Girish Mahajan (Editor)

1994 MTV Video Music Awards

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Country
  
United States

Network
  
MTV

Other ceremonies
  
1993, 1995

Hosted by
  
Roseanne Barr

Date
  
8 September 1994

Host
  
Roseanne Barr

1994 MTV Video Music Awards This Is What The MTV VMAs Looked Like In 1994 The Huffington Post

Location
  
Radio City Music Hall, New York, New York

The 1994 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 8, 1994, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1993, to June 15, 1994. The show was hosted by Roseanne Barr at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and this would be the last time there was a female host for the VMAs until Chelsea Handler hosted in 2010. Kurt Cobain, frontman of grunge band Nirvana, was honored this night after his death on April 5.

Contents

1994 MTV Video Music Awards This Is What The MTV VMAs Looked Like In 1994 The Huffington Post

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley opened the show by Michael giving a speech. They ended it by taking a long kiss in front of everyone. In another notable moment, David Letterman escorted Madonna onto the stage and told the singer to watch her language, poking fun at Madonna's controversial appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman five months earlier.

R.E.M. was, for the second time in their careers, the biggest winner of the night, taking home four technical awards for their video "Everybody Hurts." Closely following were hip-hop group Salt-n-Pepa and rock band Aerosmith, both of which earned three moonmen that night. Aerosmith's video for Cryin', in fact, won the two main awards of the night, Video of the Year and Viewer's Choice, making it the second video in VMA history to achieve this feat. This would also be the last time that the nominees for Viewer's Choice were the same as those for Video of the Year, as MTV discontinued this rule the next year.

1994 MTV Video Music Awards Aerosmith Walk This Way Live 1994 MTV Video Music Awards YouTube

In terms of nominations, meanwhile, Aerosmith was the night's biggest nominee, earning a total of nine nominations for two of their videos: "Cryin'" received four general nominations, while "Amazing" earned five professional ones. Right behind them were R.E.M., whose video for "Everybody Hurts" was the night's most nominated video with seven nominations, and newcomer Björk, who received six nominations for "Human Behaviour."

1994 MTV Video Music Awards Soundgarden 1994 Mtv VMA Award Before amp After Interview Award

Nominations

Winners are in bold text.

Video of the Year

Aerosmith – "Cryin'"

  • Beastie Boys – "Sabotage"
  • Nirvana – "Heart-Shaped Box"
  • R.E.M. – "Everybody Hurts"

    • Best Male Video

    Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – "Mary Jane's Last Dance"

  • Beck – "Loser"
  • Tony Bennett – "Steppin' Out with My Baby"
  • Bruce Springsteen – "Streets of Philadelphia"

    • Best Female Video

    Janet Jackson – "If"

    1994 MTV Video Music Awards Mtv Video Music Awards 1994 WrapUp YouTube

  • Björk – "Human Behaviour"
  • Sheryl Crow – "Leaving Las Vegas"
  • Me'Shell NdegéOcello – "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)"

    • Best Group Video

    Aerosmith – "Cryin'"

  • Beastie Boys – "Sabotage"
  • Green Day – "Longview"
  • R.E.M. – "Everybody Hurts"

    • Best New Artist in a Video

    Counting Crows – "Mr. Jones"

    1994 MTV Video Music Awards Tribute to Kurt Cobain MTV Video Music Awards 1994 YouTube

  • Beck – "Loser"
  • Björk – "Human Behaviour"
  • Green Day – "Longview"
  • Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories – "Stay (I Missed You)"
  • Me'Shell NdegéOcello – "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)"

    • Best Metal/Hard Rock Video

    Soundgarden – "Black Hole Sun"

  • Aerosmith – "Cryin'"
  • Anthrax – "Black Lodge"
  • Rollins Band – "Liar"

    • Best R&B Video

    Salt-n-Pepa (featuring En Vogue) – "Whatta Man"

  • Brand New Heavies – "Dream on Dreamer"
  • Toni Braxton – "Breathe Again"
  • R. Kelly – "Bump n' Grind"

