100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time Named By NME

With MTV’s launch on Aug. 1, 1981, the music video took on a whole new level of importance. Classic rock bands like Guns N’ Roses and Aerosmith met the challenge straight on with epic, often uber-expensive short films that ran over and over on the small screen. Since then, every genre and generation has seen its video favorite, from Nirvana’s zombie-like cheerleaders in 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' to Foo Fighters’ hilarious cross-dressing routine for 'Everlong.'

In honor of the launch of NMEVideo.com, NME marshaled a list of their 100 Greatest Videos of All Time. Some picks are no-brainers, ala Soundgarden’s ‘Black Hole Sun’ at No. 4 and Metallica’s ‘Turn the Page’ at No. 25.

But the British rock magazine also ignores some big rock videos (Nirvana’s ‘Spirit’?) and pushes others down the list. Pearl Jam’s ‘Jeremy took No. 56, while Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody fell to No. 70 and Aerosmith’s ‘Janie’s Got A Gun’ took No. 77. Really?

NME’s Top 100 Greatest Videos of All Time:

100. Michael Jackson -- ‘Billie Jean’
99. Simian Mobile Disco -- ‘Hustler’
98. Lykke Li -- ‘Get Some’
97. Flaming Lips -- ‘Watching The Planets’
96. Jay-Z -- ‘Big Pimpin’’
95. Blur -- ‘Parklife’
94. Radiohead -- ‘Street Spirit (Fade Out)’
93. Janelle Monae -- ‘Cold War’
92. Rage Against The Machine -- ‘Sleep Now In The Fire’
91. Madonna -- ‘Borderline’
90. Lauryn Hill -- ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’
89. Human League -- ‘Don’t You Want Me’
88. Peter Gabriel -- ‘Shock The Monkey’
87. Foo Fighters -- ‘Learn To Fly’
86. UNKLE -- ‘Rabbit In Your Headlights’
85. Bright Eyes -- ‘First Day Of My Life’
84. Robyn -- ‘Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do’
83. Jane’s Addiction -- ‘Been Caught Stealing’
82. Pendulum -- ‘Salt In The Wound’
81. Ratatat -- ‘Drugs’
80. Summer Camp -- ‘Round The Moon’
79. Sonic Youth -- ‘Teenage Riot’
78. These New Puritans -- ‘Elvis’
77. Aerosmith -- ‘Janie’s Got A Gun’
76. Bjork -- ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’
75. Rilo Kiley -- ‘Silver Lining’
74. Bonnie Tyler -- ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’
73. The Strokes -- ‘You Only Live Once’
72. Guns N’ Roses -- ‘Estranged’
71. Eminem -- ‘My Name Is’
70. Queen -- ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
69. Outkast -- ‘B.O.B.’
68. Klaxtons -- ‘Twin Flames’
67. Daft Punk -- ‘Da Funk’
66. Coldplay -- ‘The Scientist’
65. R.E.M. -- ‘Imitation Of Life’
64. The Pharcyde -- ‘Drop’
63. Tori Amos -- ‘Spark’
62. Bon Jovi -- ‘Always’
61. Missy Elliott -- ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)
60. Blink-182 -- ‘All The Small Things’
59. The Chemical Brothers -- ‘Let Forever Be’
58. Arcade Fire -- ‘We Used To Wait’
57. The Breeders -- ‘Cannonball’
56. Pearl Jam -- ‘Jeremy’
55. Eurythmics -- ‘Beethoven (I Love To Listen To)’
54. Sinead O’Connor -- ‘Nothing Compares To U’
53. Mark Ronson -- ‘Somebody To Love Me’
52. Smashing Pumpkins -- ‘Tonight, Tonight’
51. Aphex Twin -- ‘Come To Daddy’
50. Nine Inch Nails -- ‘Closer’
49. The Knife -- ‘Pass This On’
48. Kate Bush -- ‘Cloudbusting’
47. Pulp -- ‘This Is Hardcore’
46. Depeche Mode -- ‘Enjoy The Silence’
45. Talking Heads -- ‘Wild Wild Life’
44. Judas Priest -- ‘Breaking The Law’
43. Outkast -- ‘Hey Ya’
42. PJ Harvey -- ‘Down By The Water’
41. Major Lazer -- ‘Pon De Floor’
40. The Replacements -- ‘Bastards Of Young’
39. Radiohead -- ‘Karma Police’
38. The Prodigy -- ‘Firestarter’
37. The White Stripes -- ‘Blue Orchid’
36. Prince -- ‘Raspberry Beret’
35. Kanye West -- ‘Monster’
34. Madonna -- ‘Like A Prayer’
33. The Smiths -- ‘Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before’
32. The Verve -- ‘Bittersweet Symphony’
31. NWA -- ‘Straight Outta Compton’
30. The Streets -- ‘Fit But You Know It’
29. The xx -- ‘Islands’
28. Nada Surf -- ‘Popular’
27. Muse -- ‘Knights Of Cydonia’
26. Wax -- ‘California’
25. Metallica -- ‘Turn The Page’
24. My Chemical Romance -- ‘Helena’
23. Smashing Pumpkins -- ‘1979″
22. Nirvana -- ‘Heart Shaped Box’
21. No Doubt -- ‘New’
20. Blur -- ‘Coffee & TV’
19. Hot Chip -- ‘I Feel Better’
18. The Cure -- ‘Close To Me’
17. Lady Gaga (Feat. Beyonce) -- ‘Telephone’
16. Fatboy Slim -- ‘Praise You’
15. OK Go -- ‘This Too Shall Pass’
14. Vampire Weekend -- ‘A-Punk’
13. MIA -- ‘Born Free’
12. The Horrors -- ‘Sheena Is A Parasite’
11. Hole -- ‘Doll Parts’
10. The Prodigy -- ‘Smack My Bitch Up’
9. Sigur Ros -- ‘Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása’
8. Beastie Boys -- ‘Sabotage’
7. Weezer -- ‘Buddy Holly’
6. Foo Fighters -- ‘Everlong’
5. Bjork -- ‘All Is Full of Love’
4. Soundgarden -- ‘Black Hole Sun’
3. Chris Isaak -- ‘Wicked Game’
2. Radiohead -- ‘Just’
1. Johnny Cash -- ‘Hurt’

Watch Soundgarden's Video for 'Black Hole Sun'