30. Mariah Carey, "Honey" (1997)

Something of a re-birth for Carey, "Honey" pushed her more towards hip-hop and away from syrupy ballads. It also pointed the needle in a much sexier direction than her previous work, and the now-iconic James Bond-themed video portrayed her at heights of seductiveness that she'd rarely scale again. — A.H. 

29. The White Stripes, "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" (2001)

The White Stripes aren't a particularly "sexy" band — one might have expected something on the order of their psychedelic video for "Seven Nation Army" for this clip. But Sofia Coppola said, "Nuh-uh," (I'm paraphrasing), and elected to shoot Kate Moss just wildin' out in a dark room. An effective artistic choice, in our humble opinion. — A.H. 

28. Duran Duran, "Girls on Film" (1981)

Unabashedly weird and provocative, this clip was initially banned by the BBC and heavily edited by MTV before it aired. For their part, Duran Duran was aiming to have the video played at nightclubs and on pay-per-view channels like the Playboy channel, a goal perfectly in line with the group's goal of being stylish, sexy, and just a little dangerous. — A.H. 

27. TLC, "Red Light Special" (1995)

This song is actually about oral sex and menstruation, but don't let that distract you from how smokin’ TLC were in their heyday. Directed by Matthew Rolston, this video is set in a brothel, and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, always the hot tomboy of the group, plays the pimp with aplomb. Left Eye, who died in a car accident in 2002, was one of the first musicians to make safe-sex sexy — her condom eyeglasses were her trademark and, natch, a source of controversy. — B.F. 

26. Sleigh Bells, "Comeback Kid" (2012)

One of the more obliquely sexy videos on this list, "Comeback Kid" certainly doesn't tick off very many boxes on the sexy checklist, except for maybe the most important one: "Alexis Krauss." — A.H.

25. Rihanna, "Umbrella" (2007)

Even if you're sick of hearing this song, the video remains undeniably hot. Dancing en pointe is not something you see much of in music videos, and the mix of jazz-era stage work with MTV-era gyration is unexpectedly sexy. — B.F.

24. Sigur Ros, " "Fjögur Píanó," (2012)

Even though Shia LaBeouf appears to be endeavoring to make Vincent Gallo look clean with his appearance in this video, it's actually a very intimate, beautifully composed series of images that ends up being more moving than a music video referred to by my coworkers as "Shia LaBeouf's penis" has any right to be. — A.H.

23. Janet Jackson, "If" (1993)

Coordinated '90s-era sex-dance numbers are the jam. I had no idea what was happening in this video when I was a kid, but my God did those midriff-baring ladies walk (and dance!) with a lot of what I later learned was a very arousing assertiveness. Jackson just owns it in this video — somehow even the jerky arm-dance in the middle is strangely sexy. — Alisa MacKay

22. OutKast, "The Way You Move" (2003)

OutKast always had such a goofy sense of playful sexiness, and this video is a textbook example of why, from Big Boi's ludicrous suit, to the bevy of beautiful women working on cars, to... well, everything that Fonzworth Bentley does. Also, Sleepy Brown is present, and that man's voice makes lions purr. — A.H.

21. t.A.t.U. "All The Things She Said" (2001)

Actually the highest-selling group in Russian history, t.A.t.U. are still probably most famous in the U.S for this gloriously campy (and, yes, jailbait-y) video. Schoolgirl uniforms, prison, and a controversy-stirring kiss. Though America's brief love affair with the pair quickly faded, we'll always have this video. — A.H.