58
votes
Do you have a favorite YouTube video? I want to know!
Let’s keep things simple - one video per commenter. I know it’s hard to pick one but we were made to do hard things.
Let’s keep things simple - one video per commenter. I know it’s hard to pick one but we were made to do hard things.
Tough one!
One that immediately comes to mind is history of the entire world, I guess
Edit: I'll delete my runner up for the spirit of the post, but as a hint it was a small project by NPH and Nathan Fillian ;)
Oh man. I've always just seen this video referenced by memeing the title, and had never watched it, but it is actually a very well-done and engaging masterpiece. 19 minutes well spent! Well, more than that cuz I kept pausing to catch all the jokes XD
Man this video brings back so many memories. I was a high school student taking AP World History when this video came out. The timing was perfect as it was uploaded the night before the AP exam so it was a great review of what we'd spent the year learning. I forgot about the various little jingles that Bill Wurtz put into this, they are so catchy.
Bill Wurtz also has a video about the history of Japan in a similar style (it came first iirc) which I also recommend people check out. It's also got a bunch of memorable jingles that have become memes.
Is your clue referencing a sing-along blog, perhaps?
A particularly non-good horse, possibly?
The title reminds me of A Brief Disagreement.
It’s a tough competition but I would introduce “Humans Need Not Apply”, by CGPGrey
https://youtu.be/7Pq-S557XQU
Posted almost a decade before LLMs got suddenly “discovered” by the mainstream, now more relevant than ever.
I have linked this to people at least five times a year every year since.
Came here to link this. He was so ahead of the curve on this topic. I recall showing everyone in my immediate social circles and many disagreed, surprisingly.
I also came here to recommend this one. It's very interesting rewatching it every few years to see how it holds up. I can't believe it's been 9 years since it came out... I really miss Hello Internet.
My viral video of my kids titled Mean Vs Meaning. Although that is biased.
Hahaha, poor wee George. Lil guy's having a doozie of a day.
I don't have an absolute favourite, but I mostly watch YouTube for it's entertainment - so here's a video that never ever fails to make me laugh:
The front fell off
We constantly reference this video in my friend group, definitely one of the greats
I quote this one to my boyfriend A LOT. It's the best - so many nuggets of amazing in it!
I love helmets
Dude biffs it sliding a longboard, hops up and just anounced "I love helmets! I love helmets." It reminds me of every major bicycle crash I've been, and head blows the helmets took for me. And he's just so happy.
I am also an avid helmet wearer, and man I can relate. I once crashed badly on a bike, scraping open big parts of my arm and back. When I fell, it was full speed on the head. The helmet just made me bounce and I had zero issues on my head. Without it, I can’t even imagine how badly I would have been injured.
100%.
I stripped the freckles from my right shoulder and destroyed my helmet in one crash, but hobbled home with a concussion. That is far preferable to the alternatives. I also once bounced off my shoulder and slid on my head. Separated the shoulder, but my brain still works.
I had a phase wjere I didn't use a helmet but I felt naked without it, for good reason.
Remember that you should get your helmet replaced after a crash. Many of them can not survive a second crash even if they look okay.
You are preaching to the choir on that one.
I only had one crash that didn't meed a new helmet because I slowly hit a pylon, did a frontflip and landed on my butt.
My only crash my hip and elbow took the fall. Not super fun but thankfully wasn't going super fast at the time.
Gruesome helmet story ahead
My paternal grandfather was someone who rode a small motorcycle, practically a scooter. He wore a helmet every day, would put it on before even leaving the house. One day, for no reason that my father can remember, grandfather left the house without his helmet. That day, while entering a roundabout next to a bus, part of his bike got accidentally caught on the bus. It knocked him off balance, pinned him, and dragged him through asphalt. He was 42.Sci-Fi short “Slaughterbots” about the inevitable future of drone warfare. Not ChatGPT starting a world war, no metal skeletons with guns, but something much more hopeless.
Close second is My Job is to Open and Close Doors about an AI doing its best to go against human orders.
Thank you for the second one to balance out the first one. My levels of existential dread are almost at the same level as before.
That short film was just... I don't even know how to describe my reaction right now. Dread? Almost nausea.
Two videos? Banned.
Just kidding. I like your second video.
