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These artists pushed boundaries and buttons with their visual art! Join us as we count down our picks for the most controversial music videos ever made. Our countdown includes Madonna's "Like a Prayer," Miley Cyrus's "Wrecking Ball," Lady Gaga's "Telephone," Nine Inch Nails' "Closer," and many more shocking visuals that had censors working overtime!
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00:00Give me my head out, I can feel your heart, just like a breath, you know I'll take you there.
00:09Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 most controversial music videos.
00:15Anyways, I hope you get this man, hit me back, just a chat, it's only yours, your biggest fan, this is Stan.
00:23Number 20. Anaconda, Nicki Minaj.
00:26If you've seen this video, then you know that this song isn't about snakes.
00:30On Anaconda, Nicki Minaj samples Sir Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back, focusing on the song's butt-positive messaging.
00:37So the video isn't shy about centering matters of the derriere, with classic raunchy Minaj lines thrown in the mix.
00:44Both the song and its visual accompaniment are proudly explicit, which was something certain people took issue with.
00:56When speaking to GQ about the video, Minaj said she was being, quote, cheeky.
01:02She didn't seem to be making a pun, but we honestly can't think of a better word to describe this video.
01:08Number 19. I Want To Break Free.
01:10Queen.
01:11One of the best things about Queen is how unafraid they are of expressing themselves.
01:16However, not everyone likes how they do that.
01:18This video finds the group spoofing the British soap Coronation Street in drag, complete with Freddie Mercury in a fabulous black wig and pink top.
01:27I want to break free from your lies, yeah, so self-satisfied, I don't need you.
01:35But if you were tuning into MTV in the 80s, you probably missed it.
01:39The network reportedly didn't play the video due to its content, and Queen's drummer Roger Taylor referred to them as being, quote, narrow-minded.
01:47Oh, I Want To Break Free.
01:52Guitarist Brian May further hypothesized that the band's reach in America was hurt by this censorship.
01:58No matter what network executives say, Queen remain absolute kings.
02:02Number 18. Window Seat.
02:05Erykah Badu.
02:06Filming a music video in the nude is brave.
02:08Doing so in public without permission?
02:11Well, that's Erykah Badu.
02:12The R&B star drew a lot of headlines for wearing nothing when the Window Seat video premiered.
02:23Shot around Dallas' Dealey Plaza, where President John F. Kennedy was shot, the video finds Badu removing her layers until, well, you know.
02:33It also ends in a truly dramatic and controversial fashion.
02:36Oh, I want to see nobody next to me.
02:42How did Badu get away with this?
02:43Well, she didn't.
02:45She was charged with a misdemeanor, with her penalty being a $500 fine and six months probation.
02:51We don't recommend recreating this video, even if you can afford it.
02:55Number 17. Elastic Heart.
02:57Sia.
02:58Everyone is largely clothed in this one, but you might think otherwise at first glance.
03:03The Elastic Heart video stars Shia LaBeouf and Maddie Ziegler fighting and dancing inside a cage.
03:09While LaBeouf is shirtless, the duo are indeed wearing nude-colored garments.
03:20But that doesn't mean it was well-received. Ziegler was about 12 at the time,
03:25and some questioned her involvement in such a suggestive project, especially considering her co-star was an adult.
03:32Ziegler responded to the controversy on Twitter, apologizing for any offense and explaining her intentions.
03:45It wouldn't be the last time the singer's work caused a stir, but it remains one of the most notable.
03:51Number 16. Pussy. Rammstein.
03:53When we say this clip is explicit, we don't mean the way most music videos are.
03:59German metal group Rammstein made a visual work that starts off suggestive and ends up being absolutely shocking.
04:13Let's just say you're not going to be able to watch the uncensored version on YouTube.
04:16A man in Russia was even charged with and convicted of a crime after he shared the piece,
04:22which guitarist Richard Kruzpa reportedly spoke out against.
04:33If you must watch the uncut edition of this video, we have one bit of advice.
04:38Make sure you do it in private.
04:40In recent years, artists seem to have become more cautious about making music videos centered around different cultures.
04:50However, Avril Lavigne hadn't gotten the message in 2014.
04:54Hello Kitty and its video were both widely criticized,
04:57with many accusing the singer of cultural appropriation.
05:00The electronic song is inspired by J-pop,
05:10and the video sees Levine performing with Japanese backing dancers and enjoying sushi,
05:15among other things.
05:17Some found its depiction of Japanese culture to be stereotypical,
05:20and the singer defended the video against accusations of racism.
05:23While it reportedly garnered little controversy in Japan,
05:33it did create some important, if divisive, conversations.
