Click on each title to see its video.
3. “Rush Rush” by Paula Abdul (1991, directed by Stefan Wurnitzer)
Long before she became famous as a judge on American Idol, Paula Abdul was the biggest pop star in America. After four singles on her first album Forever Your Girl reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Abdul released “Rush Rush” as the first single off her second album Spellbound. Sparing no expense to make a major impact, Abdul enlisted Keanu Reeves to star in the video. Keanu’s role was the James Dean character in the movie Rebel Without A Cause. Of course, Abdul took on the Natalie Wood role. The video does an outstanding job portraying its intended setting. From faded colors to period cars, the video accurately captures the feel of the 1950’s. The highlight of the video is the famous drag race, with Abdul standing between the cars. The weakest facet of the video is Keanu Reeves, for whatever reason, sporting a long hair, grunge look that screams early 90’s while everyone else is properly quaffed.
2. “Material Girl” by Madonna (1985, directed by Mary Lambert Gravadora)
Following the success of her self-titled debut album, Madonna truly exploded onto the pop culture scene with her second album Like A Virgin. The second single released from the album was “Material Girl.” The video was a parody of Marilyn Monroe’s performance of “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The video not only portrays the original set and mood perfectly, but it also presents a different side of Madonna off the set. Like Monroe, Madonna is seemingly only interested in men who are rich and can afford to buy her expensive jewelry. However, “Material Girl” also shows Madonna as being quite taken by a man who gives her cheap flowers and drives a dirty, old truck. Gravadora and Madonna are both to be commended for successfully weaving this extra layer into the video which leaves the viewer wondering, “Which is the real Madonna?” But as a portrayal of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, “Material Girl” is practically flawless.
1. “Tonight, Tonight” by The Smashing Pumpkins (1996, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris)
Ignoring the fact that “Tonight, Tonight” is based on a movie, this video could appear at the top of any chart based on its merits alone. Following the breakout success of the Alternative Rock band Nirvana, the timing was ripe for other great bands of this genre to gain acclaim as well. In 1995, the band released a stunning 28-track album named Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. “Tonight, Tonight” was the fourth single released off the album and its greatness was only surpassed by that of its video, which replicates the famous silent movie A Trip To The Moon. Given the fact that the movie was released in 1902, its special effects were stunning. “Tonight, Tonight” is true to the original story, effects, scenery and mood. The video captures a moving dreamlike fantasy that full-length science fiction movies rarely come close to achieving. The plot revolves around a couple who land on the moon, come under attack and escape when they realize they can kill the creatures with their umbrellas. The video won numerous awards and is considered one of the greatest videos of all-time.
All Billboard chart data found at the allmusic web page.
Please read this other great Entertainment article from associatedcontent.com.
Cinemagic: The James Earl Jones Monologue in “Field of Dreams”
