Music Video of the Day: Accidents Will Happen by Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1979, directed Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton)


Though Accidents Will Happen has since come to be seen as one of Elvis Costello’s signature songs, it was only a moderate hit when it was initially released in the UK.  Maybe it would have been more popular if MTV had been around in 1979.  The music video was innovative at a time when most videos were just performance clips of the bands in concert.

The video for Accidents Will Happen is considered to be the first fully animated music video.  The video was directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, who also did videos for Rush and Cathy Denis.  Jankel and Morton would later go on to create Max Headroom and to direct the infamous first Super Mario Bros. film.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: The Prince by Madness (2022, directed by Dave Robinson)


Yesterday, I shared the first music video for Madness’s first single, The Prince, which was just the band performing the song on Top of the Pops in 1979.  That video didn’t have Madness’s signature nuttiness so, over 40 years later, the band released a new, official video for the song.

This video is made up for footage that was taken from 1981 Madness film, Take It or Leave It and it features the band in the studio, on stage, and generally having a good time.  The film was directed by Dave Robinson, who was the president of Stiff Records and who directed all of Madness’s early music videos.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: The Prince by Madness (1979, directed by ????)


Our first music video of the day for 2024 is also the first video to be released for Madness’s first single, The Prince.  This song was a tribute to Jamaican ska performer Prince Buster and it was a big enough hit that it led to Madness signing with Stiff Records and releasing a cover of Prince Buster as their second single, One Step Beyond.

(The band’s name was even taken from a Prince Buster song.)

Though the band did not have the resources to shoot an official video for the song, they did perform the song on Top of the Pops and they thought enough of how it was filmed that they subsequently purchased the rights to the performance.  The performance was often used as a promo for the band, making it technically Madness’s first music video.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: When The Sun Goes Down by Arctic Monkeys (2005, dir by Paul Fraser)


I once had a friend who owned a guitar and this was the only song that he ever sang.  That got old pretty quickly but this is still a very effective, well-directed, and well-acted video.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Boys by Britney Spears (2002, dir by Dave Meyers)


Today’s music video of the day is here to help you to get in the mood to party on New Year’s Eve.  If you don’t have plans to visit a castle and dance with Austin Powers and Taye Diggs, why don’t you?

Enjoy and here’s hoping for happiness (for Britney and all of us) in 2024!

Music Video of the Day: All Dressed Up by Hazel English, featuring Day Wave (2022, dir by Hazel English and Jackson Phillips)


Today’s music video has a dream-like and somewhat ominous atmosphere to it.  Watching this video, you get the feeling that you’re watching a world that’s on the verge of ending.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Get Right by Jennifer Lopez (2005, dir by Francis Lawrence)


I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Let’s start the final week of 2023 with Jennifer Lopez playing seven different characters in the video for Get Right.  This video was directed by Francis Lawrence, who famously worked with another Jennifer when he took over directing duties on The Hunger Games franchise.

Enjoy!