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The video for Lana Del Rey’s new single ‘Summertime Sadness’ sees the ‘Video Games’ singer grieving over a doomed relationship with another woman. So in its honour, we’ve put together a list of the best gay and lesbian themed music videos of all time.
Sadly it’s still a way of shocking the audience and causing controversy. For example Prodigy’s video for ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ was banned from MTV, however that may have been due to the visible use of cocaine and other hard drugs…
Either way, here’s a list of our favourite gay and lesbian themed music videos. Enjoy, and let us know what you think...
t.A.T.u – All the Things She Said: To be fair, everyone’s seen it, and it’s really not that big a deal. Was it a good song, or was the lesbian-ness just a gimmick to get the girls to the top of the charts? Either way, they were a great band, that’s why they’re still around today.
Lana Del Rey – 'Summertime Sadness': A step away from her high budget video for ‘National Anthem’, ‘Summertime Sadness’ tells the story of two female lovers that are forced to be apart, and ultimately choose to end their own lives as a result. It’s all very Thelma and Louise.
Cosmo Jarvis – 'Gay Pirates': Aside from the fact that this is a great song, the video is fantastic. With his friends as extras, Jarvis tells the story of ‘impossible pirate love’, on a village hall stage, in one continuous shot, and it’s awesome.
Lady Gaga – 'Telephone': The 10-minute epic sees Gaga entering an all-female prison and making the most of it. Mother Monster has always been a huge gay icon, and if you can look past all the shameless product placement, the video for ‘Telephone’ is unwavering in its message of gay pride.
Katy Perry – 'I Kissed A Girl': Oh Katy, you’re so scandalous and naughty! You’re singing about kissing a girl and millions of people will hear it! Did you kiss one in the video though? Oh, no that would be too much.
Foo fighters – 'Hot Buns': In true Foos style, this is bloody funny. Officially it’s a trailer for last year’s US Tour, but it’s good enough to make the list. Dave, Nate, Chris and Taylor are lonely truck drivers, and they meet at a rest-stop to take a communal shower and frolic around for a while. Ever wanted to see Dave Grohl’s bum? Here’s your chance.
George Michael – 'Outside': George rocks a sweet policeman’s uniform and handlebar moustache for the ‘Outside’ video, and yes, it’s camper than Christmas at Louie Spence’s, but it’s also a fairly damning indictment of the treatment of gay people in modern society. So there.
Bjork – 'All is Full of Love': Hands down one of the greatest music videos of all time. Bjork has always been a fairly androgynous figure, but the two robots that get together in the video are clearly girls.
Simian Mobile Disco – 'Cruel Intentions': Taken from album ‘Temporary Pleasure’, the video for Cruel Intentions is an excerpt from the short film ‘Study after Cruel Intentions’. Set in some kind of uber-sinister drug fuelled orgy, an innocent seeming girl is drugged and taken advantage of. A Katy Perry-esque cheeky lesbian romp this ain’t; it’s dark, ominous and not incredibly enjoyable to watch. Good though!
The Prodigy – S'mack My Bitch Up': It’s a classic. Shot from a first person viewpoint, the video’s protagonist goes on a one night drug fuelled bender, drinking whatever they can and groping any girl that walks past. Ultimately, they seduce a stripper and take her back to their flat for unbridled sex. It’s all macho, macho, macho; so it’s obviously a great twist at the end when our protagonist looks in the mirror and we see that he’s actually a she. This video is explicit, be warned.
