Martha, My Dear: ILM's All-Time Video-Poll Results Thread

OK boomers...

The best scene: harlequine Major Tom impassively enduring his mom's babbling on their beach walk.

if the "bastards of young" video came out today it would be called a "visualizer" and there would be a different "official video"

I'll do a recap after I finish today--either the full thing, if I finish, or #40-11 if I don't. Also #41-100 after that.

Starting with the hypothetical that videos are still relevant (doubtful), if the Replacements were around today and still begging off, fans would jump in and make a bunch for them.

perfect video for the song

The later Replacements videos weren't bad, but OTOH I'm just not sure MTV was ready for them even if they were doing 'great' videos (same w/the Pixies).

The "I'll Be You" video got pretty good airtime, and I particularly like the follow-up clip for "Achin'To Be" (one of Westerberg's sisters plays the mysterious shadow girl).

Rhino apparently has done some new official videos for old tracks, but I haven't watched them.

Good point--not like they would have automatically gotten play. If they'd been around after "Smells Like Teen Spirit," yes.

But we'd have them, though, right now.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/video-23.jpg

23. “Freedom! ‘90,” George Michael (1990)
78 points/9 votes
Director: David Fincher

xp It's mostly my love for the song but I really like "The Ledge" video -- similarly zero-effort to "Bastards of Young" aside from the fact that they actually showed up to the shoot, plus there's no lip-syncing so it was pretty easy for the b-roll to get recycled for the identical "Alex Chiton" and "Can't Hardly Wait" videos. At least that's what I think is happening there.

xps the new videos for the Sorry Ma box are alright. crossed my mind, but should have voted for Bastards.

The "Ashes to Ashes" video was actually 1980. If I had ranked my picks, it would have been first.
I just made the connection this morning - the only other thing with such ominous visuals I would have been watching on TV at the age of 8 or 9 was Doctor Who, I wonder if that allowed me to make a little more sense of it than I would have otherwise.

David Fincher shows up twice here...Honestly not sure if I knew of his video background or not. Maybe I did at one time, but I'd forgotten about it by the time of Zodiac and The Social Network.

"Alex Chilton" was waiting there for a brilliant video.

With a few of these, the album came out one year and the single/video another--went with the latter when I was aware of that. Maybe I messed up on Bowie.

Ah, that's a typo--the correct date is in the screenshot. (Cutting and pasting--he got the Replacements' 1985.)

freedom 90 way too low

"Bstards of Young" was a no-brainer nom for me but I had no particular expectation of it placing. I don't think I even grasped that was an anti-video statement when I belatedly saw with it virtually no context. (It was the first Replacements song I heard.) There's *just* enough going on for it be entertaining in spite of itself lol.

The several no-we-don't-do-videos videos are way cooler than the conventional ones they eventually did IMHO.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/video-22.jpg

22. “Rockit,” Herbie Hancock (1983)
85 points/9 votes
Director: Kevin Godley & Lol Creme

lol this video resides deep in my subconscious

I thought this was forgotten history; evidently not. (This and Dire Straits and one famous video coming up are the kind of gimmick videos I've never liked--again, if I'd been younger, they may have made the same impression on me as on those who voted for them. I still like a number of indefensible songs from the early '70s.)

lol lol creme

"Too Funky" > "Freedom '90"

The band that recorded "Seen Your Video" should not be in this results list. Just sayin.

I can only imagine the WTF?-factor "Rockit" had upon viewers stumbling upon it back in the day.

I was 7 when Ashes to Ashes came out, maybe just young enough to not be too weirded out, just old enough to realise that it was something out of the ordinary - either way it's stuck with me.

I first heard of The Replacements in the issue of Rolling Stone that placed "Bastards of Young" as the 19th best video: http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1993/rsvideo.htm

So I imagined what it looked/sounded like based on the description. I think I assumed they were more hardcore sounding. I finally saw a 5 second clip of it a couple years later on a 120 Minutes anniversary special when Green Day brought it up.

Re: "Money for Nothing" I didn't vote for it but I think there's something special about the combination of animation style and concept that transcends its popularity in that particular moment. Considering the bad language I'm kind of mindblown recalling (I'm almost certain) that it aired several times on Nick Rocks (the music vid show on Nickelodeon).

https://phildellio.tripod.com/video-21.jpg

21. “Vogue,” Madonna (1990)
87 points/7 votes
Director: David Fincher

Had no idea Fincher directed "Freedom '90" and "Vogue"!

way. too. low.

Love this one. Don't know why I didn't vote for Madonna...Maybe all the ones I like cancelled each other out. She wins counting-stats for me when it comes to videos: I'm sure I like more of hers than anyone else.

That one montage in Mank that looks like "Vogue" is by far the best scene of that movie.

I dunno, "Rockit" seems more integrated with the content of the song than some of the other gimmick videos I'm imagining coming up. It's freaky, funky, and robotic-cyborgian like the tune.

It fits the song, for sure--I guess I consider the song gimmicky too. As I have said many times, I am the least funkiest person on the planet.

OMG, I don't think I've seen the "Rock It" clip since I was 7 or something. I *had* completely forgotten what it entailed. Fabulous, faintly unsettling 'uncanny valley' vibes.

That one montage in Mank that looks like "Vogue" is by far the best scene of that movie.

― billstevejim, Friday, March 18, 2022 10:20 AM (three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

i'm now imagining the chorus of the song but the word "vogue" is replaced with "mank"

come on, mank
let your body move to the music

https://phildellio.tripod.com/video-20.jpg

20. “All Is Full of Love,” Björk (1999)
88 points/7 votes/one #1 vote
Director: Chris Cunningham

Vimeo link for fellow Canadians.

My #1, which was always going to go to Björk.

OK boomers...

I don't think actual baby boomers care about videos. I remember a 1987 letter to the editor in Rolling Stone begging Crosby Stills Nash and Young not to make a video for their reunion album, like it was the ultimate sellout. "We could see you just fine from the fiftieth row".

probs my favourite björk vid

stunning

https://phildellio.tripod.com/video-19.jpg

19. “Don't Come Around Here No More,” Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1985)
88 points/11 votes
Director: Jeff Stein

Never understood the big deal about this one.

It's a very effective and creepy production of Alice!

Petty, like Cobain, was such a great music video presence because he was so subtly funny at undercutting the whole form.

Or, his attitude was "you and I both know I'm a weird-looking dude who probably shouldn't be doing this, but let's have some fun with it."

“Ashes To Ashes” yeah I remember seeing this when I was maybe 4 or so? one of the first music videos i remember
really impactful. i loved the weird colors & the “clown man”… but it was also a bit scary too

Sorry for the delay--another tie.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/video-17b.jpg

17. “West End Girls,” Pet Shop Boys (1985)
90 points/9 votes
Director: Andy Morahan & Eric Watson

https://phildellio.tripod.com/video-17a.jpg

17. “Protection,” Massive Attack (1994)
90 points/9 votes
Director: Michel Gondry