Michael Jackson Music Videos
10. “Scream”
The Grammy-winning sci-fi themed video for 1995’s duet with sister Janet Jackson cost a cool $7 million—at the time the most expensive music video ever made, and it wasn’t even in color.
9. “Rock With You”
A microphone, a green laser light and a diamond jumpsuit are all Jacko needed to bring this late-disco hit to the screen.
8. “Smooth Criminal”
If the image of breaking out of prison in a crisp, white suit and matching fedora isn’t enough for you, how about the hypnotic dance moves, including the gravity-defying “lean” move?
7. “Man in the Mirror”
In his ode to peace and racial harmony, Jackson steps aside to show his global audience clips from major events and key historical figures. John F. and Robert Kennedy, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Desmond Tutu, John Lennon, Mahatma Gandhi and Rosa Parks all appear in the video.
6. “Black or White”
MJ’s classic 1991 “Black or White” video starts with a short featuring Jackson’s friends Macauley Culkin, Tess Harper and George Wendt. An archetypal story of youth in rebellion, Culkin’s character is clearly playing rock music too loudly in his bedroom. When his father (played by Wendt) tells him to turn it down, Culkin’s character responds by literally blowing him away with a guitar amplifier. From there, the video shows Jackson surrounded by a variety of cultures, reinforcing the song’s message of racial harmony. The end of the video introduced audiences to “morphing.” Watch out for a young Tyra Banks!
5. “The Way You Make Me Feel”
This video features Jackson trying to woo actress Tatiana Thumbtzen. Ever persistent, the King of Pop ultimately succeeds, with a fire hydrant spraying.
4. “Bad”
While most people are familiar with the 4-minute version of the video, with Jackson leading a troupe of dancers through an abandoned subway station. The full, 16-minute version is a venerable short film. Directed by Martin Scorsese, it features Jackson returning from an upper-class prep school to his home neighborhood and friends (led by Wesley Snipes). Like a lot of Jackson’s work, the piece is ultimately about living with one’s racial identity.
3. “Billie Jean”
In his autobiography, Jackson said of “Billie Jean”: “I knew it was going to be big when I was writing it.” The video, with its iconic light-up sidewalk, was the first to arguably bring MTV into the mainstream. It was also one of the first videos by a black artist played heavily by the network.
2. “Beat It”
Featuring an ensemble cast that included 80 genuine gang members, the video for “Beat It” gave audiences one of the more iconic images of Michael, that of him leading a group of synchronized dancers in his signature red leather jacket. West Side Story never looked so cool.
1. “Thriller”
Arguably the greatest music video of all-time, this 14-minute mini-epic has more plot than most B horror movies. With over 819 million views on YouTube as on 2022, it’s clearly a modern classic.
BONUS: The First Moonwalk
At the 20th anniversary of Motown Records on March 25, 1983, Michael Jackson unveiled what came to be remembered as his signature dance move: the Moonwalk. Fred Astaire, an idol of Michael’s, called him the next day to say, “You’re a helluva mover.” Check it out at 3:49. Next, See Inside Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch
