Elton John

Elton John's videography runs backwards in places. Rocket Man was released in 1972; its official video arrived in 2017, co-directed by Majid Adin and Stephen McNally. Adin, an Iranian refugee who had crossed Europe during the 2015 crisis before being granted asylum in Britain, answered the brief with his own story and won the animation category of The Cut, a competition John held for his back catalogue. Tiny Dancer, older still, got its video the same way.

Between those two ends sits a long working relationship with Russell Mulcahy — the Australian who directed the first video MTV ever broadcast, the Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star. Mulcahy made seven of the videos on this page, from I'm Still Standing and I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues in 1983 through to The One in 1992. It is one of the longest artist-and-director runs in this archive.

He hired outside the format as well. Ken Russell, who a decade earlier had talked a reluctant John into playing the Pinball Wizard in Tommy, wrote and directed Nikita. Godley & Creme, half of 10cc turned directors, made Kiss the Bride. Alek Keshishian shot Sacrifice before going on to make Madonna: Truth or Dare.

The result is a catalogue where a 1971 ballad and a 1992 single sit on the same page with the same claim to being current — and where some of the oldest songs carry the newest films.