I watch so much YouTube, but still my all time favorite must be this polite kid full of hilarities stuck behind a couch
That’s a hidden gem!
It’s the politeness and the “Help, I’m sinking!” that gets me every time 😅
I love James Hoffmanns coffee channel. It is both funny, original and informative. If I had to pick one it would have to be where he reviews coffee related toys
I can't not mention the Bripe!
Now I want one!
"You can't bripe in metric!" cracked me up too.
For me it's the orange and lemon with coffee.
If you haven't already, you should watch some of the Hames Joffman videos. They are almost all comedic masterworks and nicely punctuate the much less silky standard Hoffman videos.
Defunctland's Disney Channel's Theme: A History Mystery is my favourite YouTube video. It's length can look off putting and it seems to be covering something fairly insignificant or uninteresting but it's a fantastic documentary that had me in tears by the end.
First thing that came to my mind when I saw the question as well! I've always loved Defunctland anyway, but that video particularly is on a whole different level.
Yeah, even his earlier shorter content is great. Probably my favourite channel on YouTube to be honest, rarely, if ever, misses.
Am I too basic if I say Kung Fury?
It is hard to pick out one single favorite, and I like some of the videos others here have already mentioned, and like (equally) several videos and creators that are just funny, informative and/or insightful.
So let's go with Kung Fury!
building your online brand
Channel: brian david gilbert | Year: 2020 | Views: 1,554,833
Reusable Bags is up there. Maybe number one. If not this it’s a Veritasium video.
I don’t know why but I still think this is funny even after so many viewings. The Dune music really ties it together. And I’m going to see these guys live pretty soon! Very excited.
Tough to choose just one, but the video my mind went to first when reading the question was the Polybius video by Ahoy
It's a documentary quality deep dive on the Polybius video game hoax. Well worth a watch, along with all of Ahoy's other content!
Ranking is anathema, so I will not say it is my favourite, but I rather like and strongly recommend Inigo Quilez's famous Painting a Character with Maths. It is, I expect, old hat for those who are in the demoscene; but for the rest of us, it is a peek into another world.
The Artist Is Absent by Innuendo Studios.
It’s not talked about in the video but it helped me to make sense of House Of Leaves’ multi-narrator plot structure. By having so many ‘authors’ it becomes too hard to try and understand their intent, and so you have no choice but to just sit back and pretend it’s all true.
If I have to pick one for the audience to watch, I highly recommend turning you volume way up and then have a look at Saturn V launch
Some of the shuttle launch videos are really exciting too.
There was one called "The real deal", it was wthout commentary and with great sound! Sadly, it was taken down from Youtube.
EDIT: Imagery was probably from STS-129 launch but the sound was mixed in from other video than this one.
EDIT2: Found it on Wayback machine, but unfortunately, the video is not archived. If anybody knew how to get the video, I would be more than happy.
If you're looking for one with commentary, here's my personal favorite: https://youtu.be/vFwqZ4qAUkE
45 minutes of high-res slow-mo STS glory!
I'm into the force and engineering of these machines. I love to hear it. This is why even basic commentary such as countdown ruins it for me a bit. The Real Deal video was the same as Saturn V one, just space shuttle version. Too bad I couldn't have experienced any of that myself on Cape Canaveral.
I mean today's technology is awesome, self-lanfing rockets! But Saturn V is like space program infancy, it is where it started (I know Gagarin was first, but it was USA who got the upper hand in the end).
It is like driving 67 Mustang Fastback with manual transmission compared to modern Tesla, if you know what I mean.
I used to think the crackling was the microphone peaking or some other audio failure, but a Scott Manley video explained that it is the actual sound you hear, though much louder in person.
The crackling is the acoustic pressure/sonic booms, actually. It must have been awesome to see and feel it live!
Mine is CGP Grey's Spaceship You with 7 Ways to Maximize Misery as such a close second that I can only say that Spaceship You wins only because of the environment where it came to be.
I've struggled with depression all my life and when you do that you develop some pretty unhealthy coping habits. These videos remind me, in my favorite form of humor (dry sarcasm), what I should avoid and what I should do. I rewatch them every other year or so. In fact, I think I will rewatch them right now.
I hope that is good enough justification to post both of them!
