The 30 Best Music Videos of All Time

Some days you're tired and frustrated and sleepy and hungry and not sure exactly what you're doing with your life. And that's when Janet and Missy and Gaga and, hell, even Sinéad come to the rescue. In honor of the 60th annual Grammy Awards this Sunday, here are 30 of our go-to jams.

The hardest decision we’ve ever made? Picking between “Bad,” “Smooth Criminal” and even “Remember the Time.” But of all the MJ classics, this one holds up the best.

Animated charcoal sketches and the catchiest damn song in existence make up this ’80s mega hit.

The queen of boundary pushing in her prime—directed by the then little-known David Fincher.

Remember when Kayne interrupted Taylor Swift accepting the MTV Video of the Year award and said “Imma let you finish and I'm sorry, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time”? He was right.

But America’s latest sweetheart has come a long way, from staging high school meet-cutes to starring in a mini action movie with her now-infamous squad.

Who could forget the major Flashdance vibes? Also Teyana Taylor, of My Super Sweet 16 fame.

Missy’s most successful single to date may or may not have had anything to do with breakdancing middle schoolers.

Same goes for tap-dancing cartoon cats and ’80s pop stars.

Fun fact: The friend posing the “but what has he done for you laaattteeelllyyy” question is, yes, a young Paula Abdul, who also choreographed the routine.

Master ’80s fashion photographer Herb Ritts shot a singer and a supermodel rolling around in the waves, and it was goooood.

But if we’re really talking supermodels…

What can we say? Beyoncé slays, earning two coveted spots on our list. Keep ’em coming, Bey.

A re-creation of The Ed Sullivan Show, this gave us the aughts' inescapable catchphrase, “Shake it like a Polaroid picture.”

This wacky cast of characters (and Tenacious D cameos) solidified Dave Grohl & Co. as just the coolest.

If only Drake would call us. Sigh. His dance moves will have to hold us over until then.

This punk-rock pep rally led by anarchist cheerleaders, with Grohl on drums, single-handedly ushered in the Grunge Era.

And who ushered in the ’00s-approved futuristic fashion? Well, that would be Puff Daddy, Mase and a slew of primary-colored tracksuits, paying homage to Big Poppa.

The first among their many videos that broke the internet.

Another game-changing video for its time... You’ll never not remember a stop-motion dancing chicken.

Leave it to the Compton-born rapper to bring out the humility in all of us (while posing as Jesus at the Last Supper, no less).

Was there ever a pop-culture controversy as juicy as a revenge song for Britney Spears? This was the breakup anthem of the early ’00s.

And this, the breakup anthem of the late '00s—complete with monster pods, flaming beds and Alexander McQueen’s now infamous armadillo heels.

Oh hi, '90s Gwyneth Paltrow—who is playing a lovelorn stalker? All right.

An episode of Ray Donovan or a ’90s white-guy rap group? All thanks to Spike Jonze.

Based on an early French film depicting a trip to the moon, this video’s opera-like set pieces go well with the heavy orchestration.

This Irish singer hadn’t yet begun courting controversy by tearing up pictures of the Pope on television. She was just extreme-close-up-style and incredibly moving.

And then this extreme close-up was just…um…sorry, what were we talking about?

Widely listed as the best video of all time, this meditation on life and loss (which takes Nine Inch Nails’ lyrics and sets them to video from Cash’s life) is eerily beautiful.

All hail the sporadic movie clip.