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  1. Popdust /
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  3. 13 of the Most Controversial Music Videos Ever /
MUSIC

13 of the Most Controversial Music Videos Ever

From Kanye West to Madonna, these gory and graphic clips got people talking—for better or for worse.

Abby Jones
Eden Arielle Gordon
11.12.2020

Donald Glover

This Is America

Music videos are a perfect opportunity to expand the story of a song.

The best music videos can showcase killer choreography, Halloween-ready attire, or movie levels of cinematic gold; others can spark controversies, no matter how well-intended. Whether centered around copious bloodshed or near-pornographic nudity (sorry, Mom and Dad), there's one thing all controversial music videos have in common: They get people talking.

Here are nine music videos released over the past 30-plus years that have sparked disputes. Watch at your own risk.


Madonna, "Like A Virgin"

Long before there was WAP, Madonna was horrifying everyone by parading around her very much non-virginal status in the "Like A Virgin" video. The video, which takes place in Venice, features gondolas, singing men, and plenty of sexy, scandalous dance moves from Madonna.

Lush with symbolism—a wedding dress for purity, a lion for strength—the video horrified people because of Madonna's rather promiscuous actions. The controversy only grew more intense after the first MTV Music Video Awards, when Madonna sported a wedding dress and a "Boy Toy" belt and rolled around on the floor as she performed this song. Abstinence advocates were horrified. Little did they know what the next few decades would hold...

Related Articles Around the Web
  • The most controversial music videos of all time | Dazed ›
  • The 10 most controversial music videos - Telegraph ›
  • 10 Most Controversial Music Videos Ever ›
  • The 17 Most Controversial Music Videos Of All Time ›
  • These Are the Most Controversial Music Videos of All Time ›
  • Childish Gambino and five other controversial music videos - BBC ... ›
  • 20 Of The Most Controversial Music Videos Ever | NME ›
music videos
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