The year is 2005, and new gadgets are being introduced constantly. iPod Nano made its debut, and what could be considered the first video social media, YouTube, launched as well. This new platform encouraged artists to create easy, accessible music videos.
Despite the low-quality, primarily small-budgeted videos, some bands went all out. Here’s a list of some of the more iconic and memorable videos, 15 years later.
Read more: Silverstein reschedule 20th anniversary North American tour
Fall Out Boy – “Dance, Dance”
Fall Out Boy, whether they realized it or not, were about to hop on a rocketship and be launched to stardom. 2005 became a pivotal year for the band as From Under the Cork Tree was released, and there’s not a more memorable opening than Pete Wentz burning the question “Homecoming?” into a girl’s yard in the “Dance, Dance” visual. The band are transported back to high school and depicted as nerdy outcasts. The boys are cringey as they fail trying to dance, but Wentz steals the show at the end with his incredible dance number and finally gets to kiss the girl.
The Academy Is… – “The Phrase That Pays”
Though the Academy Is… aren’t making as much noise, we can’t forget this hospital-themed video for “The Phrase That Pays” off their chart-topping album Almost Here. William Beckett is strapped to a gurney and wears a straitjacket as a doctor and nurse played by Brittany Snow (John Tucker Must Die, Pitch Perfect) explain how they need to take something out of his head (“where we can see it,” the nurse says). The video also features the band fitted with hospital robes and then cuts to them in normal clothing jamming out. We never find out whatever was needed to be cut from Beckett’s head, but we do know it doesn’t end well.
The Starting Line – “Bedroom Talk”
The Starting Line hit close to home about young high school love. In classic fashion, singer Kenny Vasoli sits in his car with his girlfriend, clearly nervous. In this coming-of-age video, Vasoli learns about the birds and the bees, literally. As he looks for his girlfriend at a house party, one of the bedrooms he enters features a younger version of himself as his dad shows him a chart. (We all remember how weird and uncomfortable that was.) The frontman continues to enter the wrong rooms but finally finds her.
Read more: 10 emo songs from 2005 that never left your playlist
The All-American Rejects – “Dirty Little Secret”
The opening chords to this All-American Rejects song are indistinguishable. Once they hit, you immediately know which song it is, and the video is no different. The visual sees different people writing their own “dirty little secret” on note and postcards. Some hit hard such as “I want to go blind so I don’t have to see them together,” while others are lighter and funny such as “I had gay sex at church camp. Three times.” This memorable video reminds us we all might have something to hide.
Weezer – “Beverly Hills”
Back in 2005, we all wanted to be Weezer, especially for this music video. It opens up with the late Hugh Hefner calling up the band to stop by the mansion to play for the girls and, in classic Hefner fashion, he says, “Just don’t bring too many dudes.” We all wanted to be in attendance, and every band wanted to be playing at that party. But Weezer had the honor, and it looks like the biggest, baddest house party ever. Despite being there, singer Rivers Cuomo reminds himself that he just doesn’t quite belong.
Paramore – “Pressure”
Hayley Williams and Paramore were just starting to gain some traction in 2005. After their debut release, All We Know Is Falling, the band headed to the set and filmed in an abandoned factory to document the story of two kids as they work despite not wanting to. Like a timebomb, some of the cutscenes show a gauge getting higher and higher as the, well, pressure builds. We’ve all imagined walking out on our minimum-wage job, so this video is certainly relatable.
Read more: Hayley Williams reiterates “Misery Business” has no place in 2020
Sum 41 – “Some Say”
We all know Sum 41 as the band with witty, curveball lyrics and funny antics in their music videos, but for “Some Say,” they took a different turn. The video, to complement the song, is dark, and it plays in reverse as we see singer Deryck Whibley in a car. The camera pans to show off the studio that they’re filming in, and while moving around the room, there’s all sorts of commotion going on. Overall, this was a refreshing take for Sum 41 as they turned down their humor and proved that they’re a band to be taken seriously.
