The Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made

Posted September 28th, 2009 / By Christy Lai in Resources, Roundups

Rediscovering most of these music videos was like opening a time capsule for me. In 1989, I had first seen Michael Jackson’s Bad in my cousin’s basement, switching between clips of Soul Man and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and finally landing on my introduction to MTV. Busta Rhymes equaled high school house parties, and Madonna was a girl’s sleepover staple (and perhaps still is). And if you were a product of the 80’s like me, I’m quite sure MC Hammer’s Too Legit To Quit set an indelible bookmark in your childhood. Thankfully, I never gave in to the Hammer pants trend, but likely wore attire equally as unfortunate. Some things are easy to forget.

It’s still quite staggering to see the numbers all these years later. It’s not certain whether another music video will top the production costs of MJ’s Scream during this decade or the years after, but it’d be interesting to see the results, especially considering how the advancements of modern technology have allowed us to achieve comparable techniques with a thousand dollar camera and home computer.

10. Michael Jackson – Bad: $2,200,000+

Director: Martin Scorsese / Original Air Date: June 1987

9. Celine Dion – It’s All Coming Back To Me Now: $2,300,000+

Director: Nigel Dick / Original Air Date: July 29, 1996

8. Busta Rhymes – What’s It Gonna Be?!: $2,400,000+

Director: Busta Rhymes & Hype Williams / Original Air Date: March 12, 1999

7. Mariah Carey – Heartbreaker: $2,500,000

Director: Brett Ratner / Original Air Date: August 16, 1999

6. MC Hammer – Too Legit To Quit: $2,500,000+

Director/Producer: MC Hammer / Original Air Date: November, 1991

5. Puff Daddy – Victory: $2,700,000+

Director: Marcus Nispel / Original Air Date: March 31, 1998

4. Madonna – Bedtime Story: $5,000,000+

Director: Mark Romanek / Original Air Date: 1995

3. Madonna – Express Yourself: $5,000,000+

Director: David Fincher / Original Air Date: May 17, 1989

2. Madonna – Die Another Day: $6,000,000+

Director: Traktor / Original Air Date: October 22, 2002

1. Michael & Janet Jackon – Scream: $7,000,000

Director: Mark Romanek / Original Air Date: June 13, 1995

Further Reading

• See the rest of the Most Expensive Music Videos at Wikipedia

Christy Lai is the co-founder and creative director at Colorcubic, a multidisciplinary design studio. She also runs a music label called Nueva Forma, and enjoys mid-century modern furniture, breakfast for dinner, and occasionally, sleep. You can also follow Christy on .