So yeah, this happened. MIA released the first single from her upcoming album (still untitled, though I’m guessing it’ll be something like “Koala Sunbathe Bombs and Starfish”). It sounds like a Green Day fan got high for the first time and decided to fuck around on GarageBand, but I’d also like to think that MIA knows what she’s doing so maybe it’ll grow on me!
Or maybe I just don’t “get it,” because I’d never associate that song with this music video, but there you go. MIA apparently just saw The Hurt Locker because the clip is all amateur-video-y and intense and concerns armed conflict. Also featured: the mass slaughtering of a group of ginger boys, a time-worn man smoking some illegal drug, full frontal nudity, sex, violence against women, and exploding limbs. Man, if they ever make a Grand Theft Auto movie, Romain Gavras (the guy who helmed the French-ghetto gobstopper of a video for Justice’s “Stress”) has got to direct, amirite?
Anyway, if you need to kill a few minutes because you’d rather suffer an aneurysm than continue studying, here are some other controversial music videos from times past and present for you to enjoy:
Serge Gainesbourg – “Lemon Incest” (1984)
Ha ha, the title of the song is a pun. Ha ha, the video features Serge fooling around in bed with a 12-year-old girl. Ha ha, that girl is his daughter, Charlotte! Aw, it’s so nice when a father and daughter share some bonding time. Or bondage time, whatever.
Neil Young & The Bluetones – “This Note’s For You” (1988)
Neil young – This Note’s For You
Uploaded by ivaxavi.
Did you expect to see Neil Young in this post? Did you even know that Neil Young made music videos? Well, he does, and this one remains his best. An unexpectedly snarky polemic against commercialism in the music industry–complete with a Michael Jackson impersonator catching fire–this video pissed off MTV so much that they banned it, and then named it Video of the Year at the following year’s VMAs.
The Prodigy – “Smack My Bitch Up” (1997)
Prodigy – Smack my bitch up
Uploaded by bebepanda. – Explore more music videos.
If your night out doesn’t include a titty bar, some chair-throwing, copious drug use, vomiting blood, and a small dose of gender politics, then you just don’t know what a good time is, do you? UPDATE: Hey so I found the super-controversial unedited version of this video. Yes, there’s an unedited version, and it’s now the video you can watch above. New features: extended end sequence, heroin use, and a good ol’ fashioned hit-and-run.
Pearl Jam – “Do The Evolution” (1998)
When it comes to Pearl Jam’s music videos, everyone always brings up “Jeremy,” which was certainly a shocking clip in its own right. But damn, how can you overlook this absolute mindfuck? After the media firestorm around “Jeremy” died down, Eddie Vedder and company vowed that they’d never again appear in their own music videos, but that didn’t stop them from producing this…this…whatever this is.
Aphex Twin – “Windowlicker” (1999)
You could select just about any Aphex Twin music video for a list like this–YouTube it, trust me–but this 11-minute epic is easily my favorite. The video is a hilariously disturbing indictment of hip-hop culture, and specifically the way that culture presents itself in the media. Two young men are looking to pick up some prostitutes; “window licking” literally translated into French becomes faire du lèche-vitrine, which also happens to be the French term for “window shopping.” Get it? They’re window shopping for prostitutes! Bonus fact: the “pimp” is played by the man behind Aphex Twin, Richard D. James.
Robbie Williams – “Rock DJ” (2000)
This could only be more disturbing if it starred Robin Williams. But then he’d need an extra verse to shave off all his body hair.
Madonna – “What It Feels Like For A Girl” (2001)
Madonna – what it feels like original videoclip for remix
Uploaded by chicethautaine. – Explore more music videos.
Did you know that the version of the song in this video is not the one that appears on the “Music” album whence it came? I did not, until I finally downloaded that album like a year ago. Anyway, yeah, Madonna rides around with an old lady, taserin’ men at the ATM and pretendin’ to shoot policemen and givin’ harried drive-in waitresses exorbitant tips. Guy Ritchie directs; irony ensues.
Sigur Ros – “Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa” (2001)
This one isn’t NSFW for any graphic violence, sex, or drug use; it’s just really, really sad.
Foo Fighters – “Low” (2004)
Foo Fighters – Low (Official Music Video) – Watch more top selected videos about: Foo_Fighters
Dave Grohl and Jack Black engage in some drunken, cross-dressing horseplay in a shady motel. Regardless of what you think of Jack Black, you have to admit that this is absolutely ridiculous, and therefore good entertainment.
Daft Punk – “Prime Time Of Your Life” (2006)
DAFT PUNK – PRIME TIME OF YOUR LIFE
Uploaded by candyraton. – Watch more music videos, in HD!
I really actually thought this video was made in like the late seventies/early eighties, even though Daft Punk wasn’t around then. But no, it’s just low-budget. And, oh yeah, an unexpectedly powerful commentary on anorexia and the media. Next time you hear this song at the club, make it a whiskey diet coke. (Sorry.)
Queens of the Stone Age – “Sick, Sick, Sick” (2007)
Once you get what’s going on, you may not be very hungry for a while.








Yeah I definitely had nightmares about that Robbie Williams video when I was younger.
Say what you want about the video, but “Rock DJ” is one of my favorite songs ever. I mean, the lyrics are just pure genius. “I don’t wanna be sleazy, Baby just tease me, Got no family plans.” What more can you want from a pop song?
I think “Give no head/ No backstage passes” (with the accompanying gesture in the video) wins.
Creepy ish, but the award for “best dancing skeleton music video” most certainly goes to Michael Jackson’s mini-movie “Ghosts.” Awesome video…too bad the song is just terrible.
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/14102/772750
I should not have watched any of these before going to bed…
How are you gonna make a list like this and not include Nelly – Tip Drill?