Mirwais - Disco Science (2000)
In this clip the exposed woman is portrayed as threatening to the video's zen-like samurai hero (played by Mirwais himself). Models in kabuki makeup and kimonos disarm and stun him by baring their breasts and shooting yellow light beams at him. They then proceed to fasten Mirwais to a large S&M device and coerce him into a large orgy.
Despite the heady content and Mirwais eventual ascension to fame as a producer (he helped helm Madonna's Music (2000), American Life (2003), and Confessions On A Dance Floor (2005)), the clip isn't well known. The song is more associated with its inclusion in Guy Richie's Snatch (2000).
directed by Stephane Sednaoui
Kid Rock - Cowboy (1999)
Fusing together elements of road movie, rap video and porn, Cowboy barrages the viewer with what constitutes male fantasy. There is gambling, drinking, violence, cars... even a slapstick fight between two midgets (one played by Gary Coleman) while Ron Jeremy provides vaudville-like piano accompaniment. That's frat-house comedy right there. Nevertheless, it was the nudity in this video that garnered the most attention.
What is most notable about this piece is that as it progresses the starkly-lit and sharp cinematography becomes interspersed with shots that are completely different: fuzzy, softly-lit and full of flesh. Images of Kid Rock alternate with images that could have easily been pulled out of assorted late night pay-per-view movies or soft core pornography.
The video was banned and re-cut but word of mouth proved strong. The notoriety that surrounded the single, one of Rock's first, launched him to immediate celebrity status.
directed by David Meyers
Fiona Apple - Criminal (1997)
Apple was only eighteen years old when she starred in this video for her second single off of Tidal (1996). She has had conflicting feelings about it ever since, and has even gone as far as to state in interviews that she felt coerced and exploited upon the video's release.
The video depicts Apple in a number of sexually-toned settings, including the backseat of a car, a public bath and even in a seedly looking home video. It also depicts her in various states of undress and includes a straight-forward stripping sequence. This garnered a lot of controversy and tarnished Apple's image. It has only been recently that she has officially "forgiven" the video's director and stated that it's "a beautiful video."
directed by Mark Romanek
Marilyn Manson - Long Hard Road Out Of Hell (1997)
For this controversial video not only do a pair of models lose their clothing, but Manson as well, dressed in nothing but a pair of black stockings.
Near the end of the video there are a serious of "bullet time" shots (much like the effects in 1999's The Matrix) which depict Manson coupling with the models- as well as an old man- to reveal that the women have incorrect anatomy, or perhaps none at all.
directed by Matthew Rolston
Nine Inch Nails - Closer (1994)
In a nightmarish world inspired by the works of Francis Bacon and Joel-Peter Witkin, Trent Reznor expounds on his tortured psyche and sexual urges. Among the barrage of images are illustrations of vaginas, a microphone resembling a female breast, and the presence of a rather androgynous woman, completely shaved.
directed by Mark Romanek
Madonna - Justify My Love (1990)
In one of the first music videos ever to be banned from MTV, Madonna explores sexual boundaries with an array of colorful characters. Aside from the sexual content, there is no actual nudity on Madonna's part. It is in fact an unnamed actress who exposes herself twice during the clip, at one point wearing garb inspired by Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter (1974).
Despite the ban, Justify My Love only increased Madonna's popularity and notoriety. When it was suggested she would profit from the controversy during an interview she exclaimed, "Yeah, so lucky me!" She ultimately did profit, and continued to collaborate with the clip's director on several more videos.
directed by Jean Baptiste Mondino
Chris Isaak - Wicked Game (1987)
A prime example of "implied nudity," Wicked Game depicts a man (Isaak) and his memories of a lost love (played by the then twenty-one-year-old supermodel Helena Christensen). Most of these memories revolve around a partially nude romp on the beach.
To this day the video and music are inextricably linked. The song remains the most popular of Isaak's catalogue and the video was featured on MTV's Sexiest Video Of All Time countdown.
directed by Herb Ritts
Duran Duran - The Chauffeur (1983)
In an empty parking garage two lesbian lovers meet up before the gaze of a very lucky chauffeur. They proceed to dance with one another in their underwear as a third woman appears and strips down to nothing but a corset. She then proceeds to dance sensually as the chauffeur gets two shows for the price of one, although both are rather confusing.
