Losing My Religion - Wikipedia

R.E.M. single from 1991 This article is about the R.E.M. song. For other uses, see Losing My Religion (disambiguation).

"Losing My Religion"
Single by R.E.M.
from the album Out of Time
B-side	"Rotary Eleven"
Released	February 19, 1991 (1991-02-19)
Recorded	September–October 1990
Studio	Bearsville (Woodstock, New York) John Keane (Athens, Georgia) Soundscape (Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre	Alternative rock[1][2] folk rock[3]
Length	4:28
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriters	Bill Berry Peter Buck Mike Mills Michael Stipe
Producers	Scott Litt R.E.M.
R.E.M. singles chronology
"Get Up" (1989) "Losing My Religion" (1991) "Shiny Happy People" (1991)
Audio sample
file help
Music video
"Losing My Religion" on YouTube

"Losing My Religion" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on February 19, 1991, by Warner Bros. Records as the first single from their seventh album, Out of Time (1991). It developed from a mandolin riff improvised by the guitarist, Peter Buck. The lyrics, written by the singer, Michael Stipe, concern disillusionment and unrequited love.

"Losing My Religion" is R.E.M.'s highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and expanding their popularity. Its music video, directed by Tarsem Singh, features religious imagery. At the 1992 Grammy Awards, "Losing My Religion" won Best Short Form Music Video and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Its video won awards for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Art Direction, Best Direction, and Best Editing at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017, and Rolling Stone ranked it at number 112 in its 2024 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2020, "Losing My Religion" became the first R.E.M. video to reach one billion views on YouTube.

Recording

[edit]

The R.E.M. guitarist, Peter Buck, wrote the main riff and chorus for "Losing My Religion" on a mandolin. He had recently bought it and was learning how to play, recording as he practiced while watching television. Buck said that "when I listened back to it the next day, there was a bunch of stuff that was really just me learning how to play mandolin, and then there's what became 'Losing My Religion', and then a whole bunch more of me learning to play the mandolin".[4] He said he likely would not have written the chord progression in the same way had he not played it on mandolin.[5]

In July 1990, R.E.M. recorded a demo version with the working title "Sugar Cane" in a studio in Athens, Georgia, featuring banjo and Hammond organ.[6] Mike Mills wrote a bassline inspired by the Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie.[4] The final version was recorded in September at Bearsville Studio A in Woodstock, New York.[4]

Finding the song lacked midrange between the bass and mandolin, R.E.M. enlisted the touring guitarist Peter Holsapple on acoustic guitar.[7] Buck said, "It was really cool: Peter and I would be in our little booth, sweating away, and Bill and Mike would be out there in the other room going at it. It just had a really magical feel."[7] Michael Stipe recorded his vocals in a single take.[8] The strings, arranged by Mark Bingham, were performed by members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Soundscape Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, in October 1990.[9]

Composition and lyrics

[edit]

"Losing My Religion" is based on Buck's mandolin part. Buck said, "The verses are the kinds of things R.E.M. uses a lot, going from one minor to another, kind [of] like those 'Driver 8' chords. You can't really say anything bad about E minor, A minor, D, and G ... We are trying to get away from those kind of songs, but like I said before, those are some good chords."[7] He felt "Losing My Religion" was the most "typical" R.E.M. song on the album.[7] The song is in natural minor.[10]

The title phrase is an expression from the Southern United States that means "losing one's temper or civility" or "feeling frustrated and desperate".[11] Stipe said the song was about romantic expression and unrequited love.[12][13] The lines "That's me in the corner / That's me in the spotlight" were originally "That's me in the corner / That's me in the kitchen", describing a person at a social event too shy to approach the person they like.[14] Stipe compared the theme to "Every Breath You Take" (1983) by the Police, saying, "It's just a classic obsession pop song. I've always felt the best kinds of songs are the ones where anybody can listen to it, put themselves in it and say, 'Yeah, that's me.'"[15]

Music video

[edit]

The music video for "Losing My Religion" was directed by the Indian filmmaker Tarsem Singh. Unlike previous R.E.M. videos, Stipe agreed to lip-sync the lyrics.[16] The video begins inside a dark room where water drips from an open window. Recreating a scene from the Andrei Tarkovsky film The Sacrifice, Buck, Berry, and Mills run across the room while Stipe remains seated as a pitcher of milk drops from the windowsill and shatters.

