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The best music videos in history according to Rolling Stone

The historic music magazine Rolling Stone has compiled the ranking of the 20 best music videos of all time.

Some are very recent, others are real short films that will make you think, also dealing with important issues such as racism and more.

This ranking includes songs by Guns N' Roses, Madonna and other artists who have made the history of music: browse the photo gallery to know which are according to Rolling Stone the most beautiful video clips in the history of music!

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Best video clips ever: the Top 15
The historic magazine Rolling Stone has compiled its ranking of the best music video clips ever. Some of the videos are very recent, others are real shorts that will make people think, even dealing with important issues such as racism and more. Browse through the photo gallery to learn which are, according to Rolling Stone, the most beautiful video clips in the history of music!
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15. The White Stripes - Fell in Love Witth a Girl
Directed by Michel Gondry, this particular video clip features the presence of the famous LEGOs, which form numerous different structures throughout the song. At the beginning of the video, the director introduces his son as he builds with the famous bricks.
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14. a-ha - Take on Me
That of "Take on Me" is one of the most famous video clips in history, one of the first to be broadcast on MTV. The uniqueness of this video lies in the innovative technique with which it was made, combining the real world and the world of animation. As of February 2020, the video of the song has surpassed one billion views on YouTube.
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13. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
The video clip of Nirvana 's most famous song marks the directorial debut of Samuel Bayer: Bayer claimed that he was hired to direct the video because the test footage was so "shoddy" that it was perfectly in tune with the soul punk and grunge.The estimated budget for the video ranges between $30,000 and $50,000 : the video clip shows the band members performing in a high school gymnasium, under the eyes of students arranged in the stands and accompanied by the dancing of cheerleader. Later, the show degenerates with students rioting and destroying the set, while Kurt Cobain smashes his guitar.
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12. Beyoncé - Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
The music video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" was shot right after the end of the filming of the music video for "If I Were a Boy", another big hit of Beyoncé. The uniqueness of this video lies in the fact that it was shot in one take without cuts, with one camera, for a total of 12 hours of work! Not an easy project at all, but one that shows a lot of skill from a technical, choreographic and creative point of view.
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11. George Michael - Freedom ’90
Directed by David Fincher, the video clip for this song features some of the best-known models of the early 1990s, including Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, John Pearson, Mario Sorrenti, Scott Benoit, Todo Segalla and Peter Formby. George Michael never appears, and in order to mark the singer's new artistic journey, the destruction of three elements that had characterized Michael's previous album is shown throughout the video : the leather jacket, the jukebox, and the guitar.
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10. Micheal Jackson - Billie Jean
Directed by British director Steve Barron, Billie Jean's video is very impressive. In the images we find a lonely Jackson walking through the streets of a city of a hypothetical future, inspired by the atmosphere of the film Blade Runner
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9. Guns N'Roses - November Rain
The videoclip, directed by Andy Morahan, shows Axl Rose marrying his girlfriend of the time: the video summarizes their intense and troubled relationship, which will end a few months later. In particular, the music video ends with her early death.
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8. Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
The video was directed by Stephen R. Johnson and was made with the stop motion technique, avant-garde for that period. The video was very successful and won nine MTV Video Music Awards 1987 and one BRIT Awards 1987.
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7. D’Angelo - Untitled (How Does It Feel)
The video consists of a roundup, which focuses on D'Angelo. The shooting starts from a millimeter away from the singer's head until it spreads to the rest of the body.
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6. Beastie Boys - Sabotage
The video for the song, directed by Spike Jonze, is a tribute to the police television series of the 70s, such as S.W.A.T. and Starsky & Hutch. The music video, presented as a television series named Sabotage, features band members as main characters.
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5. New Order - The Perfect Kiss
Set in a recording studio, the video shows the band rehearsing and recording the composition from beginning to end as they make the song.
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4. Childish Gambino - This is America
The video clip, directed by Hiro Murai, shows Gambino dancing through a warehouse, interacting with a series of chaotic scenes. After 53 seconds, Gambino shoots a man in the back of the head with a gun as he assumes a comical stance.This video clip is clearly rich in messages and symbolism, and for its artistic and creative value it also won Grammy Award for best video clip in 2019.
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3. Madonna - Vogue 
The video, directed by David Fincher, is considered one of Madonna's best. Shot in black and white, it recalls the look of the thirties films and launches a feminist message, representing a sort of declaration of sexual challenge.
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2. Johnny Cash - Hurt
The poignant and nostalgic video mixes sequences of Johnny Cash as an old man along with some archival footage of the artist when he was young. The result gives a melancholy and emotional effect, a kind of balance sheet of the artist's life. The video won Grammy Award for best video clip in 2004.
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1. Beyoncé - Formation 
The music video for the song was directed by Melina Matsoukas and is full of references to Hurricane Katrina, police brutality, racism and black pride.
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