Original Version
1. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
2. Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”
3. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
4. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
5. Bruno Mars – “When I Was Your Man”
6. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
7. Swedish House Mafia – “Don’t You Worry Child”
8. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
9. Justin Timberlake ft. Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
10. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
11. The Script ft. will.i.am – “Hall of Fame”
12. A$AP Rocky ft. Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar – “F**kin’ Problems”
13. Alicia Keys – “Girl on Fire”
14. P!nk – “Try”
15. Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj – “Beauty and a Beat”
16. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
17. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
18. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
19. Phillip Phillips – “Home”
20. Ke$ha – “C’Mon”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Little Talks
2. Thrift Shop
3. Try
4. Girl on Fire
5. C’Mon
6. It’s Time
7. Home
8. Ho Hey
9. Sweet Nothing
10. I Knew You Were Trouble
11. Don’t You Worry Child
12. Suit & Tie
13. F**kin’ Problems
14. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)
15. When I Was Your Man
16. Scream & Shout
17. Catch My Breath
18. Beauty and a Beat
19. Daylight
20. Hall of Fame
Nice to see Tegan and Sara and Alabama Shakes on the Countdown Contenders, but you know who else we need to hear from? Atmosphere. (Check out the latest Target Everyday Collection commercial.)
Original Version
1. Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
2. Alicia Keys – “Girl on Fire”
3. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
4. P!nk – “Try”
5. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
6. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
7. Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
8. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
9. Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
10. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Wanted”
11. fun. – “Carry On”
12. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
13. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
14. Bruno Mars – “When I Was Your Man”
15. Matchbox Twenty – “Overjoyed”
16. Emeli Sandé – “Next to Me”
17. Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida – “Troublemaker”
18. Bon Jovi – “Because We Can”
19. Neon Trees ft. Kaskade – “Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night)”
20. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Little Talks
2. Locked Out of Heaven
3. Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night)
4. Thrift Shop
5. Try
6. Girl on Fire
7. It’s Time
8. Sweet Nothing
9. Carry On
10. Troublemaker
11. I Knew You Were Trouble
12. Next to Me
13. When I Was Your Man
14. I Will Wait
15. Wanted
16. Scream & Shout
17. Catch My Breath
18. Daylight
19. Overjoyed
20. Because We Can
Original Version
1. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
2. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
3. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
4. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
5. Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
6. Justin Timberlake ft. Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
7. Swedish House Mafia – “Don’t You Worry Child”
8. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
9. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
10. A$AP Rocky ft. Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar – “F**kin’ Problems”
11. Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj – “Beauty and a Beat”
12. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
13. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
14. Alicia Keys – “Girl on Fire”
15. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
16. Phillip Phillips – “Home”
17. P!nk – “Try”
18. Ke$ha – “C’Mon”
19. The Script ft. will.i.am – “Hall of Fame”
20. Pitbull ft. TJR – “Don’t Stop the Party”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Little Talks
2. Locked Out of Heaven
3. Girl on Fire
4. C’Mon
5. Try
6. Thrift Shop
7. It’s Time
8. Home
9. Ho Hey
10. Sweet Nothing
11. I Knew You Were Trouble
12. Don’t You Worry Child
13. Suit & Tie
14. F**kin’ Problems
15. Scream & Shout
16. Catch My Breath
17. Don’t Stop the Party
18. Beauty and a Beat
19. Daylight
20. Hall of Fame
2012 was not the best year for music videos, which is fair because 2011 was perfectly solid, and 2010 gave us some true standard-bearers. Meanwhile, 2012 was an excellent year for movies, while 2011’s cinematic output was relatively lackluster. You win some, you lose some. 2012’s music videos were not as filled with interesting narratives and unique, groundbreaking concepts as much as other recent years. That lack may explain why striking imagery carried the day for the best of 2012; “beautiful” is probably my most frequently used word to describe my top 10, and I don’t remember ever being as complimentary of the cinematography as I am this year.
1. Lana Del Rey – “Ride” [Dir. Anthony Mandler]
Who makes videos like this one anymore? Who ever made videos like this? Sure, there have been plenty of long-form music videos (and plenty of classic ones at that), but nothing quite like the baroque extravaganzas from Ms. Del Rey. This video’s whole story of Lana as this lost girl may just be completely made up. Or maybe it’s not. Either way, it’s aggressively fascinating. The lingering, lascivious camera, the wild mix of patriotism and Native American props and imagery, the wide-open cinematography, the tire swing connected to the sky – surely, this was what music videos were invented for.
2. M.I.A. – “Bad Girls” [Dir. Romain Gavras]
Leave it to M.I.A. – the best political music video provocateur around – to make a video of car drifting a statement of support for Saudi women drivers. The widescreen cinematography is beautiful, while M.I.A. and the other drifters are badass. Those two elements are enough on their own to make a memorable video. The feminist message would also be enough by itself. Somehow, together, they are synergistic.
