There is just something about this video that really gets me going. The camera angles are simply perfect for the tone of the video, and the up-close shots of Flo are really well done. I really, REALLY hope that this video can accumulate several million more views as the song becomes a hit next year.
5. The One That Got Away - Katy Perry
Yup, another Katy video. From the album release I kinda prognosticated that this was going to be a single, and was pleased with the way the video turned out. From her acting (old Katy ) to the surprise turn at the end, this video was chock full of artistic merit. The scene with old Katy on the side of the road with the retro music in the background is one of my favorite scenes from this year.
4. Helena Beat – Foster the People
Foster the People was definitely one big surprise for me this year. I was a major indie-hater last year and even before this summer. It took an act like FTP to truly make me appreciate the genre as a whole. This video is a cooky, intriguing, and perfect companion to the song.
I honestly just believe that Coldplay's era didn't start at or even include Every Teardrop is a Waterfall. I mean, both the quality of Paradise and the video are superior...the VIDEO, especially. So visually stunning and intriguing, honestly one of my favorites from them. The elephants make a sense of humor to a video that on the whole provides stunning visual interpretation of the song. The camera angles when Chris is holding the sign are brilliant! Easily one of the best videos of the year. The scenes near the end in HD slay lives.
2. Judas - Lady GaGa
GaGa's videos have been kinda awful this era, not gonna lie. After the Born This Way video (which was preceded by the equally dreadful Alejandro video), I was kinda losing faith in her ability to make masterpieces such as Bad Romance and Telephone. When I watched the opening scene of "Judas", I was beginning to roll my eyes more than a little. However, this brilliantly-paced music video has done what the rest of the videos this era have failed to do--keep a relatively consistent visual theme and idea and sticking with it. This is not her best video by far, but easily the best this era and of the year as a whole.
Well, well, well. So GaGa didn't top my chart. Surprised? Yes, there was a video that was better than Judas, which was pretty darn amazing in my book. What exactly was that video? Well...
1. We Found Love - Rihanna
Call me a conformist, call me a pop *****, call me whatever. There is no two ways around it, though: this Rihanna visual is one of the best of her career and easily the best of this year. The introduction prologue accomplished in 30 seconds what GaGa tried to do in 2 minutes on Born This Way, while the visuals were more on point than any other video of this year. The song was not having me expecting something as unique and stunning as this video, and as you can probably guess from the other videos on this list, that is an essential component for me personally. All in all, I commend Rihanna and her team for making a repetitive song that has a seemingly generic message into a brilliant visual.
There you have it!
1. We Found Love – Rihanna
2. Judas – Lady GaGa
3. Paradise – Coldplay
4. Helena Beat – Foster the People
5. The One That Got Away – Katy Perry
6. Shake It Out – Rihanna
7. Last Friday Night – Katy Perry
8. Blow – Ke$ha
9. Someone Like You – Adele
10. Love On Top – Beyoncé