The video originated as a combination of ideas envisioned by Stipe and Singh. Stipe wanted a straightforward performance video, akin to Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U". Singh wanted to create a video in the style of a certain type of Indian filmmaking, where everything would be "melodramatic and very dreamlike", according to Stipe.[17] Singh said the video was modeled after the Gabriel García Márquez short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", in which an angel crashes into a town and the villagers have varied reactions to him.[18] He also drew inspiration from the Italian painter Caravaggio, and the video uses religious imagery such as Saint Sebastian, the Biblical episode of the Incredulity of Thomas, and Hindu deities, portrayed in a series of tableaux.[19] The actor Wade Dominguez appears in the video.[20]

The "Losing My Religion" video was nominated in nine categories at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards and won for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Art Direction, Best Direction, and Best Editing.[21] It ranked second in the music video category of the 1991 Pazz & Jop poll.[22] In September 2020, "Losing My Religion" became the first R.E.M. video to reach one billion views on YouTube.[23]

Release and promotion

[edit]

"Losing My Religion" was released on February 19, 1991, in the United States as the lead single from R.E.M.'s album Out of Time.[15] Their record label, Warner Bros., was wary of the choice of lead single. Steven Baker, then the vice president of product management., said there were "long, drawn-out discussions" about releasing such an "unconventional track" as the single until the label agreed.[24]

R.E.M. did not tour to promote Out of Time, but visited radio stations, gave press interviews and made television appearances.[24] On November 10, 1991, R.E.M. performed "Losing My Religion" with members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the tenth anniversary of MTV. It was recorded at the Madison Morgan Cultural Centre in Madison, Georgia, about 20 miles south of Athens.[25]

Warner Bros. worked to establish "Losing My Religion" at campus, modern rock, and album-oriented rock radio stations before promoting it to American Top 40 stations, where it became a success. According to one program director, "Losing My Religion" was "a hard record to program; you can't play L.L. Cool J behind it. But it's a real pop record—you can dance to it." He said it "crosses the boundaries of just being an alternative record".[24]

"Losing My Religion" became R.E.M.'s biggest hit in the US, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[26] It stayed on the chart for 21 weeks.[27] It topped the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for three weeks and the Modern Rock Tracks chart for eight weeks, the best performance of any R.E.M. song on either chart. It reached number 19 on the UK singles chart, No. 16 in Canada and No. 11 in Australia.[26]

With "Losing My Religion", R.E.M. crossed over into mainstream pop culture.[28] Asked if he was worried the success might alienate older fans, Buck told Rolling Stone, "The people that changed their minds because of 'Losing My Religion' can just kiss my ass."[29] Mills said R.E.M. understood they had a worldwide hit when they heard it on local radio in the jungle of Paraguay.[30] Years later,[when?] Mills said: "Without 'Losing My Religion', Out of Time would have sold two or three million [copies], instead of the ten [million copies] or so it did. But the phenomenon that is a worldwide hit is an odd thing to behold. Basically that record was a hit in almost every civilised country in the world."[8]

Reception

[edit]

Caren Myers from Melody Maker named the song "Single of the Week", writing that it "occupies a smaller, more intimate space, delicately picking a path with mandolins and acoustic guitars, soothed by the mournful sweep of a string section. Deceptive echoes of 'World Leader Pretend' dissolve on second listen as the song wraps itself around the impossibility of communication with glancing but painful accuracy. Stipe's writing is getting sparser and more intense, riddled with oblique insights but unwilling to point out where. This is R.E.M. at their most tender and unsettling, Stipe's careworn voice filled with inexplicable sadness, but as warm and familiar as ever."[31] A reviewer from Music & Media wrote: "Hearing such a beautiful song with a striking mandolin arrangement, provides an ample religious substitute."[32] Terry Staunton from NME found that it "is likely to be read as self-reflection on R.E.M.'s position in the worldwide musical scheme of things, doubt and discomfort at the prospect of unwanted disciples".[33]

Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel wrote that R.E.M. had returned to its "trademark jangle", and that "Stipe touches again on what seems to be ambivalence about his role as a pop star, and about the need to communicate with an audience".[34] David Fricke from Rolling Stone felt that "there is melancholy in the air: in the doleful strings and teardrop mandolin".[35] Celia Farber from Spin praised it as "a gorgeous, gorgeous song" and said "I actually get a hot/cold flash and have to play the song about 30 more times" when she hears the opening lyrics.[36]

"Losing My Religion" placed second in the Village Voice Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll, behind Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".[22] At the 1992 Grammy Awards, it earned several nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year,[37] and won for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Short Form Music Video.[38] In 2007, VH1 named it the ninth-best song of the 90s,[39] and in 2009, Blender ranked it No. 79 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[40] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it in its 2004 list of "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".[41] In 2004, Rolling Stone listed "Losing My Religion" at No. 169 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", writing that "never before had Michael Stipe sounded so vulnerable, yearning, and articulate".[28] It ranked it at No. 112 in its updated 2024 list.[5]

Personnel

[edit]

Personnel are adapted from the Out of Time liner notes,[42] except where noted.

R.E.M.

• Bill Berry – drums, percussion
• Peter Buck – mandolin, electric guitar
• Mike Mills – bass guitar, backing vocals, string synthesizer and arrangement
• Michael Stipe – lead vocals

Additional musician

• Peter Holsapple – acoustic guitar

Strings

• Mark Bingham – string arrangements
• David Arenz – violin
• Ellie Arenz – violin
• David Braitberg – violin
• Andrew Cox – cello
• Reid Harris – viola
• Ralph Jones – double bass
• Dave Kempers – violin
• Elizabeth Murphy – cello
• Paul Murphy – viola
• Jay Weigel – orchestral liaison

Track listing

[edit]

All songs were written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe except where noted.

7-inch

1. "Losing My Religion" – 4:29
2. "Rotary Eleven" – 2:32

12-inch and compact disc

1. "Losing My Religion" – 4:29
2. "Rotary Eleven" – 2:32
3. "After Hours" (Lou Reed) (Live)1 – 2:08

UK "Collector's Edition" CD one

1. "Losing My Religion" – 4:29
2. "Stand" (Live)1 – 3:21
3. "Turn You Inside-Out" (Live)1 – 4:23
4. "World Leader Pretend" (Live)1 – 4:24

UK "Collector's Edition" CD two

1. "Losing My Religion" – 4:29
2. "Fretless" – 4:51
3. "Losing My Religion" (Live acoustic version/Rockline) – 4:38
4. "Rotary Eleven" – 2:32

Notes

• 1. Taken from the live performance video, Tourfilm.

Charts

[edit]

Weekly charts [edit] Weekly chart performance for "Losing My Religion" Chart (1991–1992) Peakposition Australia (ARIA)[43] 11 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[44] 6 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[45] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[46] 6 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[47] 17 Denmark (IFPI)[48] 9 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[49] 14 Europe (European Hit Radio)[50] 8 France (SNEP)[51] 3 Ireland (IRMA)[52] 5 Italy (Musica e dischi)[53] 8 Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)[54] 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[55] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[56] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[57] 16 Norway (VG-lista)[58] 4 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[59] 3 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[60] 11 UK Singles (OCC)[61] 19 UK Airplay (Music Week)[62] 8 US Billboard Hot 100[63] 4 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[64] 28 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[65] 1 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[66] 1 US Cash Box Top 100[67] 6 Chart (2008) Peakposition Italy (FIMI)[68] 14 Chart (2013) Peakposition Slovenia Airplay (SloTop50)[69] 14 Chart (2015) Peakposition Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[70] 88 Chart (2025–2026) Peakposition Israel International Airplay (Media Forest)[71] 13 Portugal (AFP)[72] 154

