Music videos have started, in the 60s as a cheap way for bands to do free appearances on Tv without the travel expenses, but the birth of MTV in 1981 turned the music videos into a big business.
Of all the expensive music videos ever made, and there are quite a few, the top five are only from two artists: Michael Jackson and Madonna. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise, because those two legends are one of the most unique and outrageous… While the majority of the artists typically use music videos as a way of selling more copies of a certain song or album, these two turned the music video into a form of art, attempting to top themselves with each new project.
Check out the 5 most expensive music videos of all time! Were they worth all that money? We’ll let you decide…
5. “Black Or White” by Michael Jackson (1991)
Black or white was the lead single of Michael Jackson’s Dangerous album. Being fun, meaningful and memorable was some of the things that this video should be. With a cost by 1991 of $4,000,000, the 11-minute adventure premiered at the same time on all music channels (MTV, BET, and VH1) with an estimated 500 million people watching.
4. “Bedtime Story” by Madonna (1995)
“Bedtime Story” is the video that made possible to promote one of the greatest successes singer. It was directed by Mark Romanek it cost $5,000,000. The music video was premiered at movie theatres in New York City, Chicago, and Santa Monica.
3. ‘Express Yourself” by Madonna (1989)
Express Yourself video cost $5 million in 1989, making it the most expensive video ever made at the time. The clip was inspired by 1927 German science fiction film Metropolis was directed by David Fincher.
2. “Die Another Day” by Madonna (2002)
Madonna production for James Bond movie was the best-selling dance song of 2002 and 2003, and its video was nominated for a Grammy. The James Bond-inspired video has the legendary pop star fighting herself, which was a mixture of green screens and intricate and expensive special effects that cost $6,100,000.
1. “Scream” by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson (1995)
The video for Scream the first single off Michael’s HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is one of the albums and videos that everybody remembers seeing for the first time. Taking place on an elaborately-built spaceship set, the mostly black and white treatment shows Michael and Janet having fun, while simultaneously being angry about how the media had been portraying them lately. The production cost $7 million.
