by Tom Hallett on the
With Rihanna’s new video for ‘Bitch Better Have My Money’ touching some nerves, we thought we’d spend a day of our life finding the world’s most shocking and controversial music videos of all time, just for your viewing pleasure.
1. ‘Bitch Better Have My Money’ - Rihanna:
First off let’s have a look at the video that inspired said article. The video features violence, nudity and sexualises revenge, all while referencing cult films renowned for their violent scenes. A recipe fit for banning in the eyes of censorship and perfect to be inducted into the most controversial music videos list.
There has been much discussion as to what the video is about. Whether it be the empowerment of black women through Rihanna kidnapping and killing the banker’s stereotypically prissy white, blonde, wife. Or depicting revenge against capitalism/greed/class issues by gruesomely torturing the man that stole from her. Either way it’s gory - check it out if you dare…
2. ‘Take Me To Church’ - Hozier:
The music video for this insanely popular track depicts the, presumably, secret relationship of two gay men. The couple are found out and a gang, masked by balaclavas and armed with weapons, kidnaps one of the lovers from their home because of their ‘sins’.
The video isn’t particularly violent, in terms of gore, but it does address an important, and still raw, issue without dancing around the subject. The video ends on a cliffhanger, and the audience is left not knowing if the beating, received by an innocent man, caused his death. You decide…
3. ‘Satisfaction’ - Benny Benassi:
This one is like a video version of ‘innuendo bingo’. Benny Benassi’s ‘Satisfaction’ is jam-packed full of semi-nudity, cleavage shots, and a great deal of exploiting female sexuality, all while referencing sex acts using power tools.
The video depicts glistening, doll-like, bikini-clad women in high heels using power tools. It has a certain comedic value too. Women glance at the camera after slotting a drill bit in place, and descriptions of various tools and their uses appear on screen - a clever juxtaposition that plays on stereotypes of sexuality.
Hardware stores probably saw an increase in sales as men across the world had a sudden urge to get their wives into a different form of housework, as DIY got a whole lot sexier.
4. ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ - The Prodigy:
I’m sure we’re all familiar with ‘Smack My Bitch Up’; one of the most famously banned music videos of all time.
It seems the provocative song title wasn’t enough for The Prodigy. As the explicit video shows a night in the life of an unknown character who takes a variety of drugs, including heroin, sexually assaults women, joy-rides, and tops it all off with a one night stand.
The video is shot with point of view style cinematography and comes with a twist at the end too, which I won’t spoil just in case you haven’t seen it. Go ahead and watch it.
5. ‘Born Free’ - M.I.A.:
M.I.A. isn’t one to shy away from controversy either and her short film for ‘Born Free’ is evidence of that. The music video comes in response to a variety of issues, particularly the extrajudicial killing of thousands of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan army.
The music video cleverly depicts white, red-haired, males (connoting Tamil’s) being aggressively rounded up by American soldiers. Then a 12-year-old boy is shot in the head while the others are forced to run across a minefield. The video is as hard-hitting as it is violent.
6. ‘Juicebox’ - The Strokes:
This video features a number of pervacious scenes. One of the most provocative includes an elderly woman, wearing a red dress and heels, scrubbing the floor in a manner that mimics a sex act. Meanwhile a Doberman watches her while drooling, and the two hold eye contact. Creepy.
This scene is also shown on a TV, which a radio presenter is watching while masturbating, as The Strokes play in the background (this sentence is hilarious).
7. ‘Jeremy’ - Pearl Jam:
Pearl Jam’s classic track, ‘Jeremy’, is another hard hitting song, accompanied by an equally hard hitting video that addresses the sensitive topics of bullying and suicide. It follows a young boy, who’s parents neglect him, while he sits in a classroom at school as the surrounding children point and laugh at him.
The end scene shows the boy walk into the classroom before pointing a gun to his head and shooting himself. His class(mates) are left splattered in blood. MTV requested that the footage be edited so that the video didn’t show the gun. But we’re not MTV so here’s the full unedited version.
8. ‘Hard Out Here’ - Lily Allen:
Lily Allen takes a swipe at the music industry, popular culture, and the standards imposed on women in this controversial music video.
Many people seemed to have missed Allen’s point, as they pointed a finger at the singer for attacking the reputation of black dancers. Only black and Asian dancers were used in one of the spoof scenes, which addresses the issue that most mainstream music videos include similar content and that women are often objectified in them.
It seems Lily was purposely and accidentally controversial for two separate topics - 10/10 for effort though.
9. ‘We Can’t Stop’ - Miley Cyrus:
The ex-child star is never far away from controversy, it seems, nowadays. Most of the time it’s because of the singer’s association with Disney and her role as ‘Hannah Montana’, which has an audience predominately made up of children. Her former role is a far cry from her weed smoking, hyper-sexualised Miley muse.
Miley, now aged 22, references MDMA in this song and the video contains sexually explicit content, such as twerking and pulling down her swimsuit to reveal a thong, as she surrounds herself with symbols of childhood - including teddy bears and Barbie dolls. Offended or not, I’m sure we all agree that almost everything Miley has done post-Hannah Montana stage is probably not suitable for a young audience. Go ahead and watch if you are above that age bracket.
10. ‘All Over The House’ - Skepta:
Perhaps the most controversial video here, certainly the most sexually explicit, and undoubtedly the first music video to ever feature a full-length pornography - all while Skepta raps.
I guess that’s all the controversy you need to know; I’m certainly not about to start describing a porno, so you best go see what the fuss is all about yourself. It’s not available on most normal video streaming services though so instead here’s an interview with Skepta about the video. Just make sure your Mum ain’t home when you watch the original.