Sure, the primary skills involved in being in a band are writing and playing music, but one aspect of the job that sometimes gets overlooked is music video-making.
It’s a chance for an artist to truly emphasize whatever emotion(s) their song aims to put across and make it all the more memorable. Done right, they’re more or less an extension of a song.
It can help, though, to draw some inspiration from other professional cinematographers, directors, actors, etc. In the below list of 17 Rock Music Videos That Reference Movies or TV, you’ll find nods to various classics.
1. “One,” MetallicaFrom: …And Justice for All (1988)Movie: Johnny Got His Gun (1971)
Interestingly, “One” was the very first song that Metallica made a music video for. “We just kind of held off until the right idea came along, and finally the right idea came along for this song ‘One’,” Lars Ulrich said in a 1989 interview. Using clips from the 1971 anti-war film Johnny Got His Gun, the music video helps explain the song’s premise of a terribly wounded soldier who has lost nearly all his extremities, plus the ability to speak or move.
2. “The Universal,” BlurFrom: The Great Escape (1995)Movie: A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Damon Albarn in dark eyeliner really steps into the role of Alex DeLarge, the main character in 1971’s A Clockwork Orange, in Blur’s music video for “The Universal,” which draws from the famous Stanley Kubrick film. Albarn’s bandmates play the role of Alex’s gang of “droogs” as they perform in the “milk bar.”
3. “Everlong,” Foo FightersFrom: The Colour and the Shape (1997)Movie: The Evil Dead (1981)
Dave Grohl knows how to use a horror film reference. For “Everlong,” he and Foo Fighters drew from Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, an endeavor that earned them a nomination for Best Rock Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. “Everybody thinks it’s the best video we’ve ever made,” Grohl explained in the 2004 documentary I’ve Been Twelve Forever, about the video’s director Michel Gondry (via Uproxx). “To this day, we’ve tried to make videos that can top that one and I don’t think we’ll ever do it (unless we make another video with Michel.)”
4. “Material Girl,” MadonnaFrom: Like a Virgin (1984)Movie: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
The only thing better than one blonde icon of the screen is two. That’s what you’ll see in Madonna’s music video for “Material Girl,” in which she appears as both herself, and also as Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, complete with a stunning hot pink gown and extravagant jewelry. “Marilyn was made into something not human in a way, and I can relate to that,” Madonna said for the book Madonna: An Intimate Biography. “Her sexuality was something everyone was obsessed with, and that I can relate to.”
5. “Tonight, Tonight,” Smashing PumpkinsFrom: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)Movie: A Trip to the Moon (1902)
You might not think a silent film would be a good place to find inspiration for a music video, but it works well here in the case of Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight.” It drew from Georges Melies’s 1902 silent film A Trip to the Moon, which depicts a group of astronauts who travel into outer space — a relatively normal concept in 1995 when “Tonight, Tonight” was released but unheard of in 1902. Another interesting fact about the video: it starred Jill Talley and Tom Kenny, the latter of whom would go on to be the voice of Spongebob Squarepants.
6. “Mr. Brightside,” The KillersFrom: Hot Fuss (2004)Movie: Moulin Rouge! (2001)
There are actually not one but two music videos for the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” When the first one was filmed in Staten Island, the band had no idea that the song (and others from their 2004 album Hot Fuss) would take off as they did. Thus, a second video with a higher budget was shot in Los Angeles, inspired by the 2001 film Moulin Rouge! It turned out to be a fantastic decision as it earned the Killers an MTV VMA in 2005 for Best New Artist in a Video.
7. “Buddy Holly,” WeezerFrom: Weezer (1994)TV Show: Happy Days (1974-84)
Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” does not draw from a movie, but instead an entire TV series: Happy Days. Filmed over the course of just one day, the video shows the band performing at the show’s own Arnold’s Drive-In, and also features cameos from a couple of the show’s original cast members: Al Molinaro (Al Delvecchio) and Anson Williams (Potsie). “It’s my least favorite of all the videos we’ve done,” Rivers Cuomo admitted in a 1997 interview with Alternative Press. “I think I’d like it more if it weren’t me and it weren’t my song. I think it’s truly amazing. I’m extremely grateful to it. But it has nothing to do with me.” (The idea really came from video director Spike Jonze.)