05:3714. Heart-Shaped Box
05:39Nirvana
05:40Kurt Cobain wasn't the only person with a new complaint.
05:44The video for Heart-Shaped Box may shock, baffle, and offend you.
05:48It opens with the band in a hospital room,
05:50and then goes in a very strange direction.
05:52I've been locked inside your Heart-Shaped Box
05:57for weeks
05:59How strange?
06:01Well, there's notably a man in a Santa hat on a crucifix,
06:04and the weirdness does not stop there.
06:07The group members were such visionaries
06:08that this video feels like it's about more than mere shock value.
06:12Hey, wait, I gotta lose no pain
06:16Still, it's not exactly the Nirvana music video you want to show your pastor.
06:20Or your grandma, for that matter.
06:22Number 13. Warlock
06:24Skinny Puppy
06:25The video for this song by industrial group Skinny Puppy is full of clips from movies.
06:30However, it's not exactly an ode to classic Hollywood pictures.
06:34They come to this night
06:35Subsistence in existence
06:39Instead, the Canadian band takes footage from graphic and unsettling films like Suspiria, Eraserhead, and Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer.
06:48Even if you know the context of these clips, it doesn't take away from how shocking they are.
06:52And if you haven't seen them, well, this video doesn't exactly give you an easy introduction.
07:02This is one night at the movies you won't be forgetting anytime soon.
07:06Number 12. WAP
07:07Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion
07:09The song and video that everyone was talking about in 2020 was WAP.
07:14The name's not-safe-for-work meaning will give you a good indication as to why.
07:18Wet and gushy
07:20Make that pullout game
07:21Weak!
07:21The sexually charged team-up of rap superstars Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion
07:27was praised for its unapologetically raunchy lyrics, but it was scorned for the same reason.
07:32The response to the video, where both Cardi and Megan show off their physical attributes and their rapping skills, followed suit.
07:43It also garnered additional controversy due to the Kylie Jenner cameo
07:47and because of a spat between Cardi and Carole Baskin over the inclusion of big cats.
07:52WAP could also stand for What a Phenomenon.
07:55Number 11. Closer
07:579-Inch Nails
07:59Do you want to watch a music video that makes you feel like you're experiencing a waking nightmare?
08:04Put this one on and see if you can make it to the end.
08:10While Closer was already an intense song, the video goes even further with images of animal violence,
08:15twisted religious imagery, and sexual paraphernalia.
08:199-Inch Nails' Trent Reznor is there too, leather pants and all.
08:23While this video was played on MTV, it was in modified form.
08:30But even the clean version is still pretty shocking.
08:33That's probably why it helped bring 9-Inch Nails closer to achieving legend status.
08:38Number 10. Famous
08:39Kanye West
08:41Kanye West and drama go hand in hand.
08:43But this song and video caused major controversy, even for him.
08:47First, there's the crass lyric about Taylor Swift, which spurred its own mess.
08:52I don't blame you much for wanting to be free.
08:56I just wanted you to know
09:00Then there's the video, which shows West in bed with an array of nude figures of famous people.
09:06These include then-wife Kim Kardashian, ex-Amber Rose, presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump,
09:12and Swift. But viewers just weren't all that enamored with it.
09:16No matter how they try, we never gonna die.
09:20The huge number of dislikes on YouTube said it all, though it still managed to score multiple award nominations.
09:26If there's one thing we can say about Kanye West, it's that he knows how to draw attention to himself.
09:31Number 9. All the things she said. Tattoo
09:35You might see this video from Russian pop duo Tattoo as being a bold stand against heteronormativity in popular music.
09:42Or you might just see it as being a tacky video that relies on cheap gimmicks like straight girls kissing and Catholic school attire.
09:48I'm being serious. I feel totally lost. If I'm asking for help, it's only because-
09:54Either way, there's no doubt that this rain-soaked work is one that got everyone talking,
09:59making Tattoo international stars for a moment.
10:11Today, this video may not seem all that remarkable, but if you were around in the early 2000s,
10:16you likely remember just how much heated talk it generated.
10:20Number 8. Saint. Marilyn Manson.
10:22Before disturbing allegations about his private life came to light,
10:26Marilyn Manson was known for shocking people through his music,
10:29and the video for this song is arguably the most extreme example of how he did so.
10:37It's so grim and unsettling that his label, Interscope, didn't want any part of it.
10:42The video was subsequently made available on the band's Lest We Forget The Best Of DVD.
10:51No matter how disturbed you were by Manson previously,
10:54this video will undoubtedly manage to take those feelings and make them even stronger.
10:58Number 7. Blurred Lines.
11:01Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams.
11:04Blurred Lines garnered plenty of controversy for its lyrics,
11:07which were often said to minimize the importance of consent.
