Music Videos Quiz

1. Which music channel launched on 1 August 1981 with the words 'Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll'?

1. BET
2. CMT
3. MTV
4. VH1

2. Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' video (1983) is widely considered the greatest music video ever made. How long is it?

1. 11 minutes
2. 14 minutes
3. 18 minutes
4. 7 minutes

3. Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' (2016) was notable for being what format?

1. A documentary about her life
2. A live concert film
3. A standard single release with accompanying video
4. A visual album — a cohesive 65-minute film combining music, poetry, and film narrative

4. Gangnam Style by Psy (2012) became significant on YouTube because:

1. It was the first K-pop video on YouTube
2. It was the first video to reach 1 billion, then 2 billion YouTube views
3. It was the first YouTube video to be removed for copyright
4. YouTube was launched specifically to host it

5. Which landmark music video directed by Spike Jonze featured the Fatboy Slim song 'Praise You' (1999)?

1. 'Praise You' itself — filmed guerrilla-style in a mall
2. 'Rockafeller Skank'
3. 'Weapon of Choice' (also Spike Jonze/Fatboy Slim)
4. It was never made into a video

6. OK Go are famous for elaborate music videos. Their video for 'Here It Goes Again' (2006) featured what simple but viral concept?

1. A single unbroken take through a busy city
2. Dominos falling for 4 minutes
3. The band performing a choreographed dance routine on treadmills
4. The band playing in zero gravity

7. The most-viewed music video on YouTube of all time (as of 2024) is which song?

1. Baby Shark Dance — Pinkfong
2. Despacito — Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee
3. See You Again — Wiz Khalifa
4. Shape of You — Ed Sheeran

8. Chris Cunningham directed the haunting video for Aphex Twin's 'Come to Daddy' (1997). This video is known for what disturbing imagery?

1. A monster emerging from a TV set to terrorise an old woman, with children bearing the face of Richard D. James
2. A robot performing surgery on a human
3. Abstract geometric shapes and strobe lighting only
4. Nuclear explosions in slow motion

9. Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' (1991) was shot in a gymnasium. Who directed it?

1. Anton Corbijn
2. David Fincher
3. Mark Romanek
4. Samuel Bayer

10. Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer' (1986) used pioneering techniques. What was innovative about it?

1. It was made using stop-motion, pixilation, and claymation techniques by Aardman Animations — unprecedented at the time
2. It was the first CGI music video
3. It was the first music video broadcast in colour
4. Peter Gabriel wasn't actually in the video — it was entirely animated

11. The White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army' riff has become a global sporting chant. From which album does it come?

1. De Stijl
2. Elephant
3. Get Behind Me Satan
4. White Blood Cells

12. Radiohead's 'Karma Police' (1997) video features a car chasing a man. What happens at the end?

1. The car mysteriously disappears
2. The man is caught by the police
3. The man sets fire to the petrol trail from the car, burning it
4. The man transforms into the band members

13. Which artist's 2013 video for 'Wrecking Ball' caused immediate controversy for its imagery?

1. Katy Perry
2. Lady Gaga
3. Miley Cyrus
4. Rihanna

14. What is a 'concept video' in music video terminology?

1. A series of connected videos telling a story across multiple songs
2. A video filmed at a live concert
3. A video using CGI throughout
4. A video with no artist performance — purely narrative or abstract

15. Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' (2009) was directed by Francis Lawrence. What is the video's approximate budget?

1. $1 million
2. $100,000
3. $2.8 million
4. $500,000

16. A-ha's 'Take On Me' (1985) featured a groundbreaking animation technique. What was it called?

1. Cel animation
2. Pencil sketch/live action hybrid (rotoscoped pencil animation)
3. Rotoscoping
4. Stop motion photography

17. Which music video by Drake and Josh (2015) became famous for spawning thousands of internet memes?

1. God's Plan
2. Hotline Bling
3. In My Feelings
4. Started from the Bottom

18. Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (1975) is considered one of the first true music videos. Who directed it?

1. Anton Corbijn
2. Bruce Gowers
3. Lester Bangs
4. Tim Pope

19. The video for Fatboy Slim's 'Weapon of Choice' (2001) starred which unexpected famous figure dancing?

1. Bill Murray
2. Christopher Walken
3. John Malkovich
4. Steve Buscemi

20. Which music video channel, launched in 1985, was MTV's first sister channel and focused on older demographics?

1. BET
2. CMT
3. MuchMusic
4. VH1