Music Video Evolution: The Late '90s and Present Music Videos
According to History.com, the oldest film with music was filmed by Thomas Edison in 1895. It won't be until 1959 that Jiles Perry Richardson, also known as The Big Bopper, would coin the term 'music video' in an interview with the British Magazine. Humanity has come too far if we look back and examine the humble beginnings of this wonderful entertainment tool. With that being said, let's take a trip back down memory lane to the late 1990s, when life was a bit slower than we have today.
If you grew up in the '90s like I did, I'm sure you've heard of the one-of-a-kind music that the Hanson brothers put out, especially their massive hit lead single "MMMBop," which was released on March 24, 1997, by Mercury Records, followed by the music video the following month. This pop-rock song stood out from the boy bands and pop sound that were popular in that era. It was a phenomenon that even if this song were released today, it would still be a hit.
On the other hand, if you are into Pop ballads from this generation, you probably came across the song "Wish You the Best" by Lewis Capaldi. This song was released on April 13, 2023. He released a few music videos associated with this song. The official music video was a great narrative about the life-and-death cycle, whereas the alternative footage was filmed in a studio with a no-frills, no-fuss theme. For the sake of this story, I will be utilizing a different music video to illustrate the ease and cost-effectiveness of producing music videos in our time, in comparison to the golden era that I have chosen, the late 1990s.
The above music videos showcase the differences and similarities between the late '90s and what we are accustomed to today. Although these two don't have much contrast, I still chose MMMBop because of how similar it is to the "garage band" feel it gives to the low-cost production of today's modern music videos. I almost went with Club Nouveau's cover of Bill Withers' 'Lean on Me' to make a good comparison, but I'm a fan of Hanson, so here we go. While collaborating with director Tamra Davis, they opted for a simple aesthetic and aimed to be as authentic as possible to connect with their audience. They filmed the scenes in simple locations and did not dress up in lavish costumes, unlike other artists of that era. A far cry from Michael & Janet Jackson's Scream music video, which holds the record as the most expensive production in the late '90s.
While Capaldi had released a beautiful official music video of 'Wish You the Best', I wanted to highlight this specific version that he and his team executed. It represents the idea of capturing the raw emotions of the fans/audience when surprised by an impromptu performance. A stripped-down yet innovative idea to cut costs in producing a good-quality music video.
Technology & Quality
You'll notice a big leap in the video quality using technology between what was available back then and what we have now. In Hanson's video, the use of special effects such as green screen can be seen, which are clearly dated. One example of this is the scene of the brothers being on the moon. It's also hard to miss that they use a fake-looking pansy flower for their props while filming at the studio. The video came out like a montage. Being that MMMBop was filmed in 1997, we can only assume that it was shot using either a 16mm or 35mm film camera.
In today's technology, we have high-resolution cameras such as the one used in filming Capaldi's video. A drone is available for filming aerial shots, and gimbals for stabilized shots and footage on the ground. Video editing software is also available, along with AI technology; the possibilities are endless. Capaldi's video was exhibited to be cinematic in a stripped-down manner.
Lighting
As apparent in the video, MMMBop's director planned for minimal shadows on the ground and from the side angles to achieve a flat and even lighting when shooting the living room scene. The video suggests that a strong ambient light source was used to create this look. The outdoor scenes relied on natural daylight. They did not go for the high-contrast, edgy lighting commonly seen on grunge music videos of the late 1990s. The lighting was used to create a polished, clean-cut feel, which perfectly captured the pop-oriented image of the band.
Lewis Capaldi didn't set up any lighting at all. He relied on the natural ambient light and the existing overhead lighting of the airport.
Instrumentation and Vocals
In the late 1990s, it was common to feature live musical instruments, advanced digital synthesizers, and other production gear in the music videos. In the example above, the Hanson brothers can be seen playing their respective instruments in a living room of a suburban house they rented as a studio to film parts of the music video. Isaac mastered guitar, Taylor went for the piano and keyboards, and Zac specialized in the drums and piano. The trio was all great with vocals. This scene alternated with the clips of them exploring a cave, running around on a beach, discovering city streets, and rollerblading. At the time of MMMBop's release, the trio was still too young. You can tell that Taylor Hanson's lead vocal was high, youthful, and a bit strained. It didn't help that the final version ended up having a fast and upbeat tempo compared to the slower ballad it was written to be. The trio made it work, especially with Zac hitting higher notes when harmonizing with his older brothers.
