Window Seat to "Justify My Love": A Short History of Nude Music Videos

When Erykah Badu stripped down to nothing in the middle of Dallas for her "Window Seat" video, the neo-soul singer not only raised eyebrows of the Dallas PD but also entered the pantheon of great and provocative music videos that push television censors and NSFW to the max. Matt & Kim's nude run through Times Square for "Lessons Learned," the clip that inspired Badu, scored the relatively unknown duo the Breakthrough Video prize at the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, proving that while the clip itself might have been too taboo for MTV, showing a little skin goes a long way.

Rolling Stone has collected our favorite boundary-pushing music videos, from Chris Isaak's rollick on the beach with a topless Helena Christensen in "Wicked Game" above to Girls' porn-pushing "Lust for Life."

Below, watch "Window Seat," "Lessons Learned" plus videos by Blink-182, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and a video by Madonna that was deemed "Too Hot for TV" back in the day. And for more classic nude moments in music, be sure to visit our Crotch Rock gallery and Getting Naked: Big Names Show Some Skin on the Cover of Rolling Stone.

Chris Isaak - "Wicked Game"

Michael Jackson – "You Are Not Alone"

Matt & Kim - "Lessons Learned"

Madonna – "Justify My Love"

Sigur Ros – "Gobbledigook"

Britney Spears – "Everytime"

Alanis Morissette – "Thank U"

Blink-182 – "What's My Age Again?"

Girls – "Lust for Life"

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• Getting Naked: Big Names Show Some Skin on the Cover of Rolling Stone
• Police May Charge Erykah Badu for Nude "Window Seat" Video

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Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

More Song Stories entries »

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