25 popular songs with strange music videos

Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” music video is as wonderfully strange as it gets. It starts with the iconic monologue, “This is the manifesto of Mother Monster…” with Lady Gaga seemingly giving birth to herself. The video covers underlying themes of self-acceptance, identity, and rebirth.

"Do You Realize??" by The Flaming Lips is an incredibly powerful and emotionally raw song that tackles the impermanence of life. The narrator is essentially questioning, in awe, “Do you realize how precious each and every moment is?” In true Flaming Lips fashion, the music video is a bit surreal and bizarre, but in the best way. It features Wayne Coyne in Las Vegas wearing all white, surrounded by a group of dancers, an elephant, and, of course, the infamous bunny costumes.

The music video for “EVIL” by Interpol is centered around a creepily realistic puppet (named Norman) who gets into a violent car crash. While singing along to the lyrics (despite suffering injuries), he is loaded into the back of an ambulance on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. The video ends with him post-surgery, dancing on the operating table and eventually sitting back down and closing his eyes, seemingly in defeat. If you know the lyrics and the story behind this song, you’ll recognize the heavy symbolism here.

“My Hero” by Foo Fighters is about the ordinary heroes in our everyday life — the ones we often overlook, like a friendly neighbor or selfless friend. The music video itself might seem a bit strange, following a seemingly “normal” man running into a burning building and gathering small items, from stuffed animals to framed photos. However, it highlights those who show up in quiet yet impactful ways, as well as the importance of the little things in life. 

Hot Mulligan dressed up in a greaser aesthetic for their “*Equip Sunglasses*” music video, fit with tight pants and black leather jackets, seemingly poking fun at themselves. They performed hilarious scenes, like fanning their vocalist with giant leaves (sans shirts) and posing awkwardly as mechanics next to a red Chevy Camaro. Not to mention, they each manage to keep a straight face throughout the entire video. The best part is that the song itself is about people who “follow trends as a hobby” and spew hatred/judgment to anyone who is different from them, taking on a mob mentality of sorts. It's a fitting yet parodic video.

The music video for “Just” by Radiohead will forever haunt me. It follows a man who decides to lie down in the middle of the sidewalk, refusing to get up. Whenever someone tries to help him, he becomes angry and tells them to leave him alone. They keep asking him what’s wrong and why he’s choosing to lie there. Eventually, after warning them that the truth will destroy them, he gives his reason, just as the subtitles go off on the screen. It ends with all of them on the ground around him, clearly just as disturbed by the knowledge. 

Alt-J’s music video for “Breezeblocks” is dark, twisted, and cinematic. The opening scene shows a dead woman lying underwater in a bathtub with a breezeblock on her chest, as a man sits on the bathroom floor with his head in his hands, clearly distraught. Initially, viewers are led to believe he murdered her in an act of domestic violence. However, the video, which plays out in reverse, eventually reveals that the woman was an intruder who broke in and attempted to murder the man and his wife, who was found tied up in a closet with her mouth taped shut.

Have you ever wondered what a baby sees from their point of view? Well, “Kids” by MGMT presents a peculiar theory in its music video. It features a baby essentially being haunted by gory monsters that only he can see. Eventually, his view transitions into a psychedelic world with surreal imagery and creatures. Of course, the symbolism highlights the stark difference between a child’s perceived fears and an adult’s minimized reaction to them.

This song is far more impactful as an adult, and the same can be said of its music video. Set in an idealistic, plastic Barbie dream world, the video follows a “Barbie” (Lene Nystrøm) who is surrounded by a bunch of creepy Kens. The video ends with René Dif, dressed as Ken, pulling Lene’s arm off.

OutKast’s music video for “B.O.B.” is set in a psychedelic, distorted world filled with mismatched vibrant colors. Think: purple grass and green roads. Despite its title (and what many fans assume), OutKast has said that the song wasn't actually political in nature.

