When you hear a song you love, you can’t wait for the music video to come out so you can have a new way of experiencing it.
But what if a song is just so-so? Well, thanks to the visual wonders of some brilliant music videos, it elevates everything, making it seem better than before.
That’s what happened with these 10+ music videos that are way better than the actual song.
Taylor Swift – ‘The Man’
The first time I watched this, I had no idea it was Taylor Swift the whole time. THAT’S HOW GOOD IT IS.
She completely brings her lyrics to life by expertly portraying how easy some men have it. She even had her dad and Dwayne Johnson appear in the vid.
Ariana Grande – ‘God Is a Woman’
The song is amazing, but once you add the music video, it becomes a visual masterpiece.
Ariana swims around in gorgeous pastel colors and uses so much symbolism to make a strong point about feminism.
A-ha – ‘Take on Me’
“You can’t hear that song without visualizing the music video in your head. Even people who’ve never heard that song would recognize the music video. I’d put that up there in my top 5 music videos of all time without question.” – Redditor THE_LANDLAWD
Lady Gaga Feat. Beyoncé – ‘Telephone’
The song is pretty “eh” compared to Lady Gaga’s other hit tracks, but the music video is something else.
Fans get to see the collaboration of Gaga and Beyoncé brought to life, as they play a modern-day version of Thelma and Louise.
Sia – ‘Chandelier’
It’s the video that made Sia and Dance Moms star, Maddie Ziegler, household names.
While Maddy dances around in a beige leotard, you can’t help but keep your eyes on her the entire time. Her fluid movements add so much emotion and depth to the lyrics.
Taylor Swift – ‘Look What You Made Me Do’
The song isn’t Taylor’s best, but what does that matter when you have a music video like this?
This was Taylor’s comeback and oh boy, did she deliver. She dished out so much shade and even played different versions of herself throughout the years.
Marshmello ft. Bastille – ‘Happier’
Okay, yes, the fact that there is an adorable puppy makes this video 100x better.
There’s also an emotional story in it with the video’s lead (Miranda Cosgrove) that will have you feeling all the feels.
LSD Feat. Sia, Diplo, and Labrinth – ‘Genius’
“This whole video is just satisfying to watch. It goes so well with the music that I can’t really separate the two, even when listening to the song by itself.” – Redditor u/springicon
Katy Perry – ‘California Gurls’
The song is super catchy, but it’s definitely the definition of bubblegum pop.
Thankfully, this sort of style works for the video, which gives viewers candy galore, animated creatures, a naked Katy Perry in fun wigs, and, of course, Snoop Dogg.
Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson – ‘Symphony’
“The song was just normal before but the video destroyed me emotionally and gave me a new way to see the lyrics. Love it.” -Redditor deleted
You will definitely need some tissues if you decide to watch it.
Lil Dicky – ‘$ave Dat Money’
“The behind the scenes video cracked me up. The look of enjoyment on T-Pain’s face when Dicky was at his video shoot made me smile from ear to ear.” – Redditor THE_LANDLAWD
Childish Gambino – ‘This Is America’
This is what you call a powerful video.
With the Black Lives Matter movement becoming more prevalent than ever, this video is a must-watch. There are a lot of important references to police brutality that will have you feeling woke.
Iggy Azalea Feat. Charlie XCX – ‘Fancy’
Her career may be in the dumps right now, but at least the rapper will always have this video.
In it, she portrayed everyone’s favorite ’90s heroine, Cher, from Clueless and it was EVERYTHING.
Bloodhound Gang – ‘The Bad Touch’
If you listened to this song as a kid, you probably forgot how_highly_ suggestive the lyrics are.
Maybe everyone forgot because we were too busy dancing along to a bunch of dudes dressed up as monkeys and creating chaos?
Paula Abdul – ‘Opposites Attract’
“It’s one of her most known songs today and it’s pretty much because her duet partner is an animated cat.” – Redditor virtualpig
Let’s be real: I’ll take a video of a singing cat any day.
Beyoncé – ‘Formation’
In the wise words of Kayne, “Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.”
This was the case with this powerful visual representation of empowerment. Like Donald Glover’s video, she tackles intense subjects, such as police brutality.
Queen – ‘I Want To Break Free’
“I don’t know, I’ve never liked the song that much, I do like it quite a bit of course, but what stood out to me really was the Music Video. It was original, it was funny and had substance, everything an 80’s music video needs!” – Redditor ManOfTales
Ariana Grande – ‘Thank U Next’
The song is good, but the music video is greater. It takes viewers on a trip down romantic comedy lane with references to Mean Girls , Bring It On , and Legally Blonde .
Plus, you have Kris Jenner playing the role she was meant to play: the “stage mom.”
Billie Eilish – ‘When the Party’s Over’
She may only be 18, but Billie is way ahead of her time.
In this video, the lyrics match the emotion of the video so well, and when she cries out black?? Wow. Hauntingly unique.
