A2 Media studies research into the most famous and iconic music videos and CD covers of all time

1. Famous CD Covers
By Matt Wells

2. The Beatles- Abbey Road
Perhaps one of the most well known
CD covers of all time, Abbey Road is
the cover that ‘The Beatles’ are most
remembered for.
The simplistic style revolving around
every member of the band appealed
to many at the time and it has been
replicated multiple times in both
videos and covers alike.

3. Dark side of the moon- Pink Floyd
Perhaps one of the most
iconic album covers in
the history of rock, Pink
Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the
Moon’ bought a
simplistic design that is
recognised by everyone
the world over.

4. Other Popular CD Covers

5. It seems apparent that the key to making an iconic CD cover is being
simplistic in its design, whether it’s a simple photo of a street, or
some artwork designed to promote the artist’s image. Many different
artists have taken covers in different directions with not all of them
being simplistic however, it is the majority of the iconic covers that
are.

6. Famous Music Videos

7. Fatboy Slim- Praise You
Perhaps one of the more random music
videos of all time, Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise you’
was a completely improvised video
featuring ‘Bad dancing’ and overall
foolishness which entertained audiences
throughout the song for seemingly all the
wrong reasons.

8. Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody
One of, if not the, greatest and most famous
Queen songs of all time, ‘Bohemian
Rhapsody’ was a very simple video
consisting of the members of the group
playing their instruments and singing with a
plain black background. The music video
was loved the world over sprouting several
parodies and mimics over time.

9. Michael Jackson- Thriller
Michael Jackson’s Thriller is undoubtedly the
most famous music video of all time and
one of the first examples of the ‘mini movie’
format. With the video lasting around 13
minutes long and including a storyline,
dialogue, and elaborate dance sequences
(and not a bad backing track) Thriller is
probably one of the only music videos loved
by all.

10. The key to a successful and well known music video appears to be
found in originality. Whether it’s placing a camera and improvising,
using a ‘mini movie’ style or simply performing for the camera while
being creative with different shots and angles, the music videos that
have become the most well known over the years are those that push
the boat out and do something completely new and
memorable(whether its for better or worse.)