The 10 Best Music Videos Of The Decade, Ranked

The 2010s were full of great music and unforgettable music videos that accompanied them. While the prevailing genres in the mainstream ecosystem have mostly been pop, hip hop, and electronic music, the concept of genre is slowly becoming obsolete. Consequently, most musicians are borrowing from different sources and introducing new references to their audiences.

It is not easy to define a genre with ten music videos, but we can certainly look back and reminisce on these major moments in music that will be remembered for years to come. Read below to find out what were some of the very best music videos of the 2010s.

10 “THANK U, NEXT” – ARIANA GRANDE

Ariana Grande’s career had been on a slow buildup since 2015, arguably reaching its all-time high with the release of the Sweetener album in 2018. However, less than a year later, Ari released yet another album, thank u, next, which would go on to become her most successful release to date.

Then, Ariana Grande and her team had the ingenious idea to record a video for “thank u, next” (the album’s title track), drawing inspiration from some of Ari’s favorite 2000s movies such as 13 Going on 30, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, and Bring It On.

The music video was directed by Hannah Lux Davis and featured singer Troye Sivan, TV personality Kris Jenner, and actress Jennifer Coolidge.

9 “CHANDELIER” – SIA

Before the 2014 album 1000 Forms of Fear, Sia was mostly known as a very successful songwriter. However, it was her “Chandelier” single (and its music video) that changed everything for Sia, turning her into a fully formed popstar.

The choreography seen in the “Chandelier” music video (expertly executed by then-11-year-old dancer Maddie Ziegler from the reality series Dance Moms) became a worldwide phenomenon that was repeated on multiple televised occasions, including talk shows, award shows, and viral videos.

In any case, it is important to note that the“Chandelier” video was directed by Sia herself, and featured choreography by Ryan Heffington.

8 “HUMBLE.” – KENDRICK LAMAR

There is no debate that Kendrick Lamar is one of the most talented lyricists, one of the most skilled rappers, and one of the most well-respected artists our time. Despite the fact that K-Dot has already had a collection of incredible music videos he’s released, it was the video for “HUMBLE.” that truly encompassed everything that is so brilliant about his work.

“HUMBLE.” was the lead single off DAMN., Kendrick Lamar’s fourth album. Its video was co-directed by Dave Meyers and The Little Homies, and showed K-Dot in a live-action reenactment of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting.

The political commentary in the “HUMBLE.” video also showcased Kendrick among other African-American men who all had their heads on fire, playing with the idea of different contrasts throughout the video.

7 “WRECKING BALL” – MILEY CYRUS

In 2013, Miley Cyrus released the album Bangerz with the intention of transcending her Hannah Montana image once and for all. After the lead single “We Can’t Stop,” Miley released what would become the defining single of her adult career, “Wrecking Ball.”

In many ways, “Wrecking Ball” became the iconic pop culture phenomenon that it is largely due to the simple but incredibly striking music video that accompanied it. Directed by the oft-problematic photographer Terry Richardson, the video borrowed references from Sinead O’Connor’s video for “Nothing Compares 2 U.

All in all, Miley Cyrus experienced a career renaissance as the “Wrecking Ball” video went on to be parodied time and time again in a variety of mediums – from College Humor to Family Guy.

6  “CALL YOUR GIRLFRIEND” – ROBYN

It comes as no surprise that Robyn’s Body Talk album is being lauded by several critics as one of the best and most important pieces of work of the 2010s. For instance, publications such as Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Paste have all placed “Dancing On My Own” among the five best songs of the decade.

But when it comes to visuals, there is no doubt that the video for “Call Your Girlfriend” is one of this decade’s very best. In many ways, the “Call Your Girlfriend” music video invokes the “Dancing On My Own” themes of loneliness and performative joy, while also giving us fun beats and nuanced lyrics.

5 “HOTLINE BLING” – DRAKE

Over the course of his career, Drake developed a tight relationship with online parodies, memes, and frenetic fandom, fully embracing silly internet shenanigans that rappers were historically turned off by. With that said, it was the very positive reaction to the “Hotline Bling” music video that truly made Drake transcend from singer-rapper to full popstar.

In many ways, the “Hotline Bling” video (directed by Director X) is the ultimate music video for the 2010s. It was meme-ready, it gave us hilarious GIF-able moments, it was produced in partnership with a streaming service company (Apple Music), and it had simple visuals that one could fully experience even on a small smartphone screen.

4 “FORMATION” – BEYONCE

Only Beyonce could drop a brand-new single (and its accompanying music video) on a Saturday and then perform the song the very next day as a special guest during Coldplay’s Super Bowl 50 half-time performance. What’s more, everyone in the stadium already knew all of the lyrics and was fully freaking out over the performance.

To say that the “Formation” music video was a pop culture phenomenon feels like the understatement of the decade. In the video, Beyonce fully showcased her pride as an African-American woman living in the United States, and for the first time in her career did not shy away from political criticism.

Ultimately, the entire Lemonade film was an important career achievement for one of the best American artists of this generation, and it also raised the bar for the entire entertainment industry.

3  “RUNAWAY” – KANYE WEST

It is fair to say that the second half of the 2010s has been a very convoluted time for Kanye West, regardless of whether or not you agree with his political stances or appreciate his transition to gospel music. With that said, Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album released in 2010 is one of the most important moments of the decade in music.

Despite the fact that “Power” was the album’s lead single, it was with the “Runaway” video that Kanye West achieved what he set out to do with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The video, which extended to a 35-minute short film, brought high art to hip hop and proved to critics that rappers deserved to be taken seriously.

2 “TELEPHONE” – LADY GAGA FEAT. BEYONCE

At the time, it felt impossible for Lady Gaga to top the success she had had with the music video for “Bad Romance,” an era-defining piece of work that closed out the 2000s on the highest of highs for pop music. But then came the video for “Telephone.”

Directed by Jonas Akerlund (best known for his work directing Madonna’s “Ray of Light” and Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful”), Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” singlehandedly reinvigorated the music video genre, which was going through a rough patch at the time due to the decaying importance of music for MTV and the reluctance from music labels to deal with YouTube.

What’s more, Gaga set the tone for all artists to have tasteful product placement opportunities in their music videos, a trope that had always been done badly in the past.

1 “THIS IS AMERICA” – CHILDISH GAMBINO

When it comes to his career in music, actor and writer Donald Glover goes by Childish Gambino. Despite the fact that he had several career highs as a rapper throughout the years, nothing could compare to the success he achieved with “Redbone,” a track that was part of Childish Gambino’s 2016 album Awaken, My Love! Then, in 2018, the artist surprised audiences yet again with a new single: “This Is America.”

It is safe to say that the “This Is America” video quite literally broke the internet upon its release, with many fans and critics praising the artist’s successful incorporation of pop culture in opposition to a larger social commentary about the state of the world. In 2019, “This Is America” snatched several accolades, including the Grammy for Best Music Video. What’s more, it became the first-ever rap song to win the Grammy award for Record of the Year.

About The Author

Bernardo Sim
(1773 Articles Published)

Bernardo Sim writes about TV shows, queer culture, & Brazilian media. Born and raised in the Amazon, he now lives in South Florida. he/him

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