    • Best Rap Video

    Snoop Doggy Dogg – "Doggy Dogg World"

  • Coolio – "Fantastic Voyage"
  • Cypress Hill – "Insane in the Brain"
  • Dr. Dre – "Let Me Ride"

    • Best Dance Video

    Salt-n-Pepa (featuring En Vogue) – "Whatta Man"

  • En Vogue – "Runaway Love"
  • Janet Jackson – "If"
  • Us3 – "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)"
  • Crystal Waters – "100% Pure Love"

    • Best Alternative Video

    Nirvana – "Heart-Shaped Box"

  • Beck – "Loser"
  • Green Day – "Longview"
  • The Smashing Pumpkins – "Disarm"

    • Best Video from a Film

    Bruce Springsteen – "Streets of Philadelphia" (from Philadelphia)

  • Backbeat Band – "Money" (from Backbeat)
  • Madonna – "I'll Remember" (from With Honors)
  • Sinéad O'Connor – "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" (from In The Name of the Father)

    • Breakthrough Video

    R.E.M. – "Everybody Hurts"

  • Beastie Boys – "Sabotage"
  • Björk – "Human Behaviour"
  • Deep Forest – "Sweet Lullaby"
  • Nine Inch Nails – "Closer"

    • Best Direction in a Video

    R.E.M. – "Everybody Hurts" (Director: Jake Scott)

  • Aerosmith – "Amazing" (Director: Marty Callner)
  • Beastie Boys – "Sabotage" (Director: Spike Jonze)
  • Deep Forest – "Sweet Lullaby" (Director: Tarsem)

    • Best Choreography in a Video

    Salt-n-Pepa (featuring En Vogue) – "Whatta Man" (Choreographers: Frank Gatson and Randy Connor)

  • Hammer – "Pumps and a Bump" (Choreographers: Hammer and Randi G.)
  • Janet Jackson – "If" (Choreographer: Tina Landon)
  • Us3 – "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" (Choreographer: Toledo)

    • Best Special Effects in a Video

    Peter Gabriel – "Kiss That Frog" (Special Effects: Brett Leonard and Angel Studios)

  • Aerosmith – "Amazing" (Special Effects: Cream Cheese Films and Video Image)
  • Björk – "Human Behaviour" (Special Effects: Michel Gondry)
  • Tool – "Prison Sex" (Special Effects: Adam Jones)

    • Best Art Direction in a Video

    Nirvana – "Heart-Shaped Box" (Art Director: Bernadette Disanto)

  • Aerosmith – "Amazing" (Art Director: Ted Baffalucus)
  • Björk – "Human Behaviour" (Art Director: Michel Gondry)
  • Nine Inch Nails – "Closer" (Art Director: Tom Foden)

    • Best Editing in a Video

    R.E.M. – "Everybody Hurts" (Editor: Pat Sheffield)

  • Aerosmith – "Amazing" (Editors: Troy Okoniewski and Jay Torres)
  • Björk – "Human Behaviour" (Editor: Michel Gondry)
  • Deep Forest – "Sweet Lullaby" (Editor: Robert Duffy)
  • Peter Gabriel – "Kiss That Frog" (Editor: Craig Wood)
  • Meat Puppets – "Backwater" (Editor: Katz)
  • The Smashing Pumpkins – "Disarm" (Editor: Pat Sheffield)
  • Stone Temple Pilots – "Vasoline" (Editor: Kevin Kerslake)

    • Best Cinematography in a Video

    R.E.M. – "Everybody Hurts" (Director of Photography: Harris Savides)

  • Aerosmith – "Amazing" (Director of Photography: Gabriel Beristain)
  • Deep Forest – "Sweet Lullaby" (Directors of Photography: Tarsem and Denise Milford)
  • Nirvana – "Heart-Shaped Box" (Director of Photography: John Mathieson)

    • Viewer's Choice

    Aerosmith – "Cryin'"

  • Beastie Boys – "Sabotage"
  • Nirvana – "Heart-Shaped Box"
  • R.E.M. – "Everybody Hurts"

