These 20 Music Videos and Music Clips are Best Left Unseen
There is no shortage of music videos and music clips to veg out to these days.
Just about everyone’s seen a music video or two every single week since the 80's.
No matter what your musical genre of choice may be, there’s a music video — nay, videos — for it.
Unfortunately, since the very dawn of MTV and subsequent popularization of music videos, there have been videos best left unseen.
Indeed, some music videos would be better suited to an empty sock drawer (or a coffin) than the convoluted annals of history.
It is here that our journey begins.
We’ve rounded up 20 outrageous music videos and music clips worth avoiding for one reason or another.
Though we’ve purposely omitted gore-shock music videos by Cattle Decapitation, Nine Inch Nails and Necrophagia, we’re sure you’ll find good nightmare fuel in a few of these.
Some of these videos are merely confusing, others disturbing and some downright distressing — almost none should be watched, but we’ve linked them anyway.
Can you resist watching them all?
1. Big Bad Wolf by Duck Sauce
Where’d this come from?
This song and video came from America and was created by an American and Canadian DJ duo known as “Duck Sauce.”
Both the song and its accompanying video released in 2011 under the direction of Spinnin’ Records.
The horrifying video was directed by Keith Schofield, so now you know whose work to avoid.
What’s wrong with it?
This music video features people gallavanting about with human heads where their peckers and hoo-hahs ought to be.
Maybe that’s your thing, but we’re pretty sure it’s not a ‘thing’ at all.
Fun Fact:
Billboard described this very video as “the most disturbing video of 2011.”
2. Frontier Psychiatrist by The Avalanches
Where’d this come from?
“Frontier Psychiatrist” is a single by the Avalanches that was released back in 2000 on their album “Since I Left You.”
Surprisingly, this kooky song is the group’s first to receive commercial success and the video performed exceedingly well. Heaven knows why.
As far as Pitchfork Media were concerned, this song’s music video comes in at #19 on their “Top 50 Music Videos of the 2000s” list.
What’s wrong with it?
Everything. It succeeds quite well in depicting some guy named Dexter who needs therapy in some sort of game show environment.
However, it goes above and beyond with its weirdness — driving the viewer to insanity as well.
Fun Fact:
Apparently, there is actually an alternative video for this song as well.
It features various actors acting out the track’s many instances of dialogue in a variety of scenes and themed Rorschach ink-blots for good measure.
Get us out of here!
3. Little Girls by Oingo Boingo
Where’d this come from?
The Eighties. 1981 saw the release of this track on Oingo Boingo’s full-length debut album titled “Only a Lad.”
CAUTION: This song is dangerously catchy.
In fact, this song is as catchy as it is creepy.
What’s wrong with it?
The title is accurate, but it’s missing the preceding “I Love…”
Yes, it goes precisely where you hope it won’t — with Danny Elfman, the frontman and songwriter in the video kissing a little girl on the lips, resting his head on one’s lap, lying in bed with multiple…
Videos like these are what’s wrong with the world.
Watch it, or better yet, don’t.
Fun Fact:
Lead singer, Danny Elfman, writes film and TV scores now.
His first major motion picture score was Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (that’s not creepy) in 1985 and he’s responsible for creating the Simpsons’ theme song as well.
4. Flash Delirium by MGMT
Where’d this come from?
This song was originally released by MGMT, an American psychedelic rock band.
“Flash Delirium” appeared on their second album, “Congratulations.”
The song’s accompanying mind-slap of a video debuted on the band’s website in March of 2010.
What’s wrong with it?
Singing throat slits birthing forcefully-removed eels and the always-unnecessary appearance of some sort of anus machine take this video to a new realm of wrong.
And no, ‘anus machine’ is not a typo.
Fun Fact:
“Flash Delirium” is one of two MGMT songs used by EA sports in their series of FIFA games.
5. Come to Daddy by Aphex Twin
Where’d this come from?
“Come to Daddy” is the most prominent single on Aphex Twin’s seventh EP.
The EP itself was released in October of 1997 and the lead single’s accompanying music video came out that year as well.
Popular with the Danes, the song peaked on the Danish Singles Chart at 10.
Pitchfork Media placed the song’s disturbing video at number 1 on their list of “Top 50 Music Videos of 1997.”
What’s wrong with it?
Kids with a grown man’s distorted face instead of their own wreaking havoc on unsuspecting victims are weird enough, but a creepy thin naked monster screaming in a poor old woman’s face is much too much.
