Recently, Olivia Rodrigo released “Drop Dead,” the lead single from her new album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. In the music video, she runs through the halls of the Palace of Versailles in France, dances through its historic rooms, and sings with pink headphones in one of France’s most iconic landmarks, once home to Marie Antoinette.
Artists have always understood that few things communicate more powerfully than a place where something real once happened. The setting can be one of the most important elements to build the message they want to convey to the audience.
With that in mind, here are five more pop music videos, besides “Drop Dead”, that used historic locations to express the concept behind their songs.
1. “APESHIT” — The Carters (Beyoncé & JAY-Z) | The Louvre, France
“Apeshit” was secretly filmed at the Louvre in May 2018 and released without warning alongside the couple’s surprise joint album, Everything Is Love.
In the six-minute video, Beyoncé and Jay-Z are surrounded by dancers as they move through the museum’s most iconic artworks, including the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and The Coronation of Napoleon.
The Louvre was originally built as a royal palace before becoming the world’s largest museum after the French Revolution. Today, it remains one of the most recognizable museums in the world.
2. “Born to Die” — Lana Del Rey | Palace of Fontainebleau, France
Lana Del Rey‘s music video for “Born to Die” marked the first time filming had ever been permitted inside the Palace of Fontainebleau. The production required a high budget, reflecting the ambition of the video and the artistic presence of the singer.
In “Born to Die”, Lana is seen sitting on a throne, surrounded by tigers and wearing a crown as she mourns a failed love story. The video uses the palace as a metaphor for heaven, transforming the historic castle into Lana’s own vision of the afterlife.
3. “Firework” — Katy Perry | Buda Castle, Hungary
Katy Perry‘s anthem ends with a crowd full of residents dancing in the backyard of Buda Castle, setting off fireworks as the city lights shine in the background.
“Firework” is one of the most genuinely hopeful music videos in pop history, and the location where it was filmed only makes it even more unique and delightful.
Over the centuries, Buda Castle was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. The structure that stands today is largely the result of a massive postwar reconstruction, and it remains one of the most recognizable landmarks in Europe.
4. “Castle on the Hill” — Ed Sheeran | Framlingham Castle, England
Ed Sheeran grew up in a small town in East Anglia, and the 12th-century castle featured in “Castle on the Hill” perfectly reflects a sense of home.
The music video follows local teenagers through the landscapes of Sheeran’s adolescence before pulling back to reveal Framlingham Castle on the horizon, where the singer himself finally appears.
Built around a circuit of high walls and towers that still stand today, the place became a turning point in English history.
5. “Blank Space” – Taylor Swift | Oheka Castle, New York
“Blank Space” is one of Taylor Swift’s biggest hits, and it also serves as the perfect final entry on this list. The music video was filmed at Oheka Castle in Cold Spring Hills, New York, a stunning mansion constructed in 1919 and the second-largest private residence ever built in the United States.
The director, Joseph Kahn, used the castle’s grandeur to create a satirical and theatrical portrait of Taylor as the “crazy girlfriend”, playing with the media narratives surrounding her personal life at the time.
The result is one of the most visually stunning music videos of the 2010s. The contrast between the aristocratic aesthetic and the chaos portrayed by the artist throughout the video makes the storytelling even more compelling.
History has always been one of the greatest set designers, and all of these artists understood it. They borrowed something irreplaceable: the particular silence of rooms where history has already unfolded.
The use of historic places adds something extra to these music videos, giving them a new artistic perspective and allowing the message behind each song to resonate even more deeply.
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The article above was edited by Isabella Simões.
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