10 Amazing Hard Rock Music Videos
Hard Rock's Visual Arts.
Hard rock is still typically defined by its more underground status. Though some of the big names continue to fill arenas the world over, the world of heavy riffs and gruff vocals still feels like it’s meant for the outsiders. Even with the more lone-wolf mentality, hard rock has made its way into the mainstream countless times over the years.
While some artists may come out with a classic album or have a song that makes its way into the pop market, there’s no better way to reach the public directly than the music video. The idea of hard rock delving into music videos could seem like a bit of sell out at times, but these artists really understood the power of their medium. Ever since the arrival of MTV, the heavier side of rock has been well-represented with some of the most impactful music videos of their respective generations.
Whether it’s telling a story through the visual medium or simply a live shot of the band performing, these videos left viewers stunned, amazed, and restless all at the same time. Music videos may be looked at as a cheap cash-in, but whenever these videos made their way onto your screen, you knew things were going to be different.
10. Photograph - Def Leppard
Back in 1983, hair metal was still growing out of its infancy stage. Even though acts like Motley Crue were showing the cruder side of the Sunset Strip, Def Leppard was the more innocent rock act in the era of big hair. Though any hair metal music video could be considered silly, there's something still incredibly endearing about "Photograph" after all these years.
The song itself isn't necessarily Shakespeare, with Joe Elliot being fixated with a picture he has of this girl, but the way everything is shot makes the situation feel larger than life. This is also one of the first times Elliott sported the Union Jack shorts and shirt, which would become one of the great relics of the classic era of hair metal. Other than that, there's not much else to this video other than a few action shots of the band and (of course) still frames of photographs, but a song like this doesn't really need anything else.
You have to remember this was before MTV really found its feet, but compared to the high-budget experiences from artists like Michael Jackson, this was still a nice slice of classic rock. Hard rock might not have had a voice on MTV just yet, but this sounds and looks like hungry kids aiming to take on the world.