Iconic Music Videos

I would definitely say anything by Prince. Everything about the man was iconic. He was a legend and there will never be another artist like him. If I had to pick just one Prince video it would have to be When Doves Cry.

I think Madonna's Like a Virgin and Material Girl are two of the most iconic videos that I can think of. When you mention these songs to people, everyone instantly gets a picture of the video in their heads. No one needs reminding of them. And to me that's what constitutes an iconic music video.

There is so many, it's hard to pick even a few. Coming from Australia, I'd have to say AC/DC's clip, A Long Way to the Top, from 1976. This was before they were international and were still strictly a fledgling Australian hard rock group. It's just the band doing their song on the back of a truck driving down a Melbourne street. It was shot by the Australian music show Countdown at the time for inclusion on the show, but has long since turned into an iconic clip.

Oh Chris Isaak's Wicked Game without a doubt! I know it's not one that instantly comes to people's minds but when you mention it to people they always go "Oh yeah!" Everyone knows the video without anyone having to explain it to them and it's the one that put Helena Christensen on the map.

As I'm a Blockhead, I'm going to be very predictable and say anything by NKOTB! Us Blockheads can easily identify a bit of choreography and know which video it came from and when they take us back on concerts or in Videos like Boys In The Band, we know which item of clothing came from which of their videos. I think being able to instantly recognize things is when you know a video is iconic.

Bohemian Rhapsody, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Wicked Game, Addicted To Love, Gangster's Paradise. To me these are iconic music videos. There are more of course but these would definitely make my list.

Goodness too many to choose and we could be here all day with this one! But OK just off the top of my brain I'll go with Nothing Compares 2U. The melancholoy nature of the video matches the song perfectly. And the emotion in Sinead O' Connor's voice and facial expressions. No bells and whistles but still perfection and I think that's what makes a video truly special when it doesn't need all the added extras - and it still works.

I agree with a lot of the videos that have been mentioned here already but for me it has to be Madonna's Vogue everytime.

It's hard to say what makes a video so iconic. As someone here already said there's like a special magical quality to it. I suppose the real test of whether a video is iconic is when another artist tries to copy or parody it and everyone gets it immediately!

Without a shadow of a doubt - Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody!

I've just responded to a post that pondered the existence of star quality. The response I gave there is pretty much the same as the one I'm going to give here. There's a special kind of magic with anything that's labelled icon. It just stands out and it's so unforgettable. Even years later there's still something so special about it and it seems to stand the test of time. Of course there's got to be a good concept and a high level of artistry but it all comes down to something magical that can't be defined. IMO anyway.

As controversial as this is going to be now - and when have I ever shied away from controversy - anything by Michael Jackson. Thriller, Bad, Black Or White, Remember The Time etc. His videos were incredibly entertaining and more than just an accompaniment to a song which I think plays a huge part in a video being iconic.

Oh this is easy! Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer! It were just the graphics, the imagery. There didn't seem to be anything like it before. The creativity were astounding.

I also agree about Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love. The concept seemed very simple - a bunch of tall, leggy model types all looking similar and dressed pretty much the same, but it were very effective and today who doesn't remember that video?