1991 MTV Video Music Awards

The 1991 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 5, 1991, honoring the best music videos from June 2, 1990, to June 15, 1991. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

This year saw the introduction of a new category, Best Long Form Video; however, this category would be short-lived, as it was eliminated the next year and never handed out again. Meanwhile, the award for Best Post-Modern Video was renamed Best Alternative Video.

R.E.M. led the night both in awards and in nominations. Their video for "Losing My Religion" not only won Video of the Year, but it also took home a total of six awards, making them the biggest winners of the night. Furthermore, R.E.M.'s ten nominations also made them the most nominated artist that night and "Losing My Religion" the most nominated video of the night.

Nominations

Winners are in bold text.

Video of the Year

• C+C Music Factory — "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
• Deee-Lite — "Groove Is in the Heart"
• Divinyls — "I Touch Myself"
• Chris Isaak — "Wicked Game (Concept)"
• Queensrÿche — "Silent Lucidity"
• R.E.M. — "Losing My Religion"

Best Male Video

• Jon Bon Jovi — "Blaze of Glory"
• Gerardo — "Rico Suave"
• Chris Isaak — "Wicked Game (Concept)"
• George Michael — "Freedom! '90"

Best Female Video

• Paula Abdul — "Rush Rush"
• Neneh Cherry — "I've Got You Under My Skin"
• Amy Grant — "Baby Baby"
• Janet Jackson — "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
• Madonna — "Like a Virgin (Truth or Dare version)"

Best Group Video

• The Black Crowes — "She Talks to Angels"
• Divinyls — "I Touch Myself"
• Queensrÿche — "Silent Lucidity"
• R.E.M. — "Losing My Religion"

Best New Artist in a Video

• C+C Music Factory — "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
• Deee-Lite — "Groove Is in the Heart"
• Gerardo — "Rico Suave"
• Jesus Jones — "Right Here, Right Now"
• Seal — "Crazy"

Best Metal/Hard Rock Video

• AC/DC — "Thunderstruck"
• Aerosmith — "The Other Side"
• Alice in Chains — "Man in the Box"
• The Black Crowes — "She Talks to Angels"
• Faith No More — "Falling to Pieces"
• Guns N' Roses — "You Could Be Mine"
• Queensrÿche — "Silent Lucidity"
• Warrant — "Uncle Tom's Cabin"

Best Rap Video

• 3rd Bass — "Pop Goes the Weasel"
• DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince — "Summertime"
• Ice-T — "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)"
• LL Cool J — "Mama Said Knock You Out"
• Monie Love — "It's a Shame (My Sister)"

Best Dance Video

• Bingoboys (featuring Princessa) — "How to Dance"
• C+C Music Factory — "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
• Deee-Lite — "Groove Is in the Heart"
• EMF — "Unbelievable"

Best Alternative Video

• Jane's Addiction — "Been Caught Stealing"
• Jesus Jones — "Right Here, Right Now"
• R.E.M. — "Losing My Religion"
• The Replacements — "When It Began"

Best Video from a Film

• Bryan Adams — "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves)
• Jon Bon Jovi — "Blaze of Glory" (from Young Guns II)
• Guns N' Roses — "You Could Be Mine" (from Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
• Chris Isaak — "Wicked Game" (from Wild at Heart)

Best Long Form Video

• Aerosmith — Things That Go Pump in the Night
• Peter Gabriel — POV
• Madonna — The Immaculate Collection
• R.E.M. — Tourfilm

Breakthrough Video

• Deee-Lite — "Groove Is in the Heart"
• Enigma — "Sadeness (Part I)"
• R.E.M. — "Losing My Religion"
• Seal — "Crazy"

Best Direction in a Video

• Chris Isaak — "Wicked Game (Concept)" (Director: Herb Ritts)
• George Michael — "Freedom! '90" (Director: David Fincher)
• Queensrÿche — "Silent Lucidity" (Director: Matt Mahurin)
• R.E.M. — "Losing My Religion" (Director: Tarsem)

Best Choreography in a Video

• C+C Music Factory — "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" (Choreographer: Jamale Graves)
• Janet Jackson — "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" (Choreographers: Herb Ritts, Janet Jackson and Tina Landon)
• Madonna — "Like a Virgin (Truth or Dare version)" (Choreographer: Vincent Paterson)
• MC Hammer — "Pray (Jam the Hammer Mix)" (Choreographers: MC Hammer and Ho Frat Hooo!)