The Used – “All That I’ve Got”
Perhaps one of the more artistic music videos to come out of 2005, the Used go all out in this video. Set in a second-hand bookstore, a child finds a book appropriately titled “All That I’ve Got,” with the band’s iconic heart wrapped in a noose on the front page. The character gets sucked into the book and finds himself in a hotel littered with odd creatures and people as he searches for the man and how the story ends.
My Chemical Romance – “Helena”
You really can’t get any more emo than My Chemical Romance’s “Helena.” Opening in a church, the band prep for a funeral. The black-and-red attire and the dark vibe make this one of their most memorable videos, which they have a lot of. The choreography is impeccable and complements the music perfectly. And when everyone bows their head to pray, the deceased girl gets out of her casket, and there’s nothing but chills. Whether we admit it or not, if we were going to have a funeral, this is how we would want it. Plus, who wouldn’t want My Chemical Romance to play as they’re lowered into the ground?
Read more: Gerard Way, Bert McCracken isolated vocals will take you back to 2004
Green Day – ”Holiday”
It’s crazy to believe that Green Day are still going strong after all these years. But in 2005, they were riding the wave success of American Idiot. The video for “Holiday” just seems like straight-up fun. They’re “driving” around in a car jamming out and having a good time. They find themselves in a rundown bar before they get kicked out. Billie Joe Armstrong acts as the representative of California and stands up on a now trashed car in front of dancers. The video overall seems like a blast and a lot of fun to shoot. Plus, the ending becomes the opening for “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams.”
Motion City Soundtrack – “Everything Is Alright”
Static noise and a blank stare opens up this trippy music video. Motion City Soundtrack had major success with “Everything Is Alright,” and the video capitalizes on that. Vocalist Justin Pierre sits down and talks with his psychiatrist about all the things he doesn’t like, such as the ocean, theme parks and airplanes. The band play in a tiny box that seems to represent his brain, and after he gets knocked out, Pierre finally joins them. Weird, trippy and hopeful were the mantra for Motion City Soundtrack, and it seems to have worked because everything is still all right.
Relient K – “Be My Escape”
In classic 2005 fashion, the music video opens with Relient K playing in a bedroom with pictures of a girl throughout the room. This time, though, it’s a little different because as they hit the chorus, the bedroom walls start closing in. Putting their words into a literal sense, they’re trying to escape. Oddly enough, the walls finally come crashing down and open up to a field with sunflowers. Simple and unique, Relient K played to their strengths, and this video is one we haven’t forgotten.
Read more: Buddy Nielsen reflects on Senses Fail’s 2005 AP cover story
Silverstein – “Smile In Your Sleep”
Discovering The Waterfront helped put Silverstein on the map, with “Smile In Your Sleep” gaining traction fast. The music video is odd yet entertaining to watch as the band play in a mansion, with a butler following them around as they go into each room and cleaning up. During the heavy breakdown, the camera pans to various objects broken on the floor and then a body on the floor. The body is then dragged away, and the band disappears. Sadly, the cameraman meets the same fate. Overall, the video is strange, but that’s what makes it so great and memorable.
Armor for Sleep – ”Car Underwater”
We find Armor For Sleep playing on top of a roof as they open up their video for “Car Underwater.” The camera gets turned around by singer Ben Jorgensen as he traces his steps back to a vehicle and pulls out a photograph of him and a girl. Each time he pans the camera, there’s a new version of him. Assumingly, he’s trying to go back and figure out what happened, but he never quite gets it. It’s a classic emotive breakup song as Jorgensen sings he would still die for the girl. After all, we were all dramatic after a breakup back then, but how could you not be?
Simple Plan – “Shut Up!”
Anti-preppy and standing out in the crowd was all Simple Plan wanted, but everyone around them kept saying they were wrong. So what better way to get your point across than by telling people to shut up? 2005 was a time when being emo, punk and scene would make you feel like an outcast just for being different, and “Shut Up!” made us feel less alone and gave us the anthem to sing everywhere we went. In the video, Simple Plan crash a fancy dinner party and start playing and breaking things as the crowd appears appalled. The ending takes a hilarious turn, and we’ll never forget that “Shut Up!” gave us a reason to stand up for ourselves and be happy with who we were and what we were doing.