Year-end charts [edit] Year-end chart performance for "Losing My Religion" Chart (1991) Position Australia (ARIA)[73] 54 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[74] 24 Belgium (Ultratop)[75] 12 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[76] 28 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[77] 22 Europe (European Hit Radio)[78] 54 Italy (Musica e dischi)[79] 47 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[80] 7 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[81] 4 Sweden (Topplistan)[82] 20 US Billboard Hot 100[83] 33 US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[84] 6 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[84] 9 US Cash Box Top 100[85] 39 Chart (2025) Position Argentina Anglo Airplay (Monitor Latino)[86] 67

Certifications

[edit] Certifications and sales for "Losing My Religion"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[87]	Platinum	60,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[88]	Platinum	90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[89]	Platinum	600,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[90]	3× Platinum	300,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[91]	3× Platinum	90,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[92]	4× Platinum	40,000‡
Spain (Promusicae)[93]	3× Platinum	180,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[94]	3× Platinum	1,800,000‡
United States (RIAA)[95] Physical single	Gold	500,000^
United States (RIAA)[96] Digital single	Platinum	1,000,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit] Release dates and formats for "Losing My Religion"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Europe	February 19, 1991	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD	Warner Bros.	[43]
United States		7-inch vinyl cassette		[15]
United Kingdom	February 25, 1991	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD cassette		[97]
Australia	March 11, 1991	7-inch vinyl cassette		[98]
	March 18, 1991	CD		[99]
	April 1, 1991	12-inch vinyl		[100]

Covers

[edit]

Italian metal band Graveworm covered the song on their 2003 album Engraved in Black.

Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) covered the song in the 2010 Glee episode "Grilled Cheesus".[101] The song reached number 60 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 47 on the Canadian Hot 100.[102][103]

Tori Amos recorded a cover version which appeared in the film Higher Learning.

Italian band Lacuna Coil covered the song on their 2012 album Dark Adrenaline.

American heavy metal band Trivium covered the song on their 2013 album Vengeance Falls.[104]

Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan covered the song on his 2020 album Thief.[105]

Hootie & the Blowfish covered the song for the 2020 reissue of their 2019 album Imperfect Circle. In a 2020 interview, guitarist Mark Bryan emphasized how influential R.E.M. had been in the band's development.[106][107]

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[edit]

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Bibliography

[edit]

• Black, Johnny. Reveal: The Story of R.E.M. Backbeat Books, 2004. ISBN 978-0-87930-776-9
• Buckley, David. R.E.M.: Fiction: An Alternative Biography. Virgin, 2002. ISBN 978-1-85227-927-1

v t e R.E.M.
Bill Berry Peter Buck Mike Mills Michael Stipe Bertis Downs Jefferson Holt
Studio albums	Murmur Reckoning Fables of the Reconstruction Lifes Rich Pageant Document Green Out of Time Automatic for the People Monster New Adventures in Hi-Fi Up Reveal Around the Sun Accelerate Collapse into Now
Live albums	R.E.M. Live Live at The Olympia Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions R.E.M. at the BBC Live at the Borderline 1991
Compilations	Dead Letter Office Eponymous The Best of R.E.M. The Automatic Box Singles Collected In the Attic In Time And I Feel Fine Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011 Complete Rarities (I.R.S. · WB) 7IN—83–88
EPs	Chronic Town Not Bad for No Tour Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes Live from London Reckoning Songs from The Olympia
Other albums	Man on the Moon r.e.m.IX
Singles	"Radio Free Europe" "Talk About the Passion" "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" "Cant Get There from Here" "Driver 8" "Wendell Gee" "Fall on Me" "Superman" "The One I Love" "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" "Finest Worksong" "Orange Crush" "Stand" "Pop Song 89" "Get Up" "Losing My Religion" "Shiny Happy People" "Near Wild Heaven" "Radio Song" "Drive" "Man on the Moon" "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" "Everybody Hurts" "Nightswimming" "Find the River" "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" "Bang and Blame" "Crush with Eyeliner" "Strange Currencies" "Tongue" "E-Bow the Letter" "Bittersweet Me" "Electrolite" "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us" "Daysleeper" "Lotus" "At My Most Beautiful" "Suspicion" "The Great Beyond" "Imitation of Life" "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" "I'll Take the Rain" "Bad Day" "Animal" "Leaving New York" "Aftermath" "Electron Blue" "Wanderlust" "#9 Dream" "Supernatural Superserious" "Hollow Man" "Man-Sized Wreath" "Until the Day Is Done" "Mine Smell Like Honey" "Überlin" "Oh My Heart" "We All Go Back to Where We Belong"
Other songs	"Sitting Still" "Gardening at Night" "Perfect Circle" "Pretty Persuasion" "7 Chinese Bros." "Begin the Begin" "Cuyahoga" "Ages of You" "Turn You Inside-Out" "Texarkana" "Country Feedback" "First We Take Manhattan" "Ignoreland" "Dark Globe" "Star 69" "New Test Leper" "All the Right Friends" "Out in the Country"
Videos	Succumbs Tourfilm Pop Screen This Film Is On Parallel Road Movie In View Perfect Square When the Light Is Mine R.E.M. Live Live from Austin, TX REMTV
Support andside projects	Nathan December Buren Fowler Peter Holsapple Barrett Martin Scott McCaughey Bill Rieflin Ken Stringfellow Joey Waronker The Baseball Project Filthy Friends Hindu Love Gods The Minus 5 Tanzplagen Tuatara Tired Pony
Related articles	Discography List of songs Awards Tours 170 College Avenue Peter Buck Athens Andover "I Belong to You" Hib-Tone Surprise Your Pig: A Tribute to R.E.M. Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic for the People
Category