8. “Hounds of Love,” Kate BushFrom: Hounds of Love (1985)Movie: The 39 Steps (1935)
Kate Bush was aiming for the “short film” approach to her video for “Hounds of Love,” and who better to look to than one of the most iconic filmmakers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock? “Paddy [Bush’s brother] inspired me into a 39 Steps theme, and for the two-three weeks over Christmas my life became this third video,” Bush later recalled. “It was particularly hard organizing meetings over Christmas; everyone was busy partying. At one meeting someone turned up in fancy dress. The advantage was that I got a brilliant crew who were free to do the shoot because it was Christmas-time, generally a very quiet period. If you get to see the video, let us know if you spot Hitchcock’s appearance?” (A Hitchcock lookalike can be seen in the video.)
9. “Walking on Broken Glass,” Annie LennoxFrom: Diva (1992)Movie: Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Sure, Annie Lennox is the star of her music video for “Walking on Broken Glass,” a period-looking picture based on the 1988 film Dangerous Liaisons. But she’s also joined by John Malkovich and Hugh Laurie. In fact, the premise for the entire video came about after Lennox found herself deeply impressed with Malkovich’s work in Dangerous Liaisons.
10. “Stacy’s Mom,” Fountains of WayneFrom: Welcome Interstate Managers (2003)Movie: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Fountains of Wayne asked Ric Ocasek of the Cars to be in the music video for “Stacy’s Mom.” He either declined or didn’t respond, depending on who you ask, but nevertheless, the Cars still played a role in the video. There’s a license plate with the words “I <3 Ric,” plus a kid dressed like a small version of the Cars frontman. And then there’s Stacy’s mom, who dramatically exits the pool in her skimpy swimsuit, a reference to 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which featured the Cars’ “Moving in Stereo.”
11. “Dope Hat,” Marilyn MansonFrom: Portrait of an American Family (1994)Movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
You would absolutely be forgiven if you thought Marilyn Manson had nothing to do with children’s movies. But in the case of “Dope Hat,” he does. If it wasn’t obvious from the music video’s opening title card full of colorful candy and a top hat over Manson’s name, maybe the river of bloody chocolate or the Oompa Loompa characters will jog your memory — it’s all based on 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, the Gene Wilder version.
12. “Show Me How to Live,” AudioslaveFrom: Audioslave (2002)Movie: Vanishing Point (1971)
Not unlike Metallica’s “One,” Audioslave’s “Show Me How to Live” video depicts the band members themselves intercut with clips from a movie. Here it’s 1971’s Vanishing Point, which starred Barry Newman, Cleavon Little and Dean Jagger. Naturally, it’s Chris Cornell behind the wheel of the white muscle car, which explodes in a fiery blaze at the end.
13. “Last Cup of Sorrow,” Faith No MoreFrom: Album of the Year (1997)Movie: Vertigo (1958)
“I always thought [Alfred Hitchcock’s] Vertigo had an interesting music video feel to it because of the [rich graphics] in the film,” Joseph Kahn, who directed the video for Faith No More’s “Last Cup of Sorrow,” told Billboard in 1997. “Also the idea of Mike Patton playing Jimmy Stewart seemed funny to me. Basically, you’re taking this really subversive person and putting him in this clean, sterile, technicolor ’50s world, yet pieces of the subversiveness of his persona keep coming through this world. It’s like blending an old film with this totally weird ’90s type of guy.”
14. “Believe,” Lenny KravitzFrom: Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993)Movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Open the pod bay doors, Lenny Kravitz. His music video for the song “Believe” is based on another Kubrick film, 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was directed by the same man who directed Foo Fighters’ “Everlong,” Michel Gondry.
15. “Spit It Out,” SlipknotFrom: Slipknot (1999)Movie: The Shining (1980)
Are you noticing a pattern here? Horror films seem to lend themselves to music videos quite well and here’s another example: Slipknot’s “Spit It Out,” which draws from 1980’s The Shining. Each of the band members took on a specific role: Joey Jordison as Danny Torrance, Shawn Crahan and Chris Fehn as the creepy twins, Corey Taylor as Jack Torrance, Mick Thomson as Lloyd the Bartender; etc. The video ultimately got banned from MTV for its “violent depictions.”
16. “Otherside,” Red Hot Chili PeppersFrom: Californication (1999)Movie: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
You could take an art history class about German Expressionism, or you could watch the music video for Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Otherside.” It drew from Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a 1920 silent film and hallmark of German Expressionist cinema. Think Tim Burton but with more Cubism.
17. “Love Dies Young,” Foo FightersFrom: Medicine at Midnight (2021)Movie: Caddyshack (1980)
The video for Foo Fighters’ “Love Dies Young” begins with a cameo from Jason Sudeikis and ends with an homage to Caddyshack. Make of that what you will.
The Best Rock Movie From Every Year
A look at the greatest biopics, documentaries, concert films and movies with awesome soundtracks.
Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