Note to self, Aphex Twin hates old ladies.
Fun Fact:
Come to Daddy’s infamous music video was directed by Chris Cunningham and captured in the same location a number of A Clockwork Orange scenes were shot.
6. Come on my Selector by Squarepusher
Where’d this come from?
This song came out on Squarepusher’s “Big Loada” EP back in 1997 and its video came out the following year.
What’s wrong with it?
Mental asylum for troubled children + talking dog + acid drum and bass music = a ticking mind-bomb of epic proportions.
Fun Fact:
This is another one of many videos directed by Chris Cunningham, who also directed the video for Aphex Twin’s “Come to Daddy!” (We just told you that!)
Both of these songs start with “Come.”
Coincidence? You be the judge.
7. Tight Pants / Body Rolls by Leslie Hall
Where’d this come from?
Back in 2009, this particular music video was shown at a local show in Ames (likely to the crowd’s collective bewilderment).
On the 1st of February, 2010, Leslie Hall’s abomination of a video attacked Youtube and turned viral with over 11 million views to date.
A winning formula she’s yet to successfully repeat.
What’s wrong with it?
This video’s unabashed humor is actually everything that’s right with it.
Out of shape aerobics, dancing elves and green screens on fleek make this an instant classic among boatloads of less entertaining music videos.
Maybe you should watch this one.
Fun Fact:
Cdbaby.com finished their brief review of the album on which this song appears, “Back 2 Back Palz,” by describing the cd as “bizarre.”
8. Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim
Where’d this come from?
This song’s video was filmed entirely in a Mariott Hotel in Los Angeles back in 2000.
It actually won 6 different awards at MTV’s 2001 Video Music Awards.
What’s wrong with it?
Nothing’s really wrong with it. It’s just weird.
Christopher Walken is a much better dancer than anyone could have anticipated.
Fun Fact:
Christopher Walken trained as a tapdancer in musical theatre before his acting career.
So, clearly, this gig suited him quite well.
9. Rock DJ by Robbie Williams
Where’d this come from?
This song released on the third studio album by Robbie Williams titled “Sing When You’re Winning.”
The album came out in 2000 as did “Rock DJ’s” video.
What’s wrong with it?
This video goes places one simply cannot have foreseen.
It jumps from zero to poor-taste hero in the blink of an eye.
Gruesome in unexpected ways, it is easily one of the most jarringly unanticipated videos on this list.
Fun Fact:
In the Dominican Republic, this weird video was banned due to allegations of Satanism.
Yes, Satanism.
10. I Feel Better by Hot Chip
Where’d this come from?
Released on the 19th of April, 2010, Hot Chip’s song “I Feel Better” is the second single of their fourth studio album.
THe album itself bears the cheeky title “One Life Stand.”
What’s wrong with it?
In a word, lasers.
In more words, lasers shot out of a bald man’s mouth.
Videos featuring such imagery are to be immediately classified as wrong.
Fun Fact:
This video can apparently be found by searching for the phrase “cancer patient Jesus” on Youtube, which says a lot.
11. You are Not Alone by Michael Jackson
Where’d this come from?
This is the well-known second single from “HIStory,” an album by the king of pop himself.
The song is still one of the singer’s best-sellers.
It is also the last number-one hit he produced in his lifetime.
What’s wrong with it?
If asked whether or not they’d like to see an aging Michael Jackson’s semi-nude body in a video, the general public would likely respond with an almost unanimous “NO!”
It’s just not something you need to see.
Fun Fact:
Michael Jackson did not write this song. R. Kelly did.
12. Keep it Goin’ Louder by Major Lazer feat. Nina Sky and Ricky Blaze
Where’d this come from?
This song came out on Major Lazer’s full-length debut album.
The American-made edm band’s first album was titled “Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do.”
So, it would seem they are murderers.
What’s wrong with it?
What with the garish annoying-orange-styled facial effects and vomit-inducing acid-trip imagery, it has all the makings of nightmare-fuel.
Fun Fact:
Major Lazer have made a tremendous amount of music and happened to have produced Snoop Dogg’s debut reggae album.
Yep, they played a part in bringing us the horrors of ‘Snoop Lion.’
13. Gay Bar by Electric Six
Where’d this come from?
The music video, directed by Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire, was recorded in April 2003 at a movie studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
‘Electric Six,’ the group behind “Danger! High Voltage,” brought us this gem of a music video.
