The ‘90s were a time when the concept of sexual expression was being rewritten right before our very … errr … eyes. Yeah, we’re gonna go with “eyes.”
Playing a large role in this, as they always have throughout history, were the artists ruling the airwaves.
Back in the ‘50s, Elvis’ hip gyrations caused controversies, but he probably never imagined that one day we’d have half naked supermodels, and numerous bathtub scenes, as part of a musician’s artistic expression.
Yes, “sexy” was elevated to new heights in the ‘90s, and the following 8 music videos helped make that happen.
Chris Isaak – “Wicked Game” (1990)
Not just one of the sexiest music videos of the ‘90s, but one of the sexiest videos of all-time, “Wicked Game,” which was directed by Herb Ritts, featured a topless Helena Christensen seductively frolicking on a Hawaiian beach, and embracing a lovestruck Chris Isaak.
Shot in black and white, this video has an aphrodisiac-like quality equivalent to a day’s supply of the oysters at an all you can eat buffet.
Fun Fact: Helena Christensen was once married to The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, and the two have a son together.
George Michael – “Freedom! ’90” (1990)
Despite being a sex symbol of his time, George Michael decided he didn’t want to be in the video for his song “Freedom! ’90.” Instead, inspired by Peter Lindbergh's portrait of Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford, on the January 1990 cover of the British edition of Vogue, Michael decided to go the supermodel route, and in doing so, he created a classic.
The video for “Freedom! ’90,” which was directed by David Fincher, features the same supermodels from the Lindbergh photo, along with a handful of male models, with the female models lip syncing Michael’s lyrics. Oh, and there’s Cindy Crawford in a bathtub.
Madonna – “Justify My Love” (1990)
Back in the ‘90s Madonna was a boundary pusher when it came to sexual content, even publishing her own book of nude photos, titled Sex, in 1992.
Before Sex, however, Madonna was looking for someone to justify her love, and with the video for “Justify My Love” she set off a wave of controversy. The clip was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV, which banned the video, so she released it on VHS, at which point it became a bestselling video single.
Even by today’s standards “Justify My Love” might not make it on air!
Janet Jackson – “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” (1990)
While some videos in the ‘90s were overt with their sexiness, others, like Janet Jackson’s “Love Will Never Do (Without You),” was a little more subtle in their sexiness. Not lewd, or crude, the black and white, Herb Ritts directed clip simply gave us a very sexy Janet Jackson, along with Antonio Sabàto, Jr. and Djimon Hounsou.
When it comes to creating a sexy video, this clip proved that sometimes less is more … and we don’t just mean less clothes.
En Vogue – “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” (1992)
En Vogue, in tight red dresses, teasing an audience of men who are getting more and more hot and bothered as the performance goes on — this was the premise for the video for “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” and believe me when I tell you the men in the audience represented every (straight) guy in the world who watched the clip.
The song was originally composed by Curtis Mayfield for the 1976 motion picture Sparkle, and was sung by Aretha Franklin for movie’s soundtrack, but in the ‘90s, En Vogue definitely gave us something we could feel, due in part to one of the hottest videos ever made.
Janet Jackson – “If” (1993)
You know how earlier we basically said the video Janet Jackson’s “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” was a blueprint for subtle sexiness? For “If” she flipped the script and was incredibly overt in regards to sex, and sexuality, proving she could play both sides of the sexiness coin.
Filled with smokin' hot female dancers, and equally attractive male dancers, this video had something for everyone, especially for the girl power set, as the male dancers were lowered down to the dance floor, and essentially used as playthings for the women.
TLC – “Red Light Special” (1994)
Speaking of girl power, TLC were runnin’ thangs in the video for their ultra sultry single “Red Light Special.” As if T-Boz’s raspy vocals weren’t enough to get you in the mood, the clip features the trio in a “pimps and hoes” situation, but with the women as the pimps, and the shirtless men as the hoes, as they all play a high stakes game of strip poker (is there such a thing as a low stakes game of strip poker?).
Fun Fact: One of the guys in the video is Boris Kodjoe.
Fiona Apple – “Criminal” (1997)
There’s a lot going on in Fiona Apple’s “Criminal” that can be considered sexy, but I think the bathtub scenes, and the look on Apple’s face during some of those scenes, are what seals the deal for it making this list of the sexiest music videos of the ‘90s.
When the video first came out, critics were harsh in their assessments of it. The New Yorker described Apple’s appearance as being that of an “underfed Calvin Klein model,” while others claimed the video promoted “heroin chic,” with some going completely off the deep end, saying it had “overtones of child porn” (Apple was 20 years old at the time of the video’s release).
Can’t a woman just have a half naked basement party anymore?
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