Either way this would definitely pass for fantasy.
directed by Ian Emes
Duran Duran - Girls On Film (1981)
Originally created to be screened in bars or on pay-per-view, the uncensored version of "Girls On Film" was filmed a mere two weeks before the launch of MTV. The video was later cut to be shown on the channel and caused quite an uproar. However, the controversy only added to the band's popularity.
The video depicts an array of male sexual fantasies, willingly played out by a revolving cast of women. These include mud wrestling, pillow fights, same-sex activity and BDSM. Although the video did help increase sales and the band's popularity, lead singer Simon LeBon lamented it years later, claiming that the video overshadowed the song's real message... about the victimization of fashion models.
directed by Lol Creme & Kevin Godley
Britney Spears - Everytime (2004)
For the most part when there nudity in water it is noticeably brief in a video. That is the case with Britney Spears' "Everytime." Mostly controversial for its violent content (it depicts Spears drowning after suffering a concussion), there is a fleeting overhead shot of the naked singer in the bathtub before her death. The water is "fogged" digitally to disguise the nudity.
This didn't attract as much attention as the violence, however. In the end a shot of Spears resurfacing in the bath was added after the video's conclusion, which once again borders on exposing her.
directed by David LaChapelle
Jewel - Stand (2003)
As an attempt to boost sales of Jewel's album 0304 (2003), "Stand" was released as a single. Because of this there seems to be an air of desperation in the video as Jewel disrobes for a shower. This is strange since the song is about social problems.
In the end the single performed poorly and there were no further releases from the album. It also didn't fare well with her fans.
directed by Chris Applebaum
Kelis - Caught Out There (1999)
For Kelis's debut single, some inexplicable nudity was added to the video in which the singer peruses through polaroids of her boyfriend cheating on her.
This, as well as other aspects of the video, cemented the notion of Kelis being an intense and risk-taking artist. She eventually became a mainstream success with the more sexual "Milkshake" in 2003.
directed by Hype Williams
Janet Jackson - Every Time (1998)
The ever-sexual Miss Jackson spends her entire time onscreen in the buff here, concealed only by clever camera angles, shadows and a sheer piece of blue fabric. However, this single and its revealing video did poorly in sales.
directed by Matthew Rolston
Lisa Stansfield - Never, Never Gonna Give You Up (1997)
In this video a completely nude Stansfield exits an overflowing bathtub and takes to the sidewalk outside her apartment, swept up in the euphoria of finding "what the world is searching for." The video was cut in such a way that it was passed by the censors and aired on MTV and VH1 as well as BET.
directed by Rocky Schenck
Placebo - Protege Moi (2003)
Controversial director Gaspar Noe (Seul Contre Tous, Irreversible) created this homage to the orgy scene from Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999) (which was ironically censored) for a single from Placebo's greatest hits album. In one fluid take the camera follows a pair of young girls through various sexual pairings before having sex in a corner.
Noe later stated in an interview that this video was the only short film where he had been given complete creative control. Not surprisingly, it was banned.
directed by Gaspar Noe
Robbie Williams - Come Undone (2003)
In the fog of a placid morning after and a massive hang over, Robbie Williams trudges throughout a trashed house and flashes back to the evening before. In his memory the furniture is smashed, fights break out, drugs are consumed and conquests are bedded.
The images reach such a seedy climax that the images of nudity and violence begin to mingle with images of death and decomposition (maggots, blood, snakes and so on). The video finally ends with Williams' recollection of a three way with two women- or two men, take your pick- before he collapses into a drunken sleep.
directed by Jonas Akerlund
Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up (1997)
This notorious clip wasn't aired in its complete form until 2002 although it was released in 1997. What takes place is pretty much a first-person account of a cocaine-fueled night on the town that finishes with a sexual encounter between the video's "narrator" and a stripper. It also concludes with shot of the narrator completely nude, which is glimpsed in a mirror.
After the clip's release the single became successful despite its controversy. Shortly after, the director was quickly scouted by Madonna to direct her video for "Ray Of Light" in 1998. That collaboration went on to win "Video Of The Year" at the MTV Video Music Awards and a Grammy for "Best Short Form Music Video." The song continued to be successful as well. It was used in Charlie's Angels (2000) as well as other films.
directed by Jonas Akerlund
Air - Cherry Blossom Girl (2004)
For Air's first single off their album Talkie Walkie, band member Jean-Benoit Dunckel recommended porn director Kris Kramski to helm the project. What resulted was a starkly-lit and foggy series of images centering on an unhappy and isolated girl's descent into pornography and degradation.
Many cuts exist of the video, including a domestic version for the US that is heavily sanitized (omission of the rape scene, no figure modeling, etc.; even the image is brightened). However, what is most problematic in this uncut version is what the final shot implies. After the rape the girl is depicted showering before the band members close in on her in the bathroom and shut the door.
After the release of the video there were rumors that the band members regretted the project. Fans also disliked it since it was a departure from the optimistic videos that accompanied other albums such as Moon Safari (1998). NOTE: Some visual censoring has been applied to images in the video.
directed by Kris Kramski
Korn - Word Up! (2004)
Although many videos depict strippers and prostitutes on the job, Word Up! stands on its own since it depicts the band members as small dogs in a strip joint (through digital manipulation, of course). This enables them to get a privileged "view" of the female patrons and dancers. The video ends with a shot of one of the band members cradled between a dancer's exposed breasts.
There have been reports that the video caused dissention among the group and influenced guitarist Brian "Head" Welch's decision to leave the band.
directed by Antti Jokinen
Massive Attack - Be Thankful For What You've Got (1992)
This banned video details a performance at a high class strip joint, both behind the scenes and before the audience. The camera tracks through the dressing rooms, the backstage area and finally the stage where a dancer lipsynchs the entire track and removes her clothes.
All through this the images create a sense of isolation and banality (but not from lack of trying on the performer's part). The camera remains remote from the performance, there are only a few changes in angles and the audience is never shown. Afterwards, a polite smattering of applause follows the performance and the curtain falls.
directed by Baillie Walsh
Motley Crue - Girls, Girls, Girls (1987)
In this video watching a stripper is the most exciting thing in the world. That's pretty much it. The performers here definitely put every ounce of effort into proving this, and the various strippers and dancers that entertain them do as well. It is, after all, a song from Motley Crue.
directed by Wayne Isham
Tom Waits - The One That Got Away (1979)
In a time termed "Pre-MTV," a rotoscoped short of Tom Waits was made under the title Tom Waits For No One. The animated film details an encounter between Waits and a stripper on a dream-like boulevard. After seeing her in undressed in front of a window, he breathes a semblance of her to life. He croons his song "The One That Got Away" from his album Small Change (1976); she slowly sashays around him and removes her clothes.
At once a bittersweet valentine and a slice of male fantasy, the short ends without any consummation. In fact, the two characters never quite touch another. However, a member of the crew noted that after it was made, "the buzz was out and we went on to create what arguably may be the first music video created for the new and upcoming MTV market." The short went on to win an Academy Award for its ground-breaking technology.
In a way, the first MTV Video Music Award had been given out. And what precursor it was.
directed by John Lamb
A naked woman is suspended and hog-tied in the midst of a cocoon-like parachute (or is bedsheets?), struggling over fluctuating visuals and sounds. By the end it becomes clear this doomed woman will never tear free, turning the piece into a repetitious bad dream.
directed by Moment Factory
Marilyn Manson - (s)AINT (2003)
In a Los Angeles hotel room Marilyn Manson gets shoulder-deep in debauchery. Among these activities are brief images of women gagged and tied as well as hardcore images of women being fingered and stimulated.