    • MTV Brasil

    Sepultura – "Territory"

  • Chico Science – "A Cidade"
  • Legião Urbana – "Perfeição"
  • Raimundos – "Nêga Jurema"
  • Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil – "Haiti"

    • MTV Europe

    Take That – "Babe"

  • The Cranberries – "Linger"
  • D:Ream – "Things Can Only Get Better"
  • Enigma – "Return to Innocence"
  • U2 – "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"
  • Whale – "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe"

    • MTV Japan

    Hide – "Eyes Love You"

  • Chara – "Tsumibukako Aishiteyo"
  • Original Love – "The Rover"
  • Seikima-II – "Tatakau Nihonjin"
  • Izumi Tachibana – "Vanilla"

    • MTV Latin America

    Los Fabulosos Cadillacs – "El Matador"

  • Caifanes – "Afuera"
  • La Ley – "Tejedores de Ilusión"
  • Mano Negra – "El Señor Matanza"

    • Video Vanguard Award

    Tom Petty

    Lifetime Achievement Award

    The Rolling Stones

    Performances

  • Aerosmith – "Walk This Way"
  • Boyz II Men – "I'll Make Love to You"
  • The Smashing Pumpkins – "Disarm"
  • The Rolling Stones – "Love Is Strong"/"Start Me Up"
  • Green Day – "Armatage Shanks"
  • Beastie Boys – "Sabotage"
  • Alexandrov Red Army Ensemble & Leningrad Cowboys – "Sweet Home Alabama"
  • Salt-n-Pepa – "Push It"/"None of Your Business"/"Whatta Man"/"Shoop"
  • Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – "Mary Jane's Last Dance"
  • Snoop Doggy Dogg – "Murder Was the Case (DeathAfterVisualizingEternity)"
  • Stone Temple Pilots – "Pretty Penny"
  • Bruce Springsteen – "Streets of Philadelphia"

    • Appearances

  • Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley – opened the show and welcomed the audience
  • Tom Jones – presented Best Female Video
  • Coolio and Björk – presented Best Dance Video
  • Bill Bellamy, Kennedy and Rudy Giuliani – appeared in a vignette about Viewer's Choice voting procedures
  • Adam Sandler and Sandra Bullock – presented Best Video from a Film
  • Beavis and Butthead – appeared in some pre-commercial break vignettes
  • Natalie Merchant and Soundgarden (Chris Cornell and Kim Thayil) – presented Breakthrough Video
  • Jann Wenner – presented the Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Ed Lover and Doctor Dré – appeared in a vignette about Viewer's Choice voting procedures
  • Melissa Etheridge and Brendan Fraser – presented Best New Artist in a Video
  • Mark Messier and Daisy Fuentes – presented Best Direction in a Video
  • Roseanne (host) – introduced the winners of the professional categories
  • Naomi Campbell and Denis Leary – presented Best Metal/Hard Rock Video
  • Billy Corgan – presented the Video Vanguard Award
  • Public Enemy (Chuck D and Flavor Flav) – presented Best Rap Video
  • Fab 5 Freddy and Daisy Fuentes – appeared in a vignette about Viewer's Choice voting procedures
  • Ben Stiller and Lisa Loeb – presented Best Group Video
  • Sheryl Crow and Stephen Dorff – introduced the International Viewer's Choice Award winners
  • VJs Gastão Moreira (Brasil), Kristiane Backer (Europe), Hannah (Japan) and Ruth Infarinato (Latin America) – announced their respective region's Viewer's Choice winner
  • Toni Braxton and Tony Bennett – presented Best Alternative Video
  • Bill Bellamy and Kennedy – presented the Viewer's Choice Award
  • Cindy Crawford and Jon Stewart – presented Best R&B Video
  • Queen Latifah – presented Best Male Video
  • Krist Novoselic – paid a special tribute to Kurt Cobain
  • David Letterman – accompanied Madonna on stage (and also appeared in a pre-commercial vignette with Beavis and Butthead)
  • Madonna – presented Video of the Year

    • References

    1994 MTV Video Music Awards Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA