With Mute Math’s “Typical” getting so much YouTube love for being shot in reverse, we thought we’d put together a list of our all time favorite backwards music vids. They’re all pretty cool — duh, they’re backwards! — but we feel strongly about our #1 pick. It was competitive eater Hirofumi Nakajima’s sixth take!
5. The Pharcyde – “Drop”
…no daeR
4. Jack Johnson – “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing”
3. Mute Math – “Typical”
2. Coldplay – “The Scientist”
1. God Lives Underwater – “From Your Mouth”
Okay, truth be told we could only think of five at the moment. What else ya got?
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What about Enya?
Cibo Matto’s “Sugar Water” dir by Michel Gondry–it was split screen, one side backwards, one side forwards.
I sort of disqualified videos that only use a little bit of backwardsness (e.g., Enya). Otherwise, R.E.M.’s “Imitation Of Life” gets its own special award for awesomeness.
Bob Hund – Istallet For Musik: Forvirring
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPlMeZ_yJZw
Cheesy 80s Hair Backwards Action!
The whole video isn’t backwards, but the guitar solo and the fadeout of Love and Affection by Nelson is classic backwards action! Nelson! This video also has fast motion and slow motion without breaking perfect lip-sync. (Well, except for the fact that YouTube screws it up.)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=z87YAt6gjCY
“Sugar Water”, absolutely. Though it is only, technically, half the screen in reverse, it’s perhaps the most incredible video I’ve seen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPJ9TS_5tAo
awesome choice for number 1. that song brings me back to highschool.
sugar water is awesome, even doubly awesome when you have the gondry dvd, but it ain’t all that.
no “sugar Water” by Cibo Matto??? You guys are slippin
I’ve got to give props to Coldplay on this one. “The Scientist” has one hell of a poignant (triple word score!) video. Regardless of what I think of some of their work (nothing as harsh as most of you lot, probably) the video is well put-together.
Oh, and Mute Math is pretty dang good.
the dude who sang stairway to heaven backwards wins hands down. youtube it if you dare.
Not saying it’s a great song or video, but Enigma did a reverse video for “Return to Innocence”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JpJjsHgYHA
Don’t forget the Australian Band Iron On with their video for Playing Hard to Want:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1033331975&n=2
Goodshirt – Blowing Dirt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9svn_Ebzxfg
isn’t there a daft punk video that goes backwards?
golden boy & miss kittin’s “rippin kittin” has a split screen with the top going forwards and the bottom backwards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaY6Gg0-FSo
me, myself & i
me, myself & i!
bob hund – Istället för musik: förvirring
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPlMeZ_yJZw
sorry for it being in swedish and not being as good as I remembered it. but it’s backwards!
And Chris Martin actually had to sing backwards to make the video work.
Yeah, that Cibo Matto video is super awesome.
what about “off the hook” by CSS, aka CANSEI DE SER SEXY? not as creative, but fun nonetheless.
i forgot how dope that pharcyde video is. whats up fatlip?
GOOD SHIRT.
i was reading somewhere that the director of the Coldplay video said that the Good Shirt video was the inspiration for the Coldplay video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9svn_Ebzxfg
remy zero – “save me”
great video, that also came before the coldplay clip.
and i also second the vote for r.e.m.’s imitation of life vid. sooo awesome.
that mute math video is so unoriginal. how can they be ahead of pharacyde? pharacyde made that video more than a decade ago. all mute math did was copy the countless other bands who had the idea before them.
There’s the end of Weird Al’s AMISH PARADISE video, too.
“morning afterglow” by electrasy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc8FsfIUz4c
an okay-ish slice of late 90′s brit-pop. and it’s done backwards! (dunno how they did the polaroid though)
the mutemath one is just amazing. they play their instruments backwards, and he sings backwards [granted not for the whole song], but they do it all in one take.
its not one take, there is at least one cut when he walks up to the camera. don’t feel like watching it again to look for more. it is a sweet video though, definitely not better than pharcyde, but original in its own way. playing the drums backwards? yeah. nice.
and merman, the sugar water video IS all that, sir.
“Landlubber” by overlord. great song, great band, directed and edited by the bandleader.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfTdID7zgXw
i’m definitely with “sugar water” too.
was that daft punk video backwards too? around the world?
that would make sense though since they’re both directed by michel gondry.
Beastie Boys – Alive
What? No love for Ian Brown’s F.E.A.R. ?????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V75ybmmoGMs
weezer, the sweater song, obvs.
