3 of the most controversial pop videos of all time
Since music videos became an essential marketing tool in the 1980s, artists have often looked to court controversy in order to make statements, generate interest and ultimately increase sales of their music. Here are three examples of videos that caused an uproar when they aired for the first time on MTV.
1) Madonna – Like a Prayer
Madonna is no stranger to controversy. Her 1992 coffee table book, ‘Sex’, sparked outrage with its numerous explicit images – many featuring a naked Madonna. In a career seemingly dedicated to the pursuit of feather-ruffling, the singer’s most shocking pop video was probably 1989’s ‘Like a Prayer’. The video featured burning crosses, stigmata, and various other items of Catholic iconography. If that weren’t enough to raise Christian temperatures, the character of Saint Martin de Porres – kissed by Madonna in one scene – was wrongly perceived as being a black version of Christ himself.
2) The Prodigy – Smack My Bitch Up
Having already been accused of condoning arson with their previous single, ‘Firestarter’, The Prodigy were well know for causing a stir. However, with their third and final single from ‘Fat of the Land’, they would go one step further. First off, the repeating lyrical content of the track itself were labelled as encouraging misogyny, whereas according to Liam Howlett, it was a slang phrase for “doing anything intensely”. The uproar over the lyrics was compounded further by Jonas Âkerlund’s video, which depicted a night of hedonistic drinking, drug-abuse, violence and sex, with the unedited version also including heroin use and a hit and run incident. It was promptly banned by the BBC, as well as other TV and radio stations.
3) Eminem feat. Rihanna – Love the Way You Lie
Eminem loves getting right up the nose of conservative middle America, and he’s managed it many times in the past. ‘Stan’ depicted an unhinged fan driven to suicide, ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ featured the rapper dumping his girlfriend’s dead body in a lake, and he also dressed up as Osama Bin Laden for ‘Without Me’. However, he appears to have gone one step further with his new track, ‘Love the Way You Lie’. The video revolves around scenes depicting a coupled engaged in a violent relationship, performed by actors Dominic Monaghan and Megan Fox. The track also features the voice of Rihanna, herself a victim of domestic violence during her relationship with Chris Brown. Although the lyrics themselves are a commentary on violence in a relationship, and do not seek to glorify it, that hasn’t prevented various US conservative groups from kicking up a fuss – which is probably what Eminem wanted in the first place!
Musicians often pitch themselves on the fringes of the socially acceptable, seeking to tackle difficult subjects, and hold a mirror up to society. As long as rappers, singers and performers keep looking to push boundaries, you can be sure that music videos will continue to follow suit!