It's nearly impossible to decide on just one, but I think this might be the most important video in my favorites. I have lots of funnier and more entertaining videos, but this one I think everyone should see at least once:
Carl Sagan testifying before Congress about climate change
That man was a gift to humanity. I just recently listened to the audiobook version of Cosmos. I wish he was still with us.
There's some with Al Gore that should be watched by everyone too for sure, but on a more philosophical level, I really, really liked this video by Vsauce (Michael Stevens):
The Future Of Reasoning
Starts by talking about climate change and leaves you thinking about much, much more.
That was excellent. Thank you for sharing!
Why The Germans Can't Get Enough of English Markets
Shot as a regular news street interview, but making fun of the disgusting street markets you'll find around London.
I watch this every Christmas. It makes me very happy.
This "Evasive Driving Training Video" is always entertaining for me.
The comments are comedy gold too.
That's a tough one. Either Jon Bois' breakdown of the 1904 Olympic Marathon debacle or SG Collins' debunking of moon hoax myths.
This video was my second Jon Bois experience. The first JB video I ever saw is my recommendation, because it’s also very good, and it’s much shorter than the History of the Seattle Mariners megacut: https://youtu.be/doZzrsDJo-4?si=5dMiCcuhjBhKbf1H
The man is a national treasure.
This kind of question is what makes someone to write "the 50 best videos on youtube". In the end, I could not decide between these two, so here are both:
David Armand and Natalie Imbruglia performing "Torn" with mime interpretation. I have been known to use the "there's just so any things" and "holy light" gestures in appropriate (and inappropriate) circumstances.
Deliciously weird Rob Cantor's "Shia Lebeouf" live. Quiet, quiet.
My all time favorite was deleted many years ago and never uploaded apparently. It was a trailer by German magazine 11 Freunde for the Champions League final match between Bayern and Dortmund many years ago - it was basically a mix of fail videos and memes tied together with much too loud music. I used to link it if US Redditors or so asked why I loved the sport :D I still have the video on my HDD to save it for later generations.
So... the second place is much more boring, but here we go Mass Effect Legendary trailer
David Coffin's rendition of this song.
I'm so envious of Coffin's tone, and his ability to fill a room with just his own voice.
I'm not sure if this counts as my favorite of all time, but it's always the first one that comes to mind when I think of what to recommend. It's a quick, witty, and well-researched video essay on the US state birds that I think is criminally underviewed: https://youtu.be/JAZI5GcPm8c
Any of the “Veritasium” videos on math. Like the one about pi or solving cubics. Mind blown (at a relatively accessible 1st-year level).
There’s also the brilliance of “kiffness sometimes I’m alone”.
LFTL: The Kiffness x Lonely Cat - Sometimes I'm Alone (Singing Cat)
I'm a Kiffness fan as well, but my favorite remix/mashup track on YouTube is Andre Antunes - If System of a Down were from India.
For the foreseeable future it will remain LEMMiNO's video on Jack the Ripper. For me it is an excellent blend of research, storytelling, and graphic and sound design.
First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy by Derek Sivers.
Summary of the video:
The video examines how social movements start from the example of a man dancing alone in public. It outlines the important role of the first follower in transforming a lone individual into a leader. As the first follower joins in, they help others see that it's acceptable to participate. The arrival of the second and third followers proves the movement has momentum. Once there are a few people involved, others will join for fear of being ridiculed for not participating. The video argues that leadership is overglorified, and the first follower who shows others how to participate is what really creates a successful movement. It encourages people to courageously follow others' good ideas and help more people get involved.Quantum Fields: The Real Building Blocks of the Universe - with David Tong.
He gives an entertaining overview of the fundamental fields and particles that make up our universe.
I really like Sean Carroll's The Biggest Ideas in the Universe | 22. Cosmology. It's a 2 hour talk where he basically ties together all the ideas of physics showing how everything we know is the result of the cooling of the universe and which fundamental forces separate whe the universe gets cool enough. If I were to meet someone that showed some interest in space and science, but knew nothing other than high school physics, I would say this the'd have to watch this video before going into detail on anything else.
Coming in at a whopping 6 seconds: denial anger bargaining depression acceptance by JC Foster Takes It To The Moon. Such a genius concept executed perfectly.
What if forks were made of salt?