Years ago, Chrissie Hynde cut a trip-hoppy version of Jon Anderson’s “State of Independence” with an act called Moodswings, and the video featured Chrissie and her cohorts walking forward thru a backward-walking crowd while singing the song. Was an entire crowd’s worth of extras recruited for this clip, or did Hynde and co. actually have to plow backwards thru a sea of unsuspecting pedestrians while singing backwards?
On a related note, every time you get exasperated by how pretentious Sting is, picture the making of the “Wrapped around Your Finger” video: Dude had to lip-synch to a Chipmunk-speed version of the song to get the proper slowed-down video effect.
What about Chain Me Free by The Matches?
No “Forbidden Fruit” by the Blow Monkeys? What’s up? Are all these videos from the last 15 years?
What about Enigma – Return to Innocence?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkaY_lc_2UM
THIS is the best Backwards Music Video of All Time
Sidewalks by Story of the Year
I recall this one amazing japanese (or korean) music video were these two girls switch places/apartments/actions so that one is where the other started. anyway this is shot with two cameras, shown as a split screen simultaeously. To get the effect one had to be doing the exact backward actions of the other, only to have it replicated by the ‘forward’ person later on. sorry i can’t be any more specific, i just recall it being a viral video i saw a few years ago.
The song is “sugar water” from cibo matto.
When i was in Tokyo i was watching all kinds of nutty videos. One of them was some dudes poolside, and a bunch of people unjumping into the pool(mostly hot girls). But sadly this was a few years ago and i forgot the name of the song and group. Sorry. but is was awesome i promise!
Have you tried playing the scientist backwards?
Coldplay used the scientist in reverse when they did their 2005 tours.
what was the video with the clown “wiping on” his makeup as it was all in reverse? Unhappy Boy, Unhappy Girl something or other! Who sang that? Its bugging me!!!!
Mirwais – Naive Song
Thanks!!!! Ive been looking for this song for years!!!!!!
Hey I am looking for a name of a Song!
It’s a female singer with short blond hair that sort of sits over her right eye – and she is walking backwards around pillars (or something)
She is singing about never going back to a relationship once she has left it.
I think it’s an oldish song but it was on a video hits type song recently … probably as a blast from the past?
But does anyone know the song I mean and who sings it?
PLEASE!!!!
Thank you
Nova, do you mean Robyn’s “With Every Heartbeat”?
http://www.stereogum.com/archives/video/new-robyn-video-with-every-heartbeat.html
Thank you, thank you thank you! I was looking for the same thing and now I know!
I think mute math knows it already. I like coldplay and mutemath.
Hey, Mark D
The song you’re looking after is called “Naive Song” by french composer/producer/whatever Mirwais.
hi from germany!
i have a question. i watched backwards shot music video across the end of 90s. its electronic music. as far as i can remember there was a parachute, exploding ford taunus at the end and so on…. can you remember that song ?
Im looking for that video since many years ago !!!
I also remember somebody cooking some waffles haha
I hope somebody can help us
I`M LOOKINF FOR THAT EXACT SAME VIDEO ABOUT SOMEBODY COOKING WAFFLES AND THE PARACHUTE AND THE EXPLODING CAR !!!!!!!!!! SOMEBODY HELP US !!!!! TO FIND THAT VIDEO !!! IT WAS ELECTRONIC MUSIC, WAFFLES, PARACHUTE AND AA EXPLODING CARR PLEASE !!!!!
I`M LOOKING THE EXACT SAME VIDEO MAN !!!!!!!!!!!! I NEED TO FIND IT I HAVE YEARS TRYING TO FIND IT, I SAW IT IN 1997 SINCE THEN I CAN`T FIND IT DAMN !!!!
Would you be thinking of ‘Bentley’s Gonna Sort You Out’ by any chance?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IWl77o3l50
excactly Chris exactly !!!!!! that`s amazing you have made a person very happy thank you very much man ! AJUAAAA !!!!
THANKS THANKS THANKS I was also a person looking for that video, GREAT VIDEO beyond its time in fact.
EXACTLY Chris thankssss a lot
there was a music video not to long ago that was played backwards but it showed a guy walking down a dirt street in the desert and there was a car blowing up and some other crazy stuff happening. if anyone can help me out it would be great
The video you are talking about is Driven Under by Seether. The video is shot in what looks like a small desert town. The entire video is in slow motion, with instruments and lips synced, and the lead singer is walking towards a car, that is blowing up in reverse. Just as he reaches the door handle, the car is back to normal (nice little cut in that pulls off a great “how’d he get out of the way” for those not thinking “Adobe After Effects”).