This song and its accompanying music video are classics in the pop-punk scene. However, the entire video features a naked Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker running through a small town, crashing the news, and disturbing an otherwise normal/peaceful neighborhood. For a song written about immaturity, the music video does a great job of painting the picture.

If you’re looking for a weird and visually disturbing video, this is the right one for you. Tool’s music video for their song “Schism” features two alien-like, humanoid creatures coexisting in an industrial environment. They move in bizarre, synchronized motions, like something out of a horror film.

Missy Elliott’s iconic music video for “Get Ur Freak On” is about as random and exaggerated as it gets. Its rapid cuts work perfectly with the song’s catchy beat. Not to mention, there were some downright weird edits, like when Missy Elliott’s neck suddenly stretched forward, bringing her face closer to the camera. It definitely fits the “freaky” energy of the lyrics.

Ludacris’s music video for “Get Back” perfectly encapsulates the meaning behind the song. Throughout the video, random people constantly invade his personal space and try to talk shop. However, with comically massive, disproportionate arms, he fights off anything and anyone in his way.

In true Tame Impala fashion, the band’s music video for “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” is like one continuous hallucination. The trippy, colorful animations almost put you in a trance of sorts. However, it perfectly matches the song’s overall vibe. 

You might not be shocked to see Marilyn Manson on this list. His video for “The Beautiful People” is like something out of a horror film. However, it’s also a deeply symbolic, creative masterpiece worth dissecting. 

Coldplay’s "Up&Up" music video opens with floating animals in a subway/train station, and it doesn’t get any less surreal as the song progresses. For example, they showcase a football field (fit with a live game) on the backside of a dish sponge, show a girl diving into a pool of clouds, and demonstrate an erupting volcano spewing popcorn instead of lava. These visual metaphors make for a strange yet fascinating immersive experience. 

"Chandelier" is a powerful song, and its music video matches it. It features intense interpretive dancing by famous dancer Maddie Ziegler (when she was only 11 years old). In the video, Ziegler depicts a young girl seemingly battling her own mental state while confined to a bleak, dirty, and crumbling apartment. 

If you’re a gamer, you probably love Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication” music video, as it’s set up like a video game. Watching it feels like watching a streamer on Discord — with good music in the background, of course. 

With a title like “Pork and Beans,” it’s no surprise that Weezer’s music video for this track is a bit strange. However, this video is basically a compilation of hilarious memes and viral clips. For a song that’s all about rejecting normalcy and carving your own path, this tongue-in-cheek video is perfect.

David Bowie is known for his bizarre yet genius creations, and this music video is no exception. It’s both haunting and symbolic, with uncanny imagery and ominous, ritualistic scenes. Not to mention, it was released just one year before his death.

The music video for this hilarious track is intentionally over-the-top and NSFŴ. It basically features a bunch of half-naked men dancing suggestively and “wiggling” what they’ve got. It’s just as comical as the lyrics themselves.

The music video for “Feather” by Sabrina Carpenter is “strange” in an iconic way, as you wouldn’t exactly expect the pop artist to perform in a church and jokingly kill off several obnoxious male characters. However, against his better judgment, a priest allegedly allowed Sabrina to use the church for her not-so-religious intentions, which you can watch for yourself. The video’s controversy actually led to a priest’s demotion (mostly for his mishandling of nearly $2 million, which was discovered via an investigation after the initial scrutiny against him). 

Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" music video is a cinematic masterpiece that is filled with symbolism and tackles important themes, such as self-loathing and mass criticism. In other words, it’s weird in the best way. My favorite part is the funeral scene, where her “kids” are throwing fits about not receiving more than 13 cents in her will. 

Did you know that Talking Heads just released a new official music video for their hit song “Psycho Killer” this summer? That’s right. And it’s beautifully strange. The video follows your everyday girl leading an average life, yet seemingly struggling with her mental health. We watch as she quite literally loses her mind, yet no one else around her notices, carrying on with their mundane routines right along with her.