The video was recorded in 2003 in Canada by Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire.
What’s wrong with it?
The video is rather well-known for its “Gaybrahams.”
That is, its multiple gay Abraham Lincolns.
You can let that one stew a while or brave the video yourself.
Fun Fact:
Lyrics mentioning war were edited due to their potentially offensive nature since the song made its air debut at the start of the Iraq War.
14. Fatty Boom Boom by Die Antwoord
Where’d this come from?
This South African hip hop group’s music video premiered on the 16th of October in 2012 and it’s a real doozy.
The song it was made for appears on Die Antwoord’s second album titled “Ten$Ion.”
What’s wrong with it?
The most reprehensible aspect has to be the poking fun at Lady Gaga.
Just kidding, her giving birth to a prawn is the real issue here.
Ah, and the blackface… Don’t forget the blackface.
Fun Fact:
Die Antwoord apparently genuinely dislike Lady Gaga (shocker) and the video prompted her to respond on Twitter (such outrage).
15. New Coke by HEALTH
Where’d this come from?
Health’s track, “New Coke,” premiered on the 23rd of April, 2015, just before their album “Death Magic” was released.
The song’s attendant music video was released the same year.
What’s wrong with it?
We’ve described another video in this list as vomit-inducing, but this one takes the cake by inducing said vomit with slow-motion imagery of vomit.
Some might call that poetic genius.
We just call it gross.
Fun Fact:
Rolling Stone called their video the “most disgusting video of the year.”
16. Comin’ On by the Shamen
Where’d this come from?
This was the 6th track on the Shamen’s 5th album, “Boss Drum.”
The video was directed by Nico Beyer and released the same year as the song itself (1992).
What’s wrong with it?
There’s very little right with this video.
It is an atrocity befitting of the descriptor “bad trip.”
A true affront on the senses and, most importantly, quite a joy to watch thanks to the vivacious dancing.
Fun Fact:
Just in case you’re wondering, yes, that is Jason Statham exotic dancing in the background. (Not a joke)
The man has moves.
17. When a Fire Starts to Burn by Disclosure
Where’d this come from?
This song released as part of “Settle,” Disclosure’s debut studio album.
PMR Records and Island records distributed the album back in 2013.
What’s wrong with it?
The religious theme is bizarre, to say the least, and the rewound, looped collective freakout of the congregation is difficult to watch for myriad reasons.
Fun Fact:
This song was actually used in the first season of “The 100,” in episode six.
18. Gloryhole by Steel Panther
Where’d this come from?
All You Can Eat is the third major-label studio album release by American heavy metal band Steel Panther, released on April 1, 2014 on the independent label Open E Music, via Kobalt Label Services. The third single, “Gloryhole”, was released in April 2014 on Steel Panther’s VEVO channel.
Steel Panther’s satirical glam-rock anthics brought this song and music clip into existence on the first of April, 2014.
The band’s VEVO channel saw the initial release of the video and they’ll never be the same.
What’s wrong with it?
It’s definitely entertaining, but also every bit as sexually degenerate as you could imagine.
Actually its far more sexually degenerate than you could imagine.
Fun Fact:
Not the weirdest song on the album by far, “Gloryhole” pales in comparison to brilliantly titled tracks like “Bukkake Tears.”
19. The 7th Element by Vitas
Where’d this come from?
Vitas, the singer of Latvian origin whose songs play in Russia and Ukrain released this music video in 2001.
The video quickly went viral for obvious reasons and the rest is history.
What’s wrong with it?
Vitas works the weird in this one — pulling out his signature praying-mantis dance moves and singing in the strangest head voice any of us have ever witnessed.
It is either the best thing ever or the worst thing ever.
Maybe it’s both somehow.
Fun Fact:
Vitas was fined 100,000 rubles back in 2013 for kicking a policeman.
Vitas fights the power!
20. Deep Down Low by Valentino Khan
Where’d this come from?
Our final entry is Valentino Khan’s “Deep Down low” which was released in 2015
The song reached number one on the “Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists” chart.
What’s wrong with it?
Bad trip. Bad trip. Bad trip!
Tentacle eyes, ladies and gents. Tentacle eyes.
Videos that involve tentacle eyes should not be seen. They simply shouldn’t.
Fun Fact:
In 2015, this song was actually dubbed the ‘most popular song among DJs.’
