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Just as everybody has a list of their favourite songs, we all have list of our favourite music videos. Whether it’s because of the crazy storyline or because you have a burning crush on the singer, there are always going to be certain video clips that you’ll remember forever. In the late 1980s, MTV became the first music channel to broad cast 24-hour music videos, and this kind of exposure was unprecedented. Sex sells, especially in the music business, so it wasn’t long before music videos started to get real raunchy, real quick! Of course, what was considered ‘scandalous’ in the 1980s seems pretty tame in light of what we’re accustomed to in 2019. Take a look at our list of the 20 Hottest Music Videos of All Time – and see if your favourite eye-candy made the cut!
20. I Touch Myself – Divinyls
Song: I Touch Myself
Band: Divinyls
Release Date: 1990
This Aussie band are still responsible for producing the ultimate guilty pleasure song.
19. Wicked Game – Chris Isaak
Song: Wicked Game
Artist: Chris Isaak
Release Date: 1989
Nearly nude Helena Christensen is everything during this artsy romp on the beach.
18. Simply Irresistible– Robert Palmer
Song: Simply Irresistible
Artist: Robert Palmer
Release Date: 1988
This list would lose all creditability if it didn’t mention Simply Irresistible. Many of the dancers that surround Robert are leading models of the era (Karen Aubrey McElfresh, Kim Jones and Cheryl Day). One of the most iconic music videos of all time due to its suggestive choreography, it’s been parodied and homaged ever since its release.
17 If I Could Turn Back Time – Cher
Song: If I Could Turn Back Time
Artist: Cher
Release Date: 1989
If any singer could belt out a tune on a US Naval battleship, surrounded by sailors, and wearing nothing but a leather jacket and landing-strip leotard – it’s Cher. The Navy were told that Cher would be wearing a more conservative jumpsuit so when she arrived on set in her leotard, they requested she change. She refused and MTV banned the video.
16. When Doves Cry – Prince
Song: When Doves Cry
Artist: Prince
Release Date: 1984
That’s not steam coming off Prince in the opening scene, that’s pure sex appeal. You can always count on Prince for an erotic music video – he directed this one himself! The music video was nominated for Best Choreography at 1985’s MTV Video Music Awards, but caused controversy among network executives, who thought that its sexual nature was too explicit for television.
15 Any Time, Any Place – Janet Jackson
Song: Any Time, Any Place
Artist: Janet Jackson
Release Date: 1994
Janet and her crazily attractive next door neighbour enjoy several explicit liaisons (there’s a lot of eating fruit involved), but at the end of the video, the screen fades to black, and a message fades in that reminds us “Any time, any place ……be responsible” which is very of the AIDS/HIV panic era. Thank you Janet, we promise we’ll stay safe.
14. Justify My Love – Madonna
Song: Justify My Love
Artist: Madonna
Release Date: 1990
Where do we begin – this is undoubtedly one of the most sexual music videos ever made. The video begins when Madonna walks down hotel hallway, looking distressed and tired from work. She’s subsequently seduced by both mysterious man and woman, while several other hotel occupants look on. There’s sadomasochism, voyeurism, bisexuality and a healthy dash of Catholic iconography (a signature Madonna move!) Not surprisingly, it caused global controversy and was banned from MTV.
13. These Boots Are Made For Walkin’
Song: These Boots Are Made For Walkin’
Artist: Jessica Simpson featuring Willie Nelson
Release Date: 2005
Nancy Sinatra didn’t sing the original whilst washing a muscle car in a tiny pink bikini – that was Jessica’s unique spin on this remix.
12. Stacy’s Mom – Fountains of Wayne
Song: Stacy’s Mom
Band: Fountains of Wayne
Release Date: 2003
If you didn’t sing this at girls named Stacy at your school, then you didn’t have a childhood. Rachel Hunter looks pure fire in one of the hottest music videos of the early 2000s.
11. Toxic – Britney Spears
Song: Toxic
Artist: Britney Spears
Release Date: 2004
The national anthem for flight attendants the world over. We don’t deserve the gift that is Britney Spears.
10. Dirrty – Christina Aguilera
Song: Dirrty
Artist: Christina Aguilera featuring Redman.
Release Date: 2002
When Christina Aguilera wants to change her image, there’s no stopping her. Even though it looks like no one in this clip has had a shower is a very long time, it’s some of Christina’s best work.
9. My Neck, My Back (Lick It) – Khia
Song: My Neck, My Back (Lick It)
Artist: Khia
Release Date: 2002
We had no business singing this when we were younger! If you watch the video without the sound, you could be forgiven for thinking “How has this made the list?” But it’s Khia’s unabashed ‘call to action’ that makes it a contender for Sexiest Song Ever.
8. Erotica – Madonna
Song: Erotica
Artist: Madonna
Release Date: 1992
This sexy music video is almost too much to handle. It was for American television station NBC, who banned the clip because there was simply too much bondage. Erotica was featured on Madonna’s double-platinum concept album of the same name, and coincided with the release of her controversial coffee table book Sex.
7. Wrecking Ball – Miley Cyrus
Song: Wrecking Ball
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Release Date: 2013
Interspersed clips of Miley in underwear, completely naked and at times licking a sledge hammer shocked the world. Prior to this, her music video clips had never been this provocative and in the first 24 hours after its release, the Wrecking Ball video set a new Vevo record for most views in the first day of release (19.3 million views). It won several awards, Best Video and Video of the Year at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards, Video of the Year at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards and World’s Best Video at the 2014 World Music Awards in Monte Carlo.
6. Earned It – The Weeknd
Song: Earned It
Artist: The Weeknd
Release Date: 2015
Of course something from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack made it on our list of sexiest music videos. The haunting tune is performed to a backdrop of choreography that can only be described as a merger of 1920s flappers and soft BDSM.
5. Call On Me – Eric Prydz
Song: Call On Me
Artist: Eric Prydz
Release Date: 2004
In 2004, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair said of the video clip in a interview – “The first time it came on, I nearly fell off my rowing machine.” You don’t ever have to explain why Tony! The film clip is a spoof of scene from the 1985 film Perfect starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis, and the result is the most sexually aggressive aerobics class you’ve ever attended.
4. S&M – Rihanna
Song: S&M
Artist: Rihanna
Release Date: 2011
1When your music video is immediately banned in eleven countries, you know you’re onto something. Rihanna’s song S&M was about her sadomasochistic relationship with the media. Gagged reporters, Perez Hilton being led around on a dog leash, journalists getting whipped – this video has something for everyone!
3. Fade – Kanye West
Song: Fade
Artist: Kanye West
Release Date: 2016
Winner of Best Choreography at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, the Fade music video is both incredibly steamy and a reminder to go to the gym once in a while! Teyana Taylor is a force of nature as she burns up the set, before jumping in the shower with her husband, NBA player Iman Shumpert.
2. Partition – Beyonce
Song: Partition
2Artist: Beyoncé
Release Date: 2014
“Driver roll up the partition please, I don’t need ya’ll seeing Yoncé on her knees. Took forty-five minutes to get all dressed up, and we ain’t even gonna make it to this club“
Beyoncé does the deed in the back of her limo with Jay Z. It’s Queen Bee at her absolute hottest, but the singer was embarrassed after recording it! “I was so embarrassed after I recorded the song because I’m just talking s–––,” she told People Magazine. “I’m like, ‘I can’t play this for my husband!’ I still haven’t played it for my mom. She’s going to be very mad at me.” We’re not mad at you Beyoncé, thank you for this gift!
1. Untitled (How Does It Feel) – D’Angelo
Song: Untitled (How Does It Feel)
Artist: D’Angelo
Release Date: 2000
3Baby making music at its finest. This music video is number one because it’s sexy as all hell AND probably cost next to nothing to produce. One continuous camera shot? Check. Bottle of baby oil? Got it. D’Angelo, we’re ready for you on set! The video was controversial because of D’Angelo’s raw sex appeal, but some critics praised the clip for catering to a long-neglected audience. At the time of its release Danyel Smith, editor for Time Inc. , said “It’s so sexy. It’s about time that girls had something luscious to look at while they’re listening to a song. For years, men have been treated to breasts and butts along with their favourite songs, and women have had to just sit there and endure.”
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