Year: 2005
Director: Johan Renck
Why: Every time anyone has counted Madonna out, she's come back to wreak havoc with her critics.  After the disastrous "American Life" album, Madonna returned with one of her strongest efforts, "Confessions of a Dance Floor," which kicked off with the single "Hung Up."  Dance music was in a minor ebb after almost ruling the late 90s and this track and video helped pave the way for the success of more dance-friendly artists in the late '00s.  Yes, it's clearly a "dance video," but with stunningly stark art direction (Madonna in almost retro 80's body suit dancing by herself in a grungy ballet studio with a gigantic boom box and the iconic image of Madonna dancing over that bomb box while bathed in just a colored light machine). And unlike "Music" or "4 Minutes," which were dated within just months after their release, the video is timeless because of how it integrates so many eras in one pulse-pounding mix.

Watch it here.