66/100 Video - "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" - The Smiths (1987)

The video for "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" may only show vocalist Morrissey, but much of the magic in the song is crafted by guitar wizard Johnny Marr. 

From start to finish, the guitars shimmer on arguably the most gorgeously polished production of their five-year career. The Smiths broke up just weeks before the single had been released. The Smiths legacy was quality over quantity (72 songs over 6 years), as well as being the indie UK rock band of the 80s, soon to influence a brand new British invasion to come in the 90s.

Back to the single, a song about lies, obsession, drinking, fisticuffs and a bicycle accident: leave it to Moz to come up a creative way to describe a crossbar hitting his junk as "The pain was enough to make a shy, bald buddhist reflect and plan a mass-murder." Incidently, the song was banned from daytime airplay on the BBC due to a recent massacre.

The unique video features Morrissey and a gang of bespectacled clones wearing Smiths shirts riding bicycles around Manchester on Coronation Street and past iconic venues like the Salford Boys Club and the Strangeways prison. In fact, the 'cycle with Morrissey' theme resulted from a call out to fans. Read the cool story from a New Zealand participant here.

Currently unchecked on my bucket list, one of these years I hope to make a pilgrimage to Manchester to visit these and other iconic landmarks that part of the history of some of my favourite bands like New Order, Joy Division, The Smiths and others.

The carefree cycling reminds me of my own childhood biking adventures on my trusty 10-speed, riding helmet-free from the trailer court in Dartmouth across town, over the bridge and throughout Halifax, unbeknownst to my parents. 

67/100 Video - "Why Can't I Be You?" - The Cure (1987)

"Why Can't I Be You?" by The Cure is one of the band's coolest videos.

With Robert leading the charge, the band members gyrate to the music like they are filming a workout video. 

The numerous costume changes, which include Robert Smith in a furry bear suit, show us how much the band enjoyed filming it.

I always cringe when I hear non-fans call The Cure a "Goth" band. 

The Cure has a song for every mood. 

And "Why Can't I Be You?" is pure happiness and joy. 

68/100 Video - "Venus" - Bananarama (1986)

A long, long time ago, more than a decade before The Spice Girls, there was Bananarama.

"Venus" by Bananarama was immediately catchy, easily among the best cover songs of the decade.

Released when I was seventeen years old, I tuned in primarily to see the three girls dance and flail about.

There appeared to be choreography for the dance moves, but the girls preferred tomfoolery.

Siobhan, the shorter blonde, was always my favourite.

69/100 Video - "Helena Beats" - Foster the People (2011)

 

"Helena Beats" by Foster the People is my top pick in the category of post-apocalypse videos. 

Our musical hero plays a sort of Mad Max character while the gang of kids he encounters are straight out of Lord of the Flies.

You'll either find the video kind of creepy or super cool. 

70/100 Video - "Sour Girl" - Stone Temple Pilots (1999)

There's lots to unpack here.

Giant evil Teletubbies. A gyrating Scott Weiland. 

And a dark Sarah Michelle Gellar, who was a huge fan of the band. At the time, Gellar was a rising star with her TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and movies.

The clip features little people in costumes that look like the Teletubbies, which were big at the time. Scott claimed this was just a coincidence, and that the creatures are based on a dream he had.

Apparently the teletubby thingies represent an unhealthy addiction that doesn't seem as bad as it is.

Storax Sedan (YouTube comments) offers these great insights below which seem to be spot on:

The lighting is bright and warm which signifies the band members thinking they're happy. But when the lighting gets cold and dark, Sara shows Scott that those teletubby things are truly vile, evil, that they're not a true path to happiness and that he doesn't need them anymore. Then after, when the lighting goes back to the bright and warm, Scott is shown with Sarah dancing showing that he is truly happy with her and doesn't need the teletubbies to be happy, until she leaves him. Then the lighting goes back to the cold and dark and he relapses and caves back into his addiction as he walks away with the teletubbies hands in his.