Best Special Effects in a Video

• Neneh Cherry — "I've Got You Under My Skin" (Special Effects: Pitov)
• Faith No More — "Falling to Pieces" (Special Effects: David Faithfull and Ralph Ziman)
• MC Hammer — "Here Comes the Hammer" (Special Effects: Fred Raimondi and Maury Rosenfeld)
• The Replacements — "When It Began" (Special Effects: Carl Bressler and Paul Rachman)
• Seal — "Crazy" (Special Effects: Big TV!)
• Bart Simpson — "Do the Bartman" (Special Effects: Brad Bird)

Best Art Direction in a Video

• Edie Brickell & New Bohemians — "Mama Help Me" (Art Director: Leonardo)
• C+C Music Factory — "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..." (Art Director: Marcus Nispel)
• Faith No More — "Falling to Pieces" (Art Director: David Faithfull)
• Janet Jackson — "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" (Art Director: Pierluca De Carlo)
• Jellyfish — "The King Is Half-Undressed" (Art Director: Michael White)
• George Michael — "Freedom! '90" (Art Director: John Beard)
• R.E.M. — "Losing My Religion" (Art Director: José Montaño)

Best Editing in a Video

• C+C Music Factory — "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" (Editor: Marcus Nispel)
• Deee-Lite — "Groove Is in the Heart" (Editor: Hiroyuki Nakano)
• Chris Isaak — "Wicked Game (Concept)" (Editor: Bob Jenkis)
• George Michael — "Freedom! '90" (Editors: Jim Haygood and George Michael)
• R.E.M. — "Losing My Religion" (Editor: Robert Duffy)
• Seal — "Crazy" (Editors: Big TV!)

Best Cinematography in a Video

• Chris Isaak — "Wicked Game (Concept)" (Director of Photography: Rolf Kesterman)
• LL Cool J — "Mama Said Knock You Out" (Director of Photography: Stephen Ashley Blake)
• George Michael — "Freedom! '90" (Director of Photography: Mike Southon)
• R.E.M. — "Losing My Religion" (Director of Photography: Larry Fong)

Viewer's Choice

• C+C Music Factory — "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
• Deee-Lite — "Groove Is in the Heart"
• Divinyls — "I Touch Myself"
• Chris Isaak — "Wicked Game (Concept)"
• Queensrÿche — "Silent Lucidity"
• R.E.M. — "Losing My Religion"

International Viewer's Choice Awards

MTV Asia

• Kenny Bee — "Be Brave to Love"
• Bird — "Prik Kee Noo"
• Cui Jian — "Wild in the Snow"
• Chris Ho — "Fictional Stuff"

MTV Australia

• Crowded House — "Chocolate Cake"
• Ratcat — "Don't Go Now"
• Third Eye — "The Real Thing"
• Yothu Yindi — "Treaty (Filthy Lucre Mix)"

MTV Brasil

• Cidade Negra — "Falar a Verdade"
• Engenheiros do Hawaii — "Refrão de Bolero"
• Kid Abelha — "Grand' Hotel"
• Os Paralamas do Sucesso — "Caleidoscópio"
• Sepultura — "Orgasmatron"

MTV Europe

• EMF — "Unbelievable"
• Pet Shop Boys — "Being Boring"
• Roxette — "Joyride"
• Seal — "Crazy"

MTV Internacional

• Franco De Vita — "No Basta"
• Emmanuel — "Bella Señora"
• Juan Luis Guerra & 440 — "A Pedir Su Mano"
• Los Prisioneros — "Estrechez de Corazón"

MTV Japan

• Flipper's Guitar — "Groove Tube"
• no other nominees listed

Video Vanguard Award

• Bon Jovi
• Wayne Isham

Performances

• Van Halen — "Poundcake"
• C+C Music Factory — "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm..."/"Here We Go"/"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
• Poison — "Talk Dirty to Me"
• Mariah Carey — "Emotions"
• EMF — "Unbelievable"
• Paula Abdul — "Vibeology"
• Queensrÿche — "Silent Lucidity"
• LL Cool J — "Mama Said Knock You Out"
• Metallica — "Enter Sandman"
• Don Henley — "The Heart of the Matter"
• Guns N' Roses — "Live and Let Die"
• Prince and The New Power Generation — "Gett Off"

External links

• Official MTV site