Emily Bruce: Directed by the brilliant David Fincher (of ‘Se7en’ and ‘Fight Club’ fame) and taking inspiration from Fritz Lang’s movie ‘Metropolis’, Express Yourself is not only one of my favourite Madonna songs, but my favourite music video. The song is about not settling for less than you deserve and embracing who you are, and Madge addresses gender stereotypes in the video by swapping the roles around – with her all-powerful business suit and lots of half-naked men everywhere doing labour work. She even does her own Jacko-style crotch grab!
Becci Stanley: My favourite music video is Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down by Fall Out Boy. Not really for the video itself though its weird overtones and nifty pop-punk jumps are awesome, but more for the fact that it got me into alternative music when I first saw it. I was utterly transfixed after that – I sought out everything they’d ever written, then bands they had toured with and were like and the rest is history. Their lyrics helped me start writing, and now I’m writing this to be published on a music website, all because of one video.
Beki Kidwell: My favourite music video falls into the brilliant hands of Fatboy Slim, with the song Weapon of Choice. I first saw the video when I was a young girl, and even then, I was captivated. Christopher Walken is not only one of my favourite actors (which may sway my love for this video in the right direction somewhat – the man flies, enough said), but he proves in this ridiculously smooth, irrefutably ‘cool’ video that he is a dancing force to be reckoned with.
Kimberley Manderson: To get me to name my favourite music video is like getting me to name my favourite star in the sky. There are undoubtedly loads and some shine brighter some days. That said, my favourite video of this year would have to be McFly’s effort for their Love Is Easy single. Anyone who is a fan will understand why – there’s references to their previous music videos, album covers and career highs, as well as the fact it’s beautifully simple and staged with basic theatre props. It’s humorous enough not to be too nostalgic, plus they all wear suits. Delightful!
Nicola Sloan: Choosing a favourite music video isn’t an easy choice. There are after all, many great ones. But all my favourites tend to be the ‘weirder’ ones that have an element of symbolism. I chose this video a) because it is a stunning song and b) it’s a pretty amazing video. Made in 1999, the special effects were literally award-winning (it was nominated for a Grammy, amongst others) and still look great now. The imposition of Bjork’s singing face on two pristine white robots is still unsettling, but in a kinda cool way.
Jo Cox: Okay, this isn’t really my all-time favourite video (it’s good, don’t get me wrong) but I’ve chosen it because I got to see it being made and how much effort goes in. There’s a lot to consider – the concept, the story boards, the casting, the location. Then of course you have to actually film it – in this case in a frosty old barn with thick coats and hot water bottles, and edit it all together. Watching the final version I can pick out all the scenes we saw being tweaked and re-shot throughout the day, and I have a better appreciation of what goes into those short few minutes of film. We also got to run on at the end and be in the closing shots, which ticks off a lifetime ambition to feature in a music video.
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