10 Greatest Music Videos By Spike Jonze

5. Weezer - Buddy Holly

We have reached the top five. And these next batch of videos are ones that I consider to be among the all-time best. Almost every one of these videos feature concepts that had never really been done before in the music video format and, honestly, they could never be done again. Anybody who would try to repeat these concepts would automatically be labeled a copycat. That's how unique they are. "Buddy Holly" is one such example. According to wikipedia, the video was shot in just one day and yet its legacy is such that it currently appears in a music exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. This is probably one of the most popular Spike Jonze music videos. It certainly received a lot of attention from MTV at the time of its release and it went on to win four Video Music Awards (back when they awarded videos for merit!). The band members of Weezer are seamlessly integrated into the world of Happy Days, playing "Buddy Holly" at Arnold's Drive-In Diner. We see all the cast members of the show reacting to the music and, later, we see Fonzie dancing to the performance. Some of you may not have watched this video in a long time, it still looks surprisingly authentic even twenty years later. It's one thing to see individual shots of the band with Happy Days background behind them, but it's the wider shots that are truly impressive. This was just a great idea made with perfect execution. This video propelled Weezer into the mainstream and made Spike Jonze one of the most sought-after music video directors in the industry. I could go on and on about this video, but I'm afraid I'll wind up jumping the shark.
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Ken writes movie reviews on his blog, kenoncinema.blogspot.com. He currently resides in New York City. Twitter: @keng324