11:18And the problematic music video only made things worse.
11:21The unrated version features Thicke and male collaborators T.I. and Pharrell Williams dressed
11:26stylishly. But they're surrounded by female models like Emily Ratajkowski, who are wearing,
11:31well, not much at all. It was widely viewed as misogynistic and objectifying,
11:42and Ratajkowski later called it, quote, the bane of her existence. In 2021, she revealed that Thicke
11:48groped her without her consent on set, which reignited the conversation. Blurred Lines was
11:54everywhere in 2013, but it was by no means universally beloved.
11:58Number 6. Stan. Eminem featuring Dido.
12:02These days, the term Stan is used rather liberally to describe an intense fandom. However,
12:07the song that originated the term is about an obsession so intense it becomes fatal.
12:18The video for Stan follows the track's lyrics, as a die-hard Eminem fan's fixation causes him to
12:23harm himself and his loved ones. Many of the visuals are too disturbing to even think about.
12:29In fact, some of the more harrowing lyrics and imagery in the song and video were censored.
12:39Yet even with the various edits, it's still devastating to see the story play out. Whether
12:44you stan this video or not, you likely are not left indifferent by it.
12:49Number 5. Lemon Incest. Serge and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
12:53Does this song's title make you feel icky? How about lyrics sung by a young woman that aren't age
12:59appropriate, and a video that features her and her father in a rather scandalous arrangement?
13:11It's safe to say that the visuals are unsettling in more ways than one. It's hard to give the benefit of the
13:16doubt to a video like this, especially with the song in question. Yet this song still managed to
13:21become a big hit in the Gainsbourg's home country of France.
13:32It was already pretty clear that controversy sells, but this video makes that truth all the more
13:37uncomfortably apparent. Number 4. Born Free. M.I.A.
13:42As if redheads didn't already have it hard enough, they became the targets in M.I.A.'s
13:46shocking video. A nine-minute short disguised as a music video, Born Free depicts red-headed
13:52individuals being rounded up and knocked off.
13:59The violence is disturbing, but it's meant to serve an important point, showing how such large-scale
14:04targeted killings can occur anywhere. The real-world parallels certainly weren't lost on people.
14:10However, some found the video to be more over the top than insightful.
14:19And a bit less than a day after its premiere, YouTube pulled it. If there's one thing the
14:23video's fans and critics can agree on, is that it's garnered plenty of controversy.
14:29Number 3. Call Me By Your Name. Lil Nas X.
14:33Did you think that the satanic panic ended in the 90s? Well, the Call Me By Your Name video proved
14:38otherwise. This super-viral visual work finds Lil Nas X trading in his cowboy hat for devil horns,
14:45and people noticed.
14:46I caught it bad just a day.
14:48You hear me where the call to your place?
14:51The video courted plenty of discussion for its outspoken depiction of queer sexuality,
14:55as well as provocative moments like that Satan lap dance.
14:59Much of the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, but many conservative figures were shocked by it,
15:04and by the artist's selling of blood-tipped Satan shoes. And they essentially accused him of corrupting
15:10the youth. One thing's for sure, Lil Nas X is blazing his own trail with such boundary-pushing works.
15:16Number 2. Smack My Bitch Up. The Prodigy.
15:20Many dance artists make music videos that are stylish and seductive. But this one,
15:25from UK big beat group The Prodigy, is grungy and disturbing.
15:33Featuring a unique use of perspective, the video lets us see through the eyes of the main character,
15:38who does some truly bad things. And we get a bit of a surprise ending too. Like the song,
15:44the video was seen as hugely problematic, and was condemned by the National Organization for Women.
15:50I'll change my picture. Smack my **** up.
15:53As for MTV, they eventually went from limiting its airing to late night showings to banning it
15:59completely. If any video deserves a don't try this at home warning, it's this one.
16:04Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about
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16:201. Like A Prayer – Madonna
16:22While Madonna's extraordinary singing and dance abilities have been key to her success,
16:27we can't forget the impact of her music videos. The one for Like A Prayer is the queen of pop at her
16:32most blasphemous. In it, Madonna hides in a church after seeing a black man wrongfully arrested for
16:38murder, praying to a Christ-like statue that bears his likeness.
16:412. Give me my head out. I can feel your power. Just like a prayer. You know I'll take you there.
16:50Images of burning crosses and her romantic embrace with the holy figure notably sparked major outcry.
16:57The visual work was even called out by the Vatican.
17:08Not many music videos have generated controversy on this level, which is just one of the many
17:13reasons why Madonna will always be an icon. Which of these shocks you the most? Let us know in the comments!
17:29Not many by the way, we are trying to uncanny.
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