The Evolution of Music Videos
The Evolution of Music Videos
Music videos are a way for artists to further tell the story of their song and add context and character to their songs.
Point A:
The first ever piece of art that resembles a music video is from 1894. Sheet music publishers named Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern hired an electrician, George Thomas, to promote their song, “The Little Lost Child” Through imagery and light to project images to go along with the song. This is largely considered the first ever music video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTCBtMPvuKQ.
The rhythm of “The Little Lost Child” is steady and fairly simple. This is very typical of the time and I think that the rhythm supports the storytelling of the song very well. The rhythm, lyrics, and “music video” all work together to tell a story to the audience. The images are moving at a slower pace than in more modern music videos.
This song is not exactly my favorite but I am glad to have the images to add context and keep me more engaged.
This artwork and imagery was created as a marketing technique but also to engage the audience and give them something to go along with the lyrics and melody, much like modern day music videos.
Point B: The music video directed by James Mackel of the song “Anxiety” written by Doehii won the Grammy for Best Music Video in 2026.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riCP9x31Kuk&list=RDriCP9x31Kuk&start_radio=1
This music video is so much more technologically advanced and faster paced than “The Little Lost Child”. This music video does a great job of showing the chaos of the “Anxiety”. Something interesting about this music video is that Doechii references the music video for “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye. I think that this was done because her song has been criticized for sounding very similar to “Somebody That I Used to Know”. This is an example of the creativity used in this music video.
This newer music video is much more engaging to me as a viewer. The quick pace and large variety of visual elements makes me enjoy the video more.
The rhythm of “Anxiety” is fast, upbeat and more complex than “The Little Lost Child”. The rhythm is supported by more modern elements like electron musical sounds. The rhythm with the quick pace of the lyrics and chaos of the video give a better sense of the overall vibe to the viewer.
Both of these songs are very different and can easily be categorized into their respective decades after even just a few seconds of listening. Along with the differences in sound, the visuals could not be more different. “Anxiety” is fast, colorful, and conceptual while “The Little Lost Child” is straight forward and simpler. These two music videos are just two examples of the great changes in music videos over the years. Music videos share a story and will continue to evolve, just as any other art form would.
Works Cited
Blistein, Jon, and James Mackel. “Doechii Drops 'Anxiety' Music Video With Elephants, Gotye Lookalike.” Rolling Stone, 18 April 2025, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/doechii-anxiety-music-video-1235320639/. Accessed 5 March 2026.
“Music video.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video. Accessed 5 March 2026.
Hi Sally, I think you did a great job of explaining how music videos have changed over time. Like you mentioned in your blog, I would say that the evolution of music videos very similarly follows the evolution of music itself. With preference, technology, and many other things changing and becoming more complex and high speed, music has made the same change. I think you can see it reflected in almost every genre of music. Even genres that typically produce music that is very slow, you can clearly hear the technological differences. I think the examples you picked to show the difference were very adequate.
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