage to the simple joys of life. While some pop stars try hard to be relatable, Bruno pulls it off effortlessly thanks to his charm and charisma, and shows that a little creativity goes a long way if you’ve got the talent to back it up.
 
 

 
For this surrealistic production, the Gorillaz take us from a creepy haunted house to outer space, all with their signature visual panache. Directed by Jamie Hewlett, “Saturnz Barz” features plenty of perplexing visuals, including tentacle monsters, talking pizza, and space nudity, but its attention to detail makes it one of a kind. And if the dreamlike short film seems like too much to take in all at once, have no fear; there’s another version of the video that uses Youtube’s 360 video feature, and gives you the freedom to move the camera yourself and appreciate the horrific imagery in all its glory.
 
 

 
Directed by the artist herself with the assistance of Sarah McColgan, this video is about – you guessed it – boys. Boys eating food, boys lifting weights, boys playing with dogs, boys holding babies; if it looks fun and/or sexy, these boys’ll do it. Conceptually, Charli wanted to “flip the male gaze on its head.” and was reportedly inspired by a thought she had about Joe Jonas “eating really sexily”. As far as artistic inspiration goes, it doesn’t get much better than that, and “Boys” is a fun look at the lighter side of male sexuality.
 



 
Not your traditional “music video,” this Alan Yang production starts off with an almost shot-for shot recreation of an episode of “Friends”, only with an all-black cast. The satire features some great comedic performances by Jerrod Carmichael, Hannibal Buress. Issa Rae, Tessa Thomson, and many others. Just like Jay-Z’s video for “The Story of OJ”, the short film delivers an important message about race in popular culture, with specific references to the 2016 Oscar Best Picture mix-up of “Moonlight” and “La La Land”. You know a video’s good when it makes you laugh, groove, AND think.
 
 

 
While pop stars can occasionally seem pretentious, there are moments when it works to their advantage. In this breathtaking music video, Harry Styles teams up with director Yoann Lemoine – aka Woodkid – for a personal and creative statement. From the sweeping cinematography to the evocative close-ups, “Sign of the Times” feels truly as majestic as the song that accompanies it. For someone trying to re-invent their pop culture persona, Harry Styles succeeds wildly, highlighting both his potential as a solo artist and his willingness to transcend his boy band roots.


 

 
Taylor Swift is dead, Long live Taylor Swift! When the country idol turned pop star dropped her new music video, “Look What You Made Me Do,” it received 43.2 million views in 24 hours, and it’s not hard to see why. Directed by Joseph Kahn, the video features obvious and subliminal messages about Taylor’s past, present, and future, and fans pored over the video to decipher them all. The old Taylor may be gone for good, but the judging by the success of this video and her new album “Reputation”, we’d say the new Taylor is off to a pretty good start.
 
 

 
When Ryan Staake agreed to direct this music video, he was probably expecting to meet the actual artist. But due to various scheduling issues, Young Thug never arrived on set for the $100,000 production, forcing Staake to improvise one of the more creative hip-hop videos you’ll ever see. From beginning to end, Staake chronicles the original intent of “Wyclef Jean” and shows what he managed to ultimately wrangle together. It’s a snarky, hilarious meta commentary on the medium of music videos, and a perfect example of what to do when life gives you lemons, or in this case, when life refuses to give you Young Thug.
 
 
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
 
“New Rules”
Dua Lipa


 
“Ain’t It Funny”
Danny Brown


 
“Shape of You”
Ed Sheeran


 
“I Dare You”
The xx


 
“J-Boy”
Phoenix
 
 

 
Directed by Jonas Lindstroem and The Little Homies - aka Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free – and inspired by the work of civil rights photojournalist Gordon Parks, “Element” makes troubling concepts look beautiful. Whether it’s the portraying shocking violence or solitary moments, the video has a poetic quality matched only by Lamar’s hard hitting lyrics.  With “Element,” Kendrick once again proves that he’s not just a musician, but an artist with a lot on his mind and a talent for putting it into words. It’s a stunning music video, just like his other 2017 hit “DNA.”