Also, I think this is the slowest played reverse, as the car explosion takes the entire length of the video.
And, while it’s not the greatest reverse video, it certainly kicks the butts of these five videos in terms of being rockin’.
Rob Dougan’s Clubbed to Death http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMq4akUZr8c
Weird Al’s “Amish Paradise”…at least the end of the video…done backwards and done pretty well.
Hey.. I’ve been LOOKING FOR A VIDEO, too, for ages.
I don’t remember much, but it shows someone jumping from a window or someplace high, a couple of guys hitting each other, someone eating a sandwich and I think a little girl with glasses… it all happens in a house’s front yard..
I hope I’m not mixing a few videos here, but it all happens backwards and if anybody has a lead, please share your thoughts… I’ve been looking for it, as I’ve said, FOREVER.
Thanks,
Schtruzzi.
A recall a backward video music, where somone was removing makeup (thing it was clown makeup)… Do you remember it? Which band played it?
Hi, I am looking for a videoclip, the only thing I know is that is was some kind of backwards striptease. its a pretty hot clip.
does anybody knows what the name of the song is?
hi…. my sister and i are arguing about a video in backwards…. maybe in 90′s? it’s a man in a table eating backwards.. can you help me please…..
Sonic Youth’s “Diamond Sea” video has some cool parts in it.
I remember a music video where there was just a black background and this guy… and he had a lot of make up on… but it was like jack johnson’s video… all kinds of stuff were thrown at the guy, colorful stuff… a whole mess was made and the video showed it backwards…. with the stuff like, flying up from the screen… i can’t remember it very well, i only saw it once, but it was genius!! ^^
By reading everyone’s comments i thought it would be that Mirwais’ Naive Song one but i’ve watched it and it’s not… does anyone have a clue of the one i’m talking about?
Cool thread people. Hope you can help me out with a music vid I’VE been trying to find.
From memory it was half backwards, electronic/dance with the chick singing the tune walking through a dance club set in an old brick alleyway (or something like that). Probably saw it about 4 or 5 years ago. Anyone??
OK, havent found what i was looking for yet. But in my search i came across Only You by Portishead. Hasn’t been mentioned on the thread yet so i thought i’d share. Check it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PnNrtUTwa4
ok, ive been looking for this video where one side of the screen is moving forward one is backward and your following the life of this guy. in the end of the video it becomes one screen, its like a sad one i think the wife cheats on him.. i forgot.. anyone know what im talking about? i remember him going to bed or taking some pills.. not sure.. i need help!
to nathan.. i think that im thinking of the same exact video as you.. they get in a fight or something and its in an aparment, ive been looking for it forever!!! anyone know what i’m talking about?
Oh for crying out loud, out of the five videos one was removed by the user, two were not allowed to be viewed in my country, one was removed due to a copyright claim and one has embedding disabled. Oh well, if the article was posted two years ago then it’s natural for material to be unavailable but 5/5? Just my luck.
you people rock. the bentley rythm video has been coming back to my memory for more than 10 years. i can now sleep again. one million thanks.
backwards video where a guy wearing a mask is dring a car in the middle of the night and everyone is looking at him…
anyone knows ?
It’s called WRONG by Depeche Mode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvfcnpJRf0Q
Yeah I want to find that one too, where the guy is going backwards in the car,and its night time, also I think hes wearing a Straight Jacket, and the car is going really fast.
One of the best ones ever: “Evol”, by Chris Vincze. Love in a backward world.
im looking for this video this guy is walkin in the desert or a dirt steert singing he has a parachuete open tide to his back and a guitar at the and of the video he goes up …. like play backward and his playing his guitar mmmm please help it a knew video so i hope some have seen it thanks!!
God Lives Underwater – From Your Mouth
K-Conjog – Chapter II is very awesome!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34wmZvzcFlU
My band actually shot a backwards music video. They’re not easy to do. It took me (the singer) a whole month to memorize all the of the words backwards. Basically I’d sit in front of the mirror while listening to the song in reverse, mouthing and memorizing such things as “tine git noser tagbi tah po hibe did ige!”
You can check out the result here… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Z5JO8gcn8