Controversial Music Videos - Why Were They Controversial? What Made Them controversial?

1) Blurred Lines -  Robin Thicke

The blurred Lines music video was released last year. The video caused uproar amongst viewers. Robin Thicke got a lot of criticism for featuring numerous naked models, all surrounding him in a provocative manner. There are two versions made of the raunchy video - a completely topless version which was first uploaded to YouTube but then removed due to its revealing content, later it was uploaded back onto YouTube but flagged as inappropriate for viewers under the age of 18. The second version is still highly revealing but the models are more 'covered up' wearing skimpy underwear. Thicke has be accused that his song lyrics promotes date-rape but Thicke refused the claims. You would have thought that all this controversy would deter people away from Robin Thicke  and his outrageous music video but it actually did the opposite. All the controversial attention brought viewers to Thickes music video and blurred Lines actually became the best selling song in the UK in 2013. As well as this it also become the most downloaded song in chart history.

Watch the clean version here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyDUC1LUXSU

2) Hate Me Now - Nas ft. Puff Daddy 

The music video for the single was directed by Hype Williams which features Nas being crucified. When the music video was first released in 1999 the video caused uproar to a large amount of viewers, the reason being that Puff Daddy was originally featured on the cross in the first edit, Puff Daddy then demanded this execution scene to be erased from the broadcast and final edit, however, the wrong tape was sent to MTV and TRL then aired on the 5th of April 1999. Immediately after the broadcast Puff Daddy barged into the into the offices of Nas', he manager, Puff Daddy then stuck Nas' manager over the head with a campaign bottle. The video features very graphic close up shots of Nas be executed, and was see as disrespectful to many viewers.
3) Smack my Bitch Up - Prodigy 

'Smack My Bitch Up' was banned by the BBC, resulting in the lyric free version being played on Radio 1. When the singles album was featured on the 'Chart Rundown' but the title 'Smack My Bitch Up' was not mentioned at all, it was disregarded. It was then later refereed to as just 'smack'  and was not played. The Top of The Pops show then refused for it t be played due to it offensive content.
The music video drew harsh criticism for it's offensive content, it god lots of criticism for  containing misogyny many feminist groups accused it of containing violence against women (however the main protagonist within the music video with in fact a woman). On the other hand many people praised the music video because it challenged that common stereotype that women are normally the victims within domestic violence. The video was both banned in the UK and US but through high demands on MTV they had them relent and show the video, but only after midnight, followed by an MTV news warning.  In mid-2002, the full unedited version of this video was aired on MTV2 as part of a special countdown showing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV. This countdown was only shown late at night because of the graphic imagery of "Smack My Bitch Up"

4) Closer - Nine Inch Nails 

The music video for 'Closer' was directed by Mark Romanek on May 12th 1994. The video shows the event of a mad scientist which contained graphic images containing the themes of; religion, sexuality, animal cruelty, politics, and terror. Some of the controversial images included: 

A heart connected to some sort of device; the beat of the heart corresponds to the beat of the song

• A nude, bald woman with a crucifix mask.
• A monkey tied to a cross.
• A severed pig's head spinning on some type of machine.
• A diagram of the vulva/vagina.
• Reznor wearing an S&M mask while swinging in shackles.
• Reznor seated in front of a wall covered in fetish gear, wearing a ball gag.

For the television version, certain removed scenes were replaced with a title card that read "Scene Missing," and the instances of the word fuck being edited out were accompanied by a stop in the video motion, making it appear as if the stop was a result of defective film. 

Many viewers of the video found the contents disturbing a wrong, however, the video was successful and helped the band's success.