In 2018, music videos were a nice distraction from watching the world burn around us: Mean Girls references! Unchecked nostalgia porn! Dildos! Beyonce! Below are our 10 favorite music videos of 2018, in no particular order...ok, that's a lie, "thank u, next" is number one.
“thank u, next” - Ariana Grande
Not only did Ariana Grande's video perfectly recreate our favorite early 2000s rom-coms, it was the only music video in recent memory to become an actual cultural event -- there was an actual countdown and approximately 10,000 thinkpieces, although not all of them were great.
“APESHIT” - The Carters
Beyonce and Jay-Z literally rented out the Louvre to shoot a music video. Your fave could never -- oh wait, your fave is Beyonce, so yes, she could and did.
“1999” - Charli XCX
Nostalgia porn can be a bit exhausting -- yes, I remember Y2K and it wasn't that fucking interesting! -- but if you're going to do it, do it. Charli XCX as Steve Jobs and Troye Sivan with Justin Timberlake's turn-of-the-century ramen hair? Gay rights!
“This Is America” - Childish Gambino
One of those music videos that says something about the state of the world while also being entertaining and technically impressive. Donald Glover's mind!
“Pynk” - Janelle Monáe
"Make Me Feel" might be flashier, but "Pynk" is a high-femme ouvre that gave us the iconic pussy pants and led to Monae's declaration that women don't need vaginas to be women, which we obviously stan. And we love seeing Monae and Tessa Thompson's romance play out on-screen.
“Fast Slow Disco” - St. Vincent
Rock goddess Annie Clark dove into a mass of sweaty, leather-clad gay men and took our hearts right along with her.
“Duck Duck Goose” - Cupcakke
No dildos were harmed in the making of this gag of a music video.
“My My My” - Troye Sivan
No one music video in 2018 altered an artist's career more than Sivan's, which helped our favorite twink graduate from heartfelt indie-pop to full blown sex symbol megastardom.
“Oh Baby” - LCD Soundsystem
Sissy Spacek. That's it. That's the whole argument.
“Faceshopping” - SOPHIE
OUT's Artist of the Year gave us all acid flashbacks -- or maybe that's just me -- with her trippy banger about beauty in the era of digital manipulation.
