Top 5 Music Videos of 2013

Top 5 Music Videos of 2013

At number 1 we have Miley Cyrus's 'Wrecking Ball' which is actually Cyrus's latest single up to date. This was viewed a staggering 474,365,981 times with this figure still on the increase. With such a huge amount of views, it is the most watched music video of 2013 on Youtube. The song is very catchy and it is easy to enjoy singing along to the song despite not being a huge Miley Cyrus fan. The song is the latest of how controversial ways with the way she is being portrayed in the media. I believe that one of the reasons for the success of this music video is because of the video itself as it promotes the theory of the 'male gaze' in how the male audience view Miley Cyrus to be an attractive object which is what Sinead O'Connor did warn Cyrus about.

At number 2 we have another Miley Cyrus song called 'We Can't Stop'. This was one of Cyrus's early controversial songs and it really sent a message to the audience that she has a completely different image from her old 'Hannah Montana role model' image. Firstly she presents herself in quite a 'retro/punk' way with a haircut that leaves her with no hair on both sides of her head, it can almost be considered to be a typical haircut that most boys would get. She also now has tattoos which some argue to be a sign of rebellion with Cyrus's new attitude. Going further, in the song she actually makes a reference to drugs in the lyric that says "dancing with molly" which is a street code name for the drug Ecstasy! This is quite a drastic change in Cyrus's appearance and the way she presents herself. The total views for this song is 361,480,621 on Youtube and this is because this song was like a shock. It was Cyrus telling the audience that this is the new her and the old her is long gone. The video was highly discussed when it came out, I even vaguely remember my friend saying to me "hey nick, have you seen that new Miley Cyrus video, she's gone crazy" and I can imagine that this view was shared worldwide hence the high amount of views. The song also promotes Goodwin's theory on music videos linking towards the lyrics .



At number 3, we do not have a Miley Cyrus song! Here we have Rihanna and her song featuring Mikky Ekko 'Stay'. This song topped the UK charts when released and has been suggested by critics to be her best song in her new album 'Unapologetic'. The song reached 245,998,576 views with this figure still rising. The single sold well because it depicts Rihanna singing the way she used to sing in the past before all the controversy. This song has been labelled to be 'Rihanna singing how she used to and how she should be singing'. The song allows us to emphasise with a more vulnerable looking Rihanna due to the effective close ups used which consequently reinforce her instability in the video. She looks like she is distressed about something and this allows the audience to feel empathy. The tone of the song is very soft, sad and mellow. This also corresponds to Goodwin's theory of how the artist and pop videos are related together to produce success.



At number 4 is Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith with the single 'La La La'. This song was viewed a massive 255,717,334 times. This was a smash hit due to it's modernism and catchy lyrics. It is a hit with the younger audience and it could be argued that it is aimed at the younger audience due to the lyrics and also the boy in the video which once again reinforces Goodwin's ideas of the video linking coherently with the lyrics to produce a successful single. The song is very jumpy and makes you want to sing along hence it is often played at social events such as parties. The song is very vibrant and not a song you would usually expect to come out and do so well in the charts.



At number 5 is a song by the increasingly popular band One Direction with their song called 'Kiss You'. The single is currently on 204,993,327 with this figure increasing. The single is just one of many successful songs that the band released in 2013. They are a band with a large fan base and it is argues that they actually appeal to both boys and girls but obviously more to girls. Girls absolutely adore this group of boys because of their style and attractive voices which has contributed to their massive success in their singles and usic videos. This song also supports Goodwin's theory because the lyrics definitely link with the music video.