3. Lana Del Rey – “National Anthem” [Dir. Anthony Mandler]
Lana Del Rey casting herself as Jackie O. surely must mean something. A$AP Rocky as JFK is intriguing, to say the least. The grainy, home-video style footage also captures the attention. I am not sure what it all means together, and I am not sure Lana knew either when she made it. Meaning often comes after creation. Now that this attention grabber of a video has been made, let’s see if we can find some meaning out of it. Lana is making an American myth of herself – surely something must stick.
4. Katy Perry – “Wide Awake” [Dir. Tony T. Datis]
Katy Perry used to strike me as, not exactly artificial – synthetic, perhaps. Now that she has made it to the point of her career where “Wide Awake” stands, I realize she may be the most authentic pop star out there. Hers is a finely put-together package, sure, but there is honesty in the assembly. She’s lived enough that she’s not going to blindly accept the fairy tale life she has aspired to, and she’s got the imagery to prove it, particularly the Freddy Krueger-esque paparazzo.
5. Psy – “Gangnam Style”
I’m not overly familiar with K-Pop, so I will just take Psy’s word when he says that “Gangnam Style” is a satire of the K-Pop aesthetic. I am familiar, however, with videos in which guys are blown away by ladies’ hindquarters, and “Gangnam” takes that trope to beautiful extremes. And the horsey dance – that happened.
6. David Byrne & St. Vincent – “Who” [Dir. Martin de Thurah]
In this black and white stunner from David Byrne and St. Vincent, the two of them look forward – never towards the camera – with cold eyes, but there is passion in their bodies. They are practically compelled to complete their dancing mission. Even St. Vincent’s lying on the ground is incredible posing. A triumph of physicality.
7. Ke$ha – “Die Young” [Dir. Darren Craig]
Guess what, world? The joke’s on you: there is a lot going on in the “Die Young” video, but none of it means anything! And that’s the way it’s always been with K-girl. Indeed, it is true that there is a mess of Illuminati symbols present in this video, as there have been in many recent pop videos. But it’s always been a bunch of noise. Ke$ha lays to rest the idea that it was ever anything else. (Or tricks us into thinking so…) So let’s all just have an orgiastic time.
The “Radioactive” video features a puppet fight in the style of a cockfight. I don’t know if that’s supposed to be a commentary on animal rights or something like that. Or how it has anything to do with the song, for that matter. But with Lou Diamond Phillips, Alexandra Daddario and her incredibly deep eyes, and those puppets, how can I say no?
9. Woodkid – “Run Boy Run” [Dir. Yoann Lemoine]
I am not sure if the “Run Boy Run” video means much beyond what it is on its surface: a boy on a quest. But does it need to be anything more than that? A young boy’s imagination run wild is perfect fodder for a music video: chased by monsters while on the way to a castle – that’s something to watch. Plus, the whole thing just looks beautiful.
10. Calvin Harris – “Feel So Close” [Dir. Vincent Haycock]
The video for “Feel So Close” captures the feeling of bliss that the song also captures so well. With its montage of spirited dancing, kissing, playful banter, and smiling among young and old, male and female, with an M&M-worthy color palette set against a sunny summer day leading into the sunset, this living in the moment is about as close to heaven life can get.
Original Version
1. P!nk – “Try”
2. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
3. Alicia Keys – “Girl on Fire”
4. Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
5. Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
6. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
7. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
8. Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
9. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
10. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
11. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
12. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
13. Pitbull ft. TJR – “Don’t Stop the Party”
14. fun. – “Carry On”
15. Lifehouse ft. Natasha Bedingfield – “Between the Raindrops”
16. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
17. Neon Trees ft. Kaskade – “Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night)”
18. Emeli Sandé – “Next to Me”
19. Matchbox Twenty – “Overjoyed”
20. Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida – “Troublemaker”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Little Talks
2. Locked Out of Heaven
3. Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night)
4. Girl on Fire
5. Try
6. It’s Time
7. Sweet Nothing
8. Carry On
9. Ho Hey
10. Troublemaker
11. I Knew You Were Trouble
12. Next to Me
13. I Will Wait
14. Wanted
15. Scream & Shout
16. Don’t Stop the Party
17. Catch My Breath
18. Daylight
19. Overjoyed
20. Between the Raindrops
Speaking of Ke$ha, did y’all see Puppy Ke$ha on Conan Monday night?
