10 Most Paused Music Videos

M.I.A.'s music video for her 2010 hit "Born Free" was hugely controversial upon release for its depiction of a fictional genocide against red-haired people, which was filmed without the notification of the singer's record label.

Though the concept for the video was inspired by real-life atrocities worldwide (particularly in Sri Lanka), that didn't stop the video inciting a minor moral panic.

This stemmed largely from a climactic moment in which a young red-haired boy is shot in the head and another is exploded by a mine, with no grisly detail being spared in either case.

Reactionary outlets kicked up a fuss about the video's graphic content while curiously glossing over its context, causing YouTube to eventually buckle to mounting pressure and remove the video in the days following its release.

Thankfully it was eventually restored in its full disturbing glory - this time with an age gate, somewhat sensibly - and remains a critically acclaimed video no matter the backlash.

Many have also cited it as paving the way for Childish Gambino's similarly-themed music video for his 2018 hit "This Is America."