Music videos have shaped how we experience songs, but their roots trace back much further than the MTV era that popularized them. From quirky early experiments to iconic moments like 1975’s Bohemian Rhapsody, they’ve evolved into an art form all their own. Thankfully, YouTuber Polyphonic has done the research and created an engaging video to walk us through the fascinating history of this genre.
The 3-hour History of the Music Video episode is a full compilation of Polyphonic’s 7-episode Hit Record series, released over the past three months. This deep dive includes episodes like The Strange World of Early Music Videos, How the Internet Changed Music Videos, and even an entire video exploring the unique style of music videos in the 1930s.
While recent decades are filled with iconic music videos, the art form actually dates back to the 1890s. For as long as film and recorded music have existed, creatives have blended the two. In Polyphonic’s information-packed video, you’ll discover some of the earliest examples, including The Little Lost Child from 1884, believed by some to be the very first music video.
The Little Lost Child was created using a Victorian-era projector called the magic lantern, which used illuminated slides to project images, blending visuals with live music to create an “illustrated song.” Polyphonic points out that this early experiment doesn’t quite qualify as a music video, as it lacked actual video footage. However, it undeniably sparked innovative ideas for blending visuals with music.
Since then, music videos have evolved along with technology, empowering creatives throughout the centuries to visualize all kinds of tunes. The History of the Music Video highlights the visionary musicians, artists, and directors who pushed boundaries and redefined what music videos could be. The series covers the jazz films of the 1920s, the heyday of MTV, the modern music videos of today, and everything in between.
Check out Polyphonic’s fascinating The History of the Music Video episode below. Does your favorite video make the cut?
YouTuber Polyphonic created a captivating 3-hour video documenting the fascinating history of music videos.
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