Some music videos are meant to just be fun and there for you to enjoy. But then there are others that are all about getting a certain message out. The visuals are supposed to make the lyrics hit home, so sometimes they can be shocking and discomforting. Because of that they get stuck in your mind more than others. So which music videos have a deep message? Here are seven that are all about bringing awareness and speaking on social issues.
1. Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright”
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The black and white music video starts off with police brutality, but then goes on to show Kendrick floating on air. So what does this all mean? “It’s also showing how one man can basically spread positivity through all of the madness that’s going on and how everything is gonna be alright,” explained the video’s director, Colin Tilley to MTV.
2. Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power”
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The music video opens with the Million Man March, then shows a rally fighting to end racial violence in current day. “We lived in the suburbs and were sandwiched by nothing but white communities,” explained Hank Shocklee to The Rolling Stone. “It was like we were the leftovers: We got what the white communities didn’t want to have, we got their spillovers. So we always had to kind of fight this adversity. We wanted to just make something that was going to say, ‘I’m mad as hell, I’m not gonna take it any more – I’m going to fight the system.'”
3. Macklemore’s “Same Love”
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The video follows a boy growing up feeling different for being gay, but eventually ends with wedding bliss. How did this same-sex marriage song and music video come about? “What I do know, and where I wrote from, is my own perspective growing up in a culture where ‘that’s gay’ was commonplace, with a huge stigma on those who identified and were perceived as gay,” wrote Macklemore according to Huffington Post.
4. Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”
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At face value you may say this video just shows off Lady Gaga’s weirdness. It shows her at first giving birth, sporting skeletal makeup, and is somehow one of many heads in some kind of factory. But the whole video shows off her uniqueness and helps give the message that no one should be ashamed of who they are.
5. Rage Against The Machine “Testify”
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The music video starts with an alien invasion and goes into clips of various politicians, oil, the environment, and more. The ending is where their message really hits home with the quote “if you’re not turned onto politics, politics will turn on you.” Then there is text urging people to vote in the upcoming election.
6. Radio Head’s “All I Need”
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Most of us know how lucky we are compared to those less fortunate. But it’s another thing to give a side by side view of how a well off child’s day is compared to a child who is poor and being exploited. The band partnered with MTV to make this video about human trafficking. “I think it’s important for everyone in the West or on High Street to understand the consequences of our economic activity,” Thom Yorke told MTV. “You must be aware of the level of exploitation that’s going on.”
7. 2Pac’s “Brenda’s Got A Baby”
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The video tells the sad story of a poor teenage girl who gets pregnant and has a baby under tough circumstances. After almost leaving the baby in a dumpster she decides to support it through illegal means. This makes us take a hard look at healthcare and little to no resources for young mothers.
