In the early hours of August 1, 1981, someone flipping through its channels might have come across an image of a rocket exploding in space. The familiar sight of Neil Armstrong stepping out of his lunar module and walking on the moon would fill the TV screen. And then they heard a voiceover, with all the soft crackle of an FM disc jockey: “Ladies and gentlemen, rock & roll.” Cue power chords and a flag with a network logo — something called MTV — that quickly changed colors and patterns. It was not a news channel; it was “Music Television”. If they kept logging in, they would see clips and hear VJs talking about bringing you the latest music videos. At this point, viewers may have a few questions, such as: Is this like a radio station on TV? What is a “VJ”? And what is a “music video”?

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A year later, no one was asking that last question. Almost everyone knew what a music video was, and they wanted their MTV. The network revolutionized the music industry, inspired a multitude of imitation programs, made many careers and broken more than a few. Entire genres and subgenres – from hip-hop and grunge to boy band pop and nu metal – have become part of the mainstream. The format proved so enduring that when MTV decided to switch things up and devote its airtime to game shows, reality TV and scripted series, thus closing the main pipeline of these promotions, artists continued to do so. The internet quickly stepped in to fill the void. Four decades after the channel’s launch and long after it stopped airing them, the music videos still complement the songs, create mythologies, and cause gossip and controversy. We don’t want our MTV anymore. We keep wanting our music videos.

In honor of MTV’s 40th anniversary, we’ve decided to rank the top 100 music videos of all time. You will notice significant changes since the last time we did this. (Yes, Michael Jackson is here. No, “Thriller” isn’t.) A few predate the channel; several have never performed on MTV. But all of these choices are perfect examples of how the combination of sound and vision has created an entire artistic vocabulary, given us a handful of miniature movie masterpieces, and changed the way we heard (and seen) the music. From Adele’s “Hello” to ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin'” – these are the videos that continue to delight us, delight us, disturb us and remind us how much you can do in three-to-four minutes with a song, camera, concept, pose, mood lighting, and an iconic hand gesture or two.