7 Greatest Rock Music Videos You Need To Watch Today

Warning: Some Are Pretty Creepy

You’ll end up watching these over and over again.

1. Radiohead – “Just”

This will appeal to your curiosity. And even at the end, you’ll end up with so many questions you might regret watching this in the first place. It’s not disturbing but it’s open to interpretation and there are various speculations what the ending could mean. The whole video didn’t use plenty of visuals but there’s something about it that instantly hooks you. At first, it’s like a typical ‘90s MV but when one of the characters asked, “Why are you lying in the middle of the pavement?” it will pique your curiosity. And it will make you wonder and think. It’s a lot like watching the ending of “Black Swan” or “Inception.” And the thing is, no one truly knows what it meant. Radiohead and their director never revealed anything and we’re left with nothing but assumptions. Some say it’s about ‘herd mentality’ while others believe it’s a representation of what depression feels like. Well, we can only guess.

2. Soundgarden – “Black Hole Sun”

Can we just say this might give you nightmares? It’s a lot like being in a room with smiling mannequins and porcelain dolls with that creepy, fixed gaze. It was meant to give the viewer some apocalyptic imagery and while the characters in the video were laughing and all, there was something dark about it. When he wrote it, Chris Cornell said that, “It’s just sort of a surreal dreamscape, a weird, play-with-the-title kind of song.” And that’s probably why according to guitarist Kim Thayil, it’s one of the few MVs they’ve had that they were really satisfied with. The band also added, “Our take on it was that at that point in making videos, we just wanted to pretend to play and not look that excited about it.” There’s also another version of the MV with more elaborate visual effects especially with how the ‘black hole’ looked. But of course, we still prefer the original.

3. Nirvana – “Heart-Shaped Box”

It’s weird and disturbing especially with the scene of the little girl standing near a hospital bed. That certainly gave us the chills. It’s beautiful but unnerving all the same. It basically has all the elements of every sane person’s nightmare (minus smiling clowns though) – from the emaciated man to the field of poppies and the human fetuses. It’s visually arresting, like a scene from The Wizard of Oz but there are dark and interesting elements peppered throughout the video too. It was Kurt Cobain who came up with most of the ideas incorporated in the music video. And aside from winning two MTV Video Movie Awards (Best in Art Direction and Best Alternative Video), the ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ MV also made it to the list of “The 30 All-TIME Best Music Videos” by Time Magazine. Earlier this year, by the way, Dave Grohl was reunited with the little girl in the video Kesley Rohr.

4. Metallica – “Turn The Page”

This is seriously heartbreaking. Watch until the end and it will hit you right in the feels. It will probably even move you to tears. It’s a dark portrait of a single mother struggling to raise her daughter. The entire video shows a day in the life of someone who works as a stripper by day and prostitute by night. There are also severely disturbing parts like when the little girl (who was left in another room as her mom strips and dances) gets bored and starts playing with the props and makeup. Another one is when she saw her mother beaten and goes to comfort her. According to Metallica’s publicist Joel Amsterdam, “They used the video as a metaphor for loneliness in general and the kind of toll that takes on people’s lives.” It’s pretty hard to watch actually especially because you know the worst is yet to come.

5. Pearl Jam – “Jeremy”

Don’t you just love it when music videos present stories of real people and also when musicians tackle various social issues such as bullying, and abuse? This hits you so hard and it just really gets to you. From the news clips at the beginning to the taunting done by his classmates in school and even the shots of phrases, words and bible verses – the song and MV are still so relevant today. It depicts a haunting and disturbing truth. According to director Mark Pellington, “I think that video tapped into something that has always been around and will always be around. You’re always going to have peer pressure, you’re always going to have adolescent rage, you’re always going to have dysfunctional families.” It’s no wonder this became very controversial. There’s an unedited version where the gun during the later part of the MV is shown. The message is clear and powerful.

6. Guns ‘n Roses – “November Rain”

You can say all you want about that wedding scene but Slash stole the show with his swagger and typical all-black ensemble. And as for the music itself, many consider it as the Axl Rose’s magnum opus. The narrative style is haunting because you’re well aware that something’s up and that it won’t be a ‘happily ever after’ for the newlywed couple especially after Slash starts shredding on the solo with a small church as his background. At the time, this was the most expensive music video ever created at $1.5M including the bridal gown. Like us, you’re probably wondering how the wife dies because we only see her in the casket with Axl Rose and the rest of the boys mourning. No one actually confirmed or said anything but since the whole MV is loosely based on Del James’ short story ‘Without You’ where a musician tries to cope with his girlfriend’s suicide, then we can safely assume the bride killed herself.

7. Marilyn Manson – “Sweet Dreams”

Of course this music video is going to be dark, creepy and horrifying. What else would you expect from Marilyn Manson? If you heard the song first, you know you’re about to have nightmares instead of ‘Sweet Dreams.’ And the visuals? Man, it’s like a scene from the American Horror Story: Asylum, only this one’s set in an abandoned building. From the woman in a long, flowy white dress who was later revealed as Manson (yes, there’s nothing scarier than that) to him wandering around while wearing a tutu – it’s so frightening that it toppled Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ as the “Scariest music video ever made” according to Billboard. According to co-writer David Steward, “the video was one of the scariest things I’d seen at the time.” You can’t un-see this though so make sure you watch it with the lights on or better yet, during the day. It’s not a very good idea if it’s in the middle of the night.