Original Version
1. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
2. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
3. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
4. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
5. Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
6. Justin Timberlake ft. Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
7. Swedish House Mafia – “Don’t You Worry Child”
8. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
9. Phillip Phillips – “Home”
10. A$AP Rocky ft. Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar – “F**kin’ Problems”
11. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
12. P!nk – “Try”
13. Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj – “Beauty and a Beat”
14. Alicia Keys – “Girl on Fire”
15. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
16. Pitbull ft. TJR – “Don’t Stop the Party”
17. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
18. The Script ft. will.i.am – “Hall of Fame”
19. Ke$ha – “C’Mon”
20. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Little Talks
2. Locked Out of Heaven
3. Girl on Fire
4. C’Mon
5. Try
6. Thrift Shop
7. It’s Time
8. Home
9. Ho Hey
10. Sweet Nothing
11. I Knew You Were Trouble
12. Don’t You Worry Child
13. Suit & Tie
14. F**kin’ Problems
15. Scream & Shout
16. Catch My Breath
17. Don’t Stop the Party
18. Beauty and a Beat
19. Daylight
20. Hall of Fame
Original Version
1. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
2. Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
3. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
4. P!nk – “Try”
5. Alicia Keys – “Girl on Fire”
6. Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
7. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
8. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
9. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
10. Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
11. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
12. Pitbull ft. TJR – “Don’t Stop the Party”
13. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
14. Neon Trees ft. Kaskade – “Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night)”
15. Matchbox Twenty – “Overjoyed”
16. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Stars”
17. Lifehouse ft. Natasha Bedingfield – “Between the Raindrops”
18. Jason Mraz – “93 Million Miles”
19. Phillip Phillips – “Home”
20. Gavin DeGraw – “Soldier”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Locked Out of Heaven
2. Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night)
3. Girl on Fire
4. Try
5. It’s Time
6. Sweet Nothing
7. Home
8. Ho Hey
9. I Knew You Were Trouble
10. I Will Wait
11. Wanted
12. Scream & Shout
13. Stars
14. Don’t Stop the Party
15. Catch My Breath
16. Daylight
17. Soldier
18. 93 Million Miles
19. Overjoyed
20. Between the Raindrops
Original Version
1. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
2. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
3. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
4. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
5. Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
6. Swedish House Mafia – “Locked Out of Heaven”
7. Pitbull ft. TJR – “Don’t Stop the Party”
8. Phillip Phillips – “Home”
9. Nicki Minaj ft. Justin Bieber – “Beauty and a Beat”
10. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
11. P!nk – “Try”
12. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
13. The Script ft. will.i.am – “Hall of Fame”
14. Flo Rida – “I Cry”
15. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
16. Rihanna – “Diamonds”
17. Alicia Keys – “Girl on Fire”
18. fun. – “Some Nights”
19. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
20. Ed Sheeran – “The A Team”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Little Talks
2. Locked Out of Heaven
3. Diamonds
4. Girl on Fire
5. Try
6. It’s Time
7. Home
8. I Cry
9. Ho Hey
10. Thrift Shop
11. Sweet Nothing
12. Some Nights
13. I Knew You Were Trouble
14. Don’t You Worry Child
15. Scream & Shout
16. The A-Team
17. Catch My Breath
18. Don’t Stop the Party
19. Beauty and a Beat
20. Hall of Fame
Original Version
1. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
2. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
3. P!nk – “Try”
4. Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
5. Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
6. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
7. The Script ft. will.i.am – “Hall of Fame”
8. Alicia Keys – “Girl on Fire”
9. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
10. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
11. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
12. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Stars”
13. Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
14. Matchbox Twenty – “Overjoyed”
15. Pitbull ft. TJR – “Don’t Stop the Party”
16. Maroon 5 – “Daylight”
17. Phillip Phillips – “Home”
18. Neon Trees ft. Kaskade – “Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night)”
19. Lifehouse ft. Natasha Bedingfield – “Between the Raindrops”
20. Jason Mraz – “93 Million Miles”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Locked Out of Heaven
2. Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night)
3. Girl on Fire
4. Try
5. It’s Time
6. Sweet Nothing
7. Home
8. Ho Hey
9. I Knew You Were Trouble
10. I Will Wait
11. Wanted
12. Scream & Shout
13. Stars
14. Don’t Stop the Party
15. Catch My Breath
16. Daylight
17. 93 Million Miles
18. Overjoyed
19. Between the Raindrops
20. Hall of Fame
Original Version
1. Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
2. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
3. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
4. Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
5. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
6. Swedish House Mafia – “Don’t You Worry Child”
7. Pitbull ft. TJR – “Don’t Stop the Party”
8. Phillip Phillips – “Home”
9. Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj – “Beauty and a Beat”
10. P!nk – “Try”
11. A$AP Rocky ft. Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar – “F**kin’ Problems”
12. Psy – “Gangnam Style”
13. Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
14. Flo Rida – “I Cry”
15. Rihanna – “Diamonds”
16. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
17. fun. – “Some Nights”
18. The Script ft. will.i.am – “Hall of Fame”
19. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
20. Kelly Clarkson – “Catch My Breath”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Little Talks
2. Locked Out of Heaven
3. Diamonds
4. Try
5. Gangnam Style
6. It’s Time
7. Home
8. I Cry
9. Ho Hey
10. Thrift Shop
11. Sweet Nothing
12. Some Nights
13. I Knew You Were Trouble
14. F**kin’ Problems
15. Don’t You Worry Child
16. Scream & Shout
17. Catch My Breath
18. Don’t Stop the Party
19. Beauty and a Beat
20. Hall of Fame
Jmunney's Blog 