Awards for "Losing My Religion"

v t e Grammy Award for Best Music Video 1980s "Girls on Film" / "Hungry Like the Wolf" – Duran Duran (1984) "Jazzin' for Blue Jean" – David Bowie (1985) "We Are the World" – USA for Africa (1986) "Brothers in Arms" – Dire Straits (1987) 1990s "Leave Me Alone" – Michael Jackson (1990) "Opposites Attract" – Paula Abdul (1991) "Losing My Religion" – R.E.M. (1992) "Digging in the Dirt" – Peter Gabriel (1993) "Steam" – Peter Gabriel (1994) "Love Is Strong" – The Rolling Stones (1995) "Scream" – Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson (1996) "Free as a Bird" – The Beatles (1997) "Got 'til It's Gone" – Janet Jackson (1998) "Ray of Light" – Madonna (1999) 2000s "Freak on a Leash" – Korn (2000) "Learn to Fly" – Foo Fighters (2001) "Weapon of Choice" – Fatboy Slim featuring Bootsy Collins (2002) "Without Me" - Eminem (2003) "Hurt" – Johnny Cash (2004) "Vertigo" – U2 (2005) "Lose Control" – Missy Elliott featuring Ciara & Fatman Scoop (2006) "Here It Goes Again" – OK Go (2007) "God's Gonna Cut You Down" – Johnny Cash (2008) "Pork and Beans" – Weezer (2009) 2010s "Boom Boom Pow" – Black Eyed Peas (2010) "Bad Romance" – Lady Gaga (2011) "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele (2012) "We Found Love" – Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris (2013) "Suit & Tie" – Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z (2014) "Happy" – Pharrell Williams (2015) "Bad Blood" – Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar (2016) "Formation" – Beyoncé (2017) "Humble" – Kendrick Lamar (2018) "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2019) 2020s "Old Town Road" – Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (2020) "Brown Skin Girl" – Beyoncé, Blue Ivy & Wizkid (2021) "Freedom" – Jon Batiste (2022) All Too Well: The Short Film – Taylor Swift (2023) "I'm Only Sleeping" – The Beatles (2024) "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar (2025) "Anxiety" – Doechii (2026) v t e MTV Video Music Award – Breakthrough Video 1980s INXS – "Need You Tonight/Mediate" (1988) Art of Noise featuring Tom Jones – "Kiss" (1989) 1990s Tears for Fears – "Sowing the Seeds of Love" (1990) R.E.M. – "Losing My Religion" (1991) Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away" (1992) Los Lobos – "Kiko and the Lavender Moon" (1993) R.E.M. – "Everybody Hurts" (1994) Weezer – "Buddy Holly" (1995) The Smashing Pumpkins – "Tonight, Tonight" (1996) Jamiroquai – "Virtual Insanity" (1997) The Prodigy – "Smack My Bitch Up" (1998) Fatboy Slim – "Praise You" (1999) 2000s Björk – "All Is Full of Love" (2000) Fatboy Slim – "Weapon of Choice" (2001) The White Stripes – "Fell in Love with a Girl" (2002) Coldplay – "The Scientist" (2003) Franz Ferdinand – "Take Me Out" (2004) Gorillaz – "Feel Good Inc." (2005) No Award (2006–2008) Matt & Kim – "Lessons Learned" (2009) 2010s The Black Keys – "Tighten Up" (2010) v t e MTV Video Music Award for Best Group 1980s ZZ Top – "Legs" (1984) USA for Africa – "We Are the World" (1985) Dire Straits – "Money for Nothing" (1986) Talking Heads – "Wild Wild Life" (1987) INXS – "Need You Tonight/Mediate" (1988) Living Colour – "Cult of Personality" (1989) 1990s The B-52's – "Love Shack" (1990) R.E.M. – "Losing My Religion" (1991) U2 – "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (1992) Pearl Jam – "Jeremy" (1993) Aerosmith – "Cryin'" (1994) TLC – "Waterfalls" (1995) Foo Fighters – "Big Me" (1996) No Doubt – "Don't Speak" (1997) Backstreet Boys – "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" (1998) TLC – "No Scrubs" (1999) 2000s Blink-182 – "All the Small Things" (2000) 'N Sync – "Pop" (2001) No Doubt featuring Bounty Killer – "Hey Baby" (2002) Coldplay – "The Scientist" (2003) No Doubt – "It's My Life" (2004) Green Day – "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (2005) The All-American Rejects – "Move Along" (2006) Fall Out Boy (2007) 2010s BTS (2019) 2020s BTS (2020–2022) Blackpink (2023) Seventeen (2024) Blackpink (2025) v t e MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year 1980s "You Might Think" – The Cars (1984) "The Boys of Summer" – Don Henley (1985) "Money for Nothing" – Dire Straits (1986) "Sledgehammer" – Peter Gabriel (1987) "Need You Tonight" / "Mediate" – INXS (1988) "This Note's for You" – Neil Young (1989) 1990s "Nothing Compares 2 U" – Sinéad O'Connor (1990) "Losing My Religion" – R.E.M. (1991) "Right Now" – Van Halen (1992) "Jeremy" – Pearl Jam (1993) "Cryin'" – Aerosmith (1994) "Waterfalls" – TLC (1995) "Tonight, Tonight" – The Smashing Pumpkins (1996) "Virtual Insanity" – Jamiroquai (1997) "Ray of Light" – Madonna (1998) "Doo Wop (That Thing)" – Lauryn Hill (1999) 2000s "The Real Slim Shady" – Eminem (2000) "Lady Marmalade" – Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, and Pink (2001) "Without Me" – Eminem (2002) "Work It" – Missy Elliott (2003) "Hey Ya!" – Outkast (2004) "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" – Green Day (2005) "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" – Panic! at the Disco (2006) "Umbrella" – Rihanna featuring Jay-Z (2007) "Piece of Me" – Britney Spears (2008) "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Beyoncé (2009) 2010s "Bad Romance" – Lady Gaga (2010) "Firework" – Katy Perry (2011) "We Found Love" – Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris (2012) "Mirrors" – Justin Timberlake (2013) "Wrecking Ball" – Miley Cyrus (2014) "Bad Blood" – Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar (2015) "Formation" – Beyoncé (2016) "Humble" – Kendrick Lamar (2017) "Havana" – Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug (2018) "You Need to Calm Down" – Taylor Swift (2019) 2020s "Blinding Lights" – The Weeknd (2020) "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" – Lil Nas X (2021) All Too Well: The Short Film – Taylor Swift (2022) "Anti-Hero" – Taylor Swift (2023) "Fortnight" – Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone (2024) Brighter Days Ahead – Ariana Grande (2025)

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