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

By Daniel Kreps
April 2, 2010 2:30 PM ET

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"

Erykah Badu – "Window Seat"

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"

Related Stories:

• Infamous Crotch Rock Moments: From Adam Lambert's AMAs Stunt to "Dick in a Box"
• 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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“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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