he Buggles once proclaimed that video killed the radio star but it wasn't until nearly two decades later that the slogan became prophecy. As radio and MTV grew increasingly formulaic, along came MTV2 and MuchMusic. MTV2, then known as M2, became a 24-hour-a-day Buzz Bin for emerging artists. No Britney Spears, no Creed—just alternative counter-programming to TRL. Since the pre-MTV days of Friday night video blocks, the music video medium has evolved slowly into something more than a marketing tool. Initially music videos were just another way to promote albums, but videomakers quickly realized there was art to be made. Though the three oldest videos on our list (Olivia Newton-John's "Physical," Queen & David Bowie's "Under Pressure" and "Human League's "Don't You Want Me") addressed their respective texts with decidedly different genre approaches, each one aimed to do more than sell records. No other artist has embodied this ideal more than Madonna, who has continually pushed the boundaries of video art and has single-handedly changed the way artists and music are consumed. It's no secret that without MTV Madonna might not be who she is today. She is the artist with the most videos on our list—11 in all—with Björk, R.E.M., Smashing Pumpkins and Annie Lennox (including her work with the Eurythmics) tying for a distant second place with three clips apiece. On the other side of the lens, videomakers-cum-Tinseltown-commodities David Fincher and Spike Jonze each helmed six videos on our list, while Michael Gondry and Mark Romanek, who found success with last year's One Hour Photo, each directed five. While MTV and VH1's own lists often seem to cater to populist opinion and favor controversy over artistry, Slant Magazine has sorted through the vaults (and we're not kidding when we say that) and compiled a list based on what we think will survive the networks' own expiration dates. Notable omissions include "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys (though their videos are consistently good, "Sabotage" is superfluous by Jonze's standards), R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" (we opted for less heavy-handed R.E.M. clips like "Imitation of Life" and "Drive") and Korn's "Freak On A Leash" (the anti-gun commercial it was inspired by is far superior). Don't like the list? Vent at the forum. Now, without further ado...

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