History Main / LyricsVideoMismatch

* Music/MeatLoaf's "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That" is a RockOpera about commitment in a relationship. The music video is a nearly eight-minute-long mini-film that is basically ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' crossed with ''Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast.'' It involves flying helicopters, Meat Loaf in extensive facial prosthetics, a police chase after Meat Loaf's character has killed an officer, a large castle, and lots and lots of candles. And it was directed by Creator/MichaelBay. Yes, [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} that]] Michael Bay.

** Let's not even get started with their Young Blood Chronicles series of music videos. They start out okay, with the "Light 'Em Up" video seeming to be a pretty direct interpretation of the song, but that quickly goes south with "The Phoenix" and particularly "Young Volcanoes", a song about a triumphant young group, with a music video that involves [[ImAHumanitarian eating things that should not be eaten.]]

* Music/MarianasTrench. The videos for ''Ever After'' follow the plot of the album and the videos for ''Masterpiece Theatre'' make sense, but the ''Fix Me'' videos - while [[LargeHame hilarious]] -are just plain weird given the context of the songs. "Say Anything", which is about self-harm and angst, depicts one band member selling the increasingly strange embarrassing secrets of the others to the press, "Decided to Break It" has the band training for some sort of athletic competition, and "Shake Tramp" (which is either about BDSM or an abusive relationship) has the lead singer hallucinating dancing [[RunningGag really badly]] in what looks like Pleasantville.

* ''Music/FosterThePeople'' have three infamous songs where the videos do ''not'' mesh well with the band's NiceGuy motif or their sweet lyrics.

* Music/{{Pavement}}'s "Gold Soundz" is a bittersweet song about the end of a relationship. The music video shows the band dicking around suburban California while dressed up in Santa Claus suits.

* ItaloDisco artist Ken Laszlo's {{signature song}} "Hey Hey Guy" is ostensibly about a gay relationship, but the video depicts a heterosexual ChildhoodFriendRomance.

* The Darkness' [[GuiltyPleasures "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"]] features an alien attack straight out of the 1950s.

%%* Music/LadyGaga:
%%** The video for "Telephone" is the queen of this trope.
%%** The "Alejandro" video might top "Telephone" in sheer lyrics/video disconnection. Though "Telephone" has a clear narrative. [[SurrealMusicVideo "Alejandro"]], [[MindScrew not so much]].

* ''This is How a Heart Breaks'' by Music/RobThomas is about a bitter breakup. The video shows Rob being chased by a hooded assailant.

* Music/OneDirection's "Steal My Girl" is about the fear of having your significant one taken away by other potential suitors. The video takes a meta, perhaps satirical approach as the band films an increasingly bizarre video directed by [=Danny DeVito=]. Similarly, "Drag Me Down", a song about thanking someone for their utmost dedication and support, for whatever reason portrays the band as astronauts.

* Music/BritneySpears: "Break the Ice" has a sci-fi {{animesque}} music video inspired by ''Ghost in the Shell'', which has nothing to do with the love song (and IntercourseWithYou-laden) lyrics of the song.

** If anyone is willing to explain what [[OverlyLongName "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me"]] has to do with ''[[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire hunting]]'', please [[JustForPun enlighten]] us.

* Music/OfMonstersAndMen's ''Little Talks'' is either about a woman speaking with her husband's ghost. The song is about five {{Steampunk}} explorers who discover a goddess who fights monsters for them.

Many videos which qualify as homages might fit into this category; in fact, quite a few of our NotableMusicVideos are examples of Lyrics/Video Mismatches. If taken too far, you can end up with a SurrealMusicVideo. Sometimes this results in MusicVideoOvershadowing.

%%* Music/ShaniaTwain, "Gonna Getcha Good". Ah yes, I remember ''Film/{{TRON}}''.
* At least half of the videos ever directed by Roman White -- among them, Music/CarrieUnderwood's "So Small", which somehow turns a song about ThePowerOfLove into something about a car wreck which is then "frozen".

%%* Music/RebaMcEntire had a few of these. One example is "Why Haven't I Heard from You."

** "Telegraph Ave. (Oakland by Lloyd)" is somewhat of a SillyLoveSong with the narrator discussing his life and potential future with his girlfriend. The video is fairly standard, with Childish Gambino and Jhene Aiko touring Kauai, until [[spoiler: the ending has Gambino turn out to be an alien.]]

* Music/BarenakedLadies' cover video for "Lovers in a Dangerous Time". The song, originally written by Bruce Cockburn, contrasts new love with the (then-probable) Cold War. The video is about two women (who may or may not be lovers) running across Scarborough to get to a meet-and-greet with the band, who are driving through the city making all kinds of [[CanadaEh joking references to Canadian life]].

** Their cover of "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" is about a martyr in Italy who discredits the Vatican by coming into town and spreading wealth and generosity around, which eventually results in him being crucified on television. The music video (a tie-in to ''Film/DumbAndDumber'') follows Jeff Daniels' Harry, who's visiting Canada, stopping a robbery at a church and getting unfairly blamed for it. He then gets locked up and tried in court before being visited by an angel and hanged (and falling to the ground unhurt before fleeing the crowd). Notably, this mismatch is highlighted in the video - guest vocalist Ellen Reid sings "Peter Pumpkinhead was too good, had him nailed to a chunk of wood" before panning the camera over from the tied-up Harry to a noose.

* The music video for {{Music/Sabaton}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTgkTEDDog The Lost Battalion]]-- a song ''explicitly'' about a battle in the Argonne Forest on World War I's Western Front-- depicts street fighting on the Eastern Front of World War II.

* Music/ShaniaTwain, "Gonna Getcha Good". Ah yes, I remember ''Film/{{TRON}}''.

* Music/RebaMcEntire had a few of these. One example is "Why Haven't I Heard from You."

* Music/LadyGaga:
** The video for "Telephone" is the queen of this trope.
** The "Alejandro" video might top "Telephone" in sheer lyrics/video disconnection. Though "Telephone" has a clear narrative. [[SurrealMusicVideo "Alejandro"]], [[MindScrew not so much]].

* If anyone is willing to explain what Music/FallOutBoy's song [[OverlyLongName "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me"]] has to do with ''[[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire hunting]]'', please [[JustForPun enlighten]] us.

* Music/Yellowcard:

* Olivia Newton-John's music video for Physical is set in a gym where she is exercising with many muscular men while the song is very sexually suggestive.

* {{Music/Lit}}'s ''Music/{{Miserable}}'' is about being addicted to someone despite them making you feel terrible. The video is has them serenading a GiantWoman in a bikini who [[ConsumingPassion eats them]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndzln1UEyf0 "Best Friend"]] is all about the singer vowing to be a true friend to the listener, who will support and comfort them no matter how bad things get. The video is about a crazy cannibal supermodel [[YouAreWhoYouEat devouring her fellow models to appropriate their best traits and make herself look better]]. [[spoiler: And then she gets a KarmicDeath when [[SpitOutAShoe she partially barfs up her last victim's dress on the runway]], and chokes to death.]]