The EditoriaList: Ten Best One-Shot Music Videos

posted in: Features • Pop • Rock

The one-take video. Gimmick? Sure, it’s a bit of a gimmick, but we’re talking about music videos here, folks. These are essentially ads made to sell records, so let’s appreciate that the artists and directors here made the effort. And an effort it must be to coordinate some of these more complicated shoots. Oh, you know what I learned? That Rube Goldberg machine video from OK Go was not one-shot. Cheaters! They make the list anyway for their Internet-burning treadmill video. Cheeky bastards.

10. Undone “ Weezer

The video that launched Weezer. It was years before fans stopped asking drummer Pat Wilson to do his little butt-shake dance.

9. You Don’t Know How It Feels “ Tom Petty

I like how amused Petty seems, especially when singing with the showgirl.

Once again, Warner Bros, brilliant move keeping people from spreading your promotional videos.

8. The Denial Twist “ The White Stripes

A clever visual feast, featuring Conan O’Brien. Ultimately a not-quite-as-good version of director Michel Gondry’s much earlier effort, below¦

7. Here It Goes Again “ OK Go

You have to hand it to them, this was genius.

6. Subterranean Homesick Blues “ Bob Dylan

The original one-shot music video, this is beyond iconic, copied and parodied countless times. Look for Allen Ginsberg being weird in the background.

5. Salty Eyes “ The Matches

A modern version of Dylan’s video. I think blackroseXX101 said it best in the comments section on YouTube: I absolutely love this song. o: But, why must_ they destroy televisions? D; <3. We were all thinking it.

4. 1234 “ Feist

In my memory, Bjork’s It’s Oh So Quiet was a one-shot, but my memory has betrayed me once again. If you’re looking for an old-school dance number, though, you can’t go wrong with this one from Feist.

3. What’s A Girl To Do “ Bat For Lashes

Funny, clever, disturbing, and scary all in one. All Donnie Darko and shit.

2. Lucas With The Lid Off “ Lucas (Michel Gondry)

The superior Gondry one-shot video for one-hit-wonder Lucas. There’s so much going on here, it’s like an incredible little multi-media maze-world that can’t possibly have existed, even as a set.

1. Bastards of Young “ Replacements

The ultimate anti-video. So much so that you can’t watch it here. Hey, guess who owns it?

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