Whereas Capaldi can be seen just casually walking down a busy aisle, with a guitar on his chest. He was going for a microphone waiting for him in the middle of Heathrow international arrivals. He clearly doesn't need much accompaniment since his voice can stand on its own. There's no room for disappointment in every song he releases. His music is well-suited for radio, with its chorus always blasting off with high notes; it definitely complements his raspy and emotive voice.
Broadcast Media
When Hanson released MMMBop in the late '90s, the internet was just emerging. A few experimented with their music videos available online; it was a struggle to download the videos with the available technology back then. The most common medium was still cable television, with channels focused on music. The most common household name of that era was MTV, but with the rise of reality shows came the birth of its sister company, MTV2, which took over broadcasting music videos. VH1 was an outlet for watching your favorite music videos in the late 1990s. While it was originally geared towards African-Americans who love music, it also became just like MTV, which ended up playing reruns of reality TV shows. There's also The Box. This was a satellite and cable channel. This medium operated solely on the viewer's requests, unlike MTV or VH1, which run on their own programming schedules.
And then there's the birth of YouTube in 2005. This was a game-changer! I remember posting a music video collage of my classmates and me in 2006. I'm certain it's out floating in the YouTube verse. We were also using Friendster back then, where you could set background music on your profile(lol). Anyway, YouTube made streaming music videos so accessible. It has also been a great platform for independent music artists who want to launch their music career. Armed with just a basic mobile phone and a connection to the internet, you can produce a music video for everyone to enjoy. Today, aside from the giant platforms YouTube and YouTube Music, there are other streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music, and TIDAL. Dedicated music video channels like Vevo and XITE. Additionally, there are free streaming options & live TV such as Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, FreeVee, and Vimeo.
Capaldi uses YouTube and Spotify to stream his music videos to the audience. Though he also uses other platforms, he is more prominent in the above media. The official music video of this song has accumulated 77 million views since it was uploaded in 2023.
Since the Hansons are still around today, they also use most of the media available to them. MMMBop has been viewed on YouTube for 170 million as of today since its upload 15 years ago.
Conclusion
Although the elaborate productions and hard-to-shoot music videos from the late '80s were long gone by the time we got to MMMBop, this era still required significant preparations for a music video to come to fruition. There were still plenty of moving parts that needed to come together to accomplish the task. And we can't discount the hard work that the present generation of music artists does for their craft, too. It is undeniable that making a music video today is way cheaper and less stressful than it used to be. Although quality and success can be highly attributed to the talent of the artists, it is not just dependent on the production of the video itself.
Works Cited:
"The Music Video, Before Music Television."History. 28 May 2025
https://www.history.com/articles/the-music-video-before-music-television
Wikipedia contributors. "MMMBop." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 21 Sep. 2025. Web. 26 Sep. 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MMMBop&oldid=1312620752
I really enjoyed your analysis on Music Videos! I never really thought out how much music videos have changed throughout the past 20-30 years. I found it very interesting how music videos have become simpler. One thing I think you could maybe add would be a picture of a set from 1990s as you included one from 2018. I think It would be cool and add to your analysis on music videos because many videos use their sets in parts of their videos.
ReplyDeleteHi Gabby! I'm glad you enjoyed reading my blog entry. That's actually a good idea! I'll try to put one up as soon as I find one online..
DeleteWhen I thought of innovations and evolutions, I did not even think of music videos. This is such a clever observation of the way music has changed. The videos both hold such simplicity, but just in the resolution of the video, you can see the immediate clearer resolution. I feel like a music video from Lady Gaga or a country artist would really show how they have evolved in story lines as well. I love the blog, though, such a great observation!
ReplyDeleteI honestly thought about Lady Gaga's Always Remember Us This Way, but I try to choose a topic that has some significance to my life too, so I would enjoy writing about it (teehee...).
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