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

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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

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

More Song Stories entries »

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