Music videos: examples of violence in rhythm with the music
December 23, 2024 1:50 AM   Subscribe

[CW: video violence] As the title says. After discussion here, we can only think of two well-known music videos where there is some kind of repeated violent act that is choreographed to the music: Horse by Salvatore Ganacci, and True Faith by New Order. Are there any others?
posted by Wordshore to Media & Arts (11 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
If you would permit a scene of a movie:

https://youtu.be/DZqHXb9Q1Gw

In Sean of the Dead (in this clip from about 3:20 to 5:00), the zombie fight at the end of the movie has the group striking a zombie in sync with the playing jukebox.
posted by mr_bovis at 6:33 AM on December 23


Does destruction of musical instruments count? If so, Art of Noise's Close to the Edit.
posted by eschatfische at 6:53 AM on December 23 [2 favorites]


Mercedes Marxist - IDLES (self violence)
posted by chrisulonic at 7:07 AM on December 23 [1 favorite]


Pulp's Common People has a few seconds of this about 2:57 in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuTMWgOduFM
posted by ojocaliente at 7:26 AM on December 23


Some violence directed at a piñata, at about 1:34.
posted by box at 7:37 AM on December 23


Not sure all the violence is on the beat but Dj Shadow -Nobody Speak has fighting in the war room.
The Horse video also reminded me of Lil John’s Turn Down for What video
posted by Uncle at 8:36 AM on December 23


There's the Nine Inch Nails song that directly rips off Herman Nitsch's work; his performance art is extremely religiously transgressive, so not for the faint hearted and I will refrain from linking it here, but Reznor's work is clearly derivative quotes of his performances.

That song from the "Wolf of Wall Street" Seven Inch Zoso Sticker (music video, not the movie) has some pretty violent passages linked to the rhythm and lyrics of the music, eyesore for sure.
posted by effluvia at 9:06 AM on December 23


Two very weak matches:

UNKLE - Rabbit in Your Headlights (most of the cars hitting the protaganist match the beat)
Health - We Are Water (the final act of violence in the video is on the beat)
posted by saladin at 9:09 AM on December 23


Hole (Courtney Love) "Violet" music video also.
posted by effluvia at 9:10 AM on December 23


I almost forgot: going back to the '80s, there's also Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Two Tribes, which portrays a no-holds-barred wrestling match between Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko, with various blows choreographed to the music.
posted by eschatfische at 9:20 AM on December 23


The original version of Michael Jackson's 'Black or White' video has a sequence where he beats up a car.

It was not well-received at the time.
posted by box at 9:41 AM on December 23


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