The video was banned from broadcast. Subsequently a second version was filmed but Manson made a DVD of the uncut video available through his website. All the more interesting was that this clip had been directed by a woman, albeit a controversial actress/director. She appears in the white wedding dress, whispering in Manson's ear and posing before him while he masturbates.
directed by Asia Argento
Madonna - Erotica (1992)
The bulk of Erotica's footage was compiled during the photoshoots for Madonna's notorious book, Sex, which was released in conjunction with her album Erotica and the film Body Of Evidence (1993).
Although most of the images are constructed fantasy, the most graphic depict Madonna being fitted into an S&M harness and gag as well as the notorious ending shot that depicts her nude and hitchhiking (this was unsimulated, as the motorists were unaware of the camera).
directed by Fabien Baron
Bjork - Cocoon (2002)
An ode to sexual vulnerability, Cocoon focuses on nude Bjork while a suspended red thread begins to expel from her nipples. Half alarmed and half elated, she is eventually enveloped by her emotions and the thread itself.
directed by Eiko Ishioka
Bjork - Pagan Poetry (2001)
With touches of color field art and Sacher-Masoch, this video catalogues Bjork being fitted into a dress that is literally sewn into her skin. Once this is finished, the gown and her flesh are put on full display before she closes the song.
Despite the popularity of some of Bjork's previous videos (such as Human Behavior and Bachelorette), both Pagan Poetry and Cocoon were banned from MTV. MTV2 eventually aired an uncut version of Pagan Poetry to accompany a program on controversial music videos.
directed by Nick Knight
Marilyn Manson - The Dope Show (1998)
In this particular video, female nudity is what defines Manson's "Dope Show" character as vulnerable and alien. It is his anatomical difference that causes the events we see, and unlike his other videos Manson doesn't play the ringmaster or a participant. He is a victim.
As the video draws to a close there is a straight performance featuring Manson and his band. However Manson has embraced the female persona onstage. Or perhaps not. This is intercut with a scene where he destroys multiple doppelgangers of his female, alien self. What this means is open to interpretation.
directed by Samuel Bayer
Alanis Morissette - Thank U (1998)
An exposed yet serene Morissette wanders in public where only a few chosen strangers recognize her presence and vulnerability. For the most part, the nudity seems beside the point. Even Morissette doesn't seem to notice it herself.
Despite the success of the single the video didn't fare well and was re-cut for broadcast in other countries. This could be due to the fact that although the nudity did convey a meaning, it wasn't considered an aesthetic pleasure (which is what most video nudity aims for).
directed by Stephane Sednaoui
Clark - Herr Bar (2007)
Composed of nothing more than scanned photographs of human body parts, Herr Bar becomes a mind-bending trip through what is both anatomy and landscape. Branches are fingers, leaves are vaginal lips and shoulders are mountains. Altogether, the piece becomes a surreal celebration of the human body.
directed by Clemens Kogler
U2 - Original Of The Species (2005)
For this specific song, which was written for the daughter of U2's guitarist, the main focus was on a young girl's self-esteem and glorifying the female body. After a first cut of the video was rejected the director edited a second version centering on Bono's performance, which is delivered directly into the camera.
Throughout the video there is superimposed footage of a nude pregnant woman wrapped in colored veils, making her the second foremost element of the piece. Some blurring was applied to these images, but it is rather minimal.
directed by Catherine Owens
Vincent Gallo - Honey Bunny (2001)
In this piece women are placed on a pedestal, literally. Various women strike frozen poses on a revolving turntable, some in rather precarious positions. Specific body parts are focused on and fetishized as well, making it debatable whether this could be construed as exploitation or as a love letter.
Over the past several years there has been a resurgence of interest in the video since it features a twenty-year-old Paris Hilton, who was rather unknown at the time. Wearing mismatched underwear and positioned on all fours, she appears near the end of the clip. Gallo once claimed this was "the best footage of a girl ever."
directed by Vincent Gallo
George Michael - I Want Your Sex (1987)
In this video, which was rather controversial for its time, the main message is to "explore monagamy." The female body becomes the very object on which Michael scrawls this mantra, and in lipstick nonetheless.
Other shots were found to be troublesome to censors as well, prompting MTV to air the video only late at night and with disclaimer (narrated by Michael) preceding it.
directed by George Michael & Andrew Morahan
