Top 10 Long Form Music Videos

Script written by George Pacheco

Top 10 Long Form Music Videos

The music video is an art form, and these are the musicians who made the most of the medium. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Long Form Music Videos.

For this list, we're ranking the most enduring and popular music videos which possessed a lengthy narrative, plot or dramatic visual style. We will not be considering the 24 hour version of "Happy" from Pharrell Williams, as that video represented more of an experiment than a video watchable by the general public.

#10: “Born Free” (2010)
M.I.A.

Starting off with a music video dripping with controversy, M.I.A.’s “Born Free” is as brutal and harrowing as they come. While the true meaning of the video still has viewers guessing, many believe the violence against the flame-haired youth featured in the short film highlights the absurdity of genocide. The music industry is no stranger to the politically charged video, but few artists can do it as rebelliously as M.I.A - who produced the shocking film without the knowledge of her label. Clocking in at just over nine minutes in length, it’s a track and video you have to experience to believe!

#9: "Runaway" (2010)
Kanye West

The first video on our list clocks in at just over thirty minutes in length, and serves as a promotional film of sorts for Kanye West's 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The clip, which was directed by West, is an homage of sorts to the long form videos and films of old, taking inspiration from not only Michael Jackson's "Thriller," but the cinematic works of Stanley Kubrick and Prince. "Runaway" consists of clips from each song off West's album, held together by beautiful cinematography and a narrative involving Kanye's romance with a mysterious phoenix-woman. It's a daunting work which nevertheless remains remarkably impressive and easy to watch from start to finish.

#8: "Been Around the World" (1997)
Puff Daddy feat. Notorious B.I.G. and Mase

Have you ever wondered what Sean Combs, a.k.a. P. Diddy's career might have looked like had the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy decided to go into globe-trotting espionage, rather than hip-hop and the music industry? Well, Diddy's video for "Been Around the World" indulges in this "what if" scenario, serving up a longform video which features the Bad Boy Records and Sean John entrepreneur as a debonair, in demand super spy. Combs even managed to snag some super talent to appear in the video, including Jennifer Lopez, Vivica A. Fox and Quincy Jones.

#7: "Greedy Fly" (1997)
Bush

Nearly 3 minutes longer than the song it helped promote, this video was also notable for being one of the first to be included with the single. Directed by German filmmaker Marcus Nispel, who was best known for helming genre remakes including reboots of the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Friday the 13th" franchises, this seven minute epic cost the band as much as half a million pounds. "Greedy Fly" possesses a similarly dark and gritty feel to what was present on Nispel's productions, taking a seedy crime drama procedural vibe and running with it for all the band was worth.

#6: “Wake Me Up When September Ends” (2005)

Green Day

Featured as the fourth single of Green Day's American Idiot, “Wake Me Up When September Ends” was already a sad song by itself. But when it was accompanied by a music video directed by the now legendary Samuel Bayer, with intense performances by Evan Rachel Wood and Jaime Bell, as well as a very realistic storyline revolving around a US Marine going off to war, then we had ourselves a real tearjerker. Fans who wanted a video that had a little more to do with the hit album’s concept were disappointed, but those same fans ended up getting what they wanted when “Jesus of Suburbia” eventually dropped.

#5: "From Yesterday" (2006)
30 Seconds to Mars

30 Seconds to Mars are no strangers to referencing works of cinema with their videos, 2005's "The Kill" and its homage to Stanley Kubrick's horror classic "The Shining" for example. The band would tread similar ground a year later with this lengthy video for "From Yesterday," which takes its inspiration from the 1987 film "The Last Emperor." The clip features 30 Seconds to Mars decked out in battle armor against four other masked warriors in a fight to the death intercut with images of the band's performance footage and is notable for being the first American music video to be shot on location in China.

#4: "Fight for Your Right Revisited" (2011)
Beastie Boys

In a throwback to their 1987 classic music video “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)”, the Beastie Boys went out with a bang for this extended version of the music video for their 2011 track “Make Some Noise”. Directed by late Beastie member MCA, "Fight for Your Right Revisited" features an all-star cast including Elijah Wood, Seth Rogen and Danny McBride as the '80s incarnation of the band. This, among a plethora of other all-star cameos and all-out debauchery, make for a great viewing experience that only gets better with every re-watch.

#3: "Stan" (2000)
Eminem

This song and video from Eminem garnered quite a bit of controversy when it was originally released in 2000, thanks to media criticism of the MC's lyrical content and personal behavior. "Stan" told the story of an obsessed fan who writes Eminem increasingly hostile letters, culminating in a murder-suicide with his pregnant girlfriend. The clip itself features actor Devon Sawa performing in convincing fashion as Stan alongside Dido, who also sings the chorus as the girlfriend. It's a powerful clip which addresses the issues of abuse, obsession and tragedy in a dark and realistic fashion.

#2: "Telephone" (2009)
Lady Gaga & Beyoncé

Sex, murder, women in prison...all this and more are featured within this clip for Lady Gaga's "Telephone." The video features the singer alongside Beyoncé as bad girls who stage a breakout from behind bars before driving off in their "Pussy Wagon," a vehicle inspired by Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" films. The duo then make a stop off at a dusty desert diner and proceed to poison all of the customers, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake. It's a bizarre, visually stunning video that may not make total sense, but it's one heck of a lot of fun.

Before we reveal our most top long form video, here are a few honorably epic mentions.

"Walk" (2011)
Foo Fighters

"Snuff"
Slipknot

"Ride" (2012)
Lana Del Rey

"A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More ‘Touch Me’" (2006)
Fall Out Boy

"I Need a Doctor" (2011)
Dr. Dre feat. Eminem and Skylar Grey

#1: "Thriller" (1984)
Michael Jackson

This one's the granddaddy of 'em all. The music video to which all others seek to aspire: the mighty "Thriller" from Michael Jackson. The King of Pop outdid everyone when he collaborated with "An American Werewolf in London" director John Landis for this amazing tribute to classic horror movies. Jackson himself starred as both werewolf and zombie, alongside a troupe of studied and talented dancers, all of whom assist in creating a world of creepy, fantastic imagery. Just as MJ's video clip for "Bad" would smash records years later in 1987, so too did "Thriler" enter the public consciousness with its classic choreography and one-of-a-kind style.

Do you agree with our list? Which long form music video do you think deserves top honors? For more in depth top ten lists, published every day, please subscribe to WatchMojo.com!