It was posted only 4 months ago, but it's become one of my favourites.
It’s too hard, I can’t pick one.
This one’s an animation masterpiece.
But as a programmer, this is the funniest shit I’ve ever seen.
"You just made those words up right now!"
I cannot wait to get to use some of those quotes. That was amazing.
In a similar vein, this one cracks me up every time: https://youtube.com/watch?v=b2F-DItXtZs
Vader Sessions: takes every scene with Darth Vader from A New Hope and instead splices James Earl Jones' dialogue from other films he's been in. Truly masterful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0rwG39Jzk
La Munkya is an episode of a now defunct series called Written by a Kid in which children tell their original stories which are then animated by professional animators. All of the episodes are fun to watch, but La Munkya breaks through the stratosphere. The storyteller — six-year-old Emily — is precocious, charming, and funny, and her story is a wild ride madcap fantasy featuring a horse made entirely of paper and his adventures.
Emily is nearly an adult now, and I'd love to know what she's up to. I assume she's creating revolutionary art or curing cancer or saving the world or something.
If you like it, you might like the "making of" video linked in the description which is also a lot of fun.
Here's mine.
STUTS is a Japanese hiphop producer, he's playing the MPC1000 drum machine on the streets of Harlem, getting a small crowd going.
I love it because it feels incredibly authentic, and it's the soul of what hiphop is all about. One dude even starts freestyling just before the 6 min mark.
A really tough choice since I watch a lot. The ones I watch most, though, are just be recordings of artists singing covers, which I don't interpret as being in the spirit of the idea of "Favorite Youtube video." That said, I'd probably go with PaperHeart by Qwaqa. Qwaqa is so incredibly creative with AMVs. This is the first one of theirs I saw, and it pretty much spoiled me to the point where they are the only AMV creator I still watch.
At the moment I am waiting with baited breath for each new episode of this series on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ9wEUKs4U4
which describes the story of the "Big Dig" in Boston in great detail, particularly the politics around it. It makes a lot of effort to say what it means for other infrastructure projects in the US.
Mine changes frequently, but right now it's a fan trailer for my favourite Sim: DCS Movie V.
I'll have to watch this one later. I always love the yearly videos ED puts out. There was one that I thought was an official video that got me very excited and made its music one of my favorite songs...
https://youtu.be/5tKnAg6ZN-o?si=RDGqP2O18xFT8Okd
I love it! Some people have great talent putting these videos together.
How to Identify a Seal
Easy pick for me: Validation
At 15 years old it's got to be the best OG video on that platform.
My runner up would be Everything Is A Remix. :)
Edit: Wow, that docu got one hell of an update! Changed link to newer version.
The Curse of Cheddar Bay
"Barry, Terry, ... and Enrique" always gets me.
There's a lot of really good analytical content and straight up brilliant story style content i've watched over the years on youtube, so it's very hard to pick.
That said, I'm at Soup from geass abridged will almost always make me laugh, which is a rare thing these days so it holds a special place in my heart. Despite, and maybe because of it, being dumb as hell.
I’ve watched this one probably hundreds of times over the years but it still gets a laugh out of me.
Hard choices here - I don't just want to post a huge list.
For me I suppose it would be a tossup between:
The Rules for Rulers by CGP Grey
or
The Silver Tongue vs The Iron Fist by Deviant Ollam
I watch quite a lot of YouTube, so that's a really tough one.
As a car nut, "LaFerrari v Porsche 918 v McLaren P1 at Portimao" from Chris Harris on Cars is pretty great. A 53 minute on-track comparison test showing why these three cars were such a big deal. And some pretty spectacular displays of driving and car control to boot. I can't believe that video is 7 years old.
Just in terms of how often I end up linking it, though, CGP Gray's video on what's wrong with first past the post voting would probably be that, though.
My favorite video on YouTube is the one that Frankie Boyle's joke about Thatcher. It is dark, cynical and it is a lot funnier to realize that he made the joke, when Thatcher was still alive, when he made the joke.
Don't Talk to the Police is my absolute favorite video to link to, and I'll post it if it's even remotely relevant to a discussion. I think it's among the most important videos for Americans to watch. Should be taught in school.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, and nothing you say will be used in your defense. The absolute best case scenario if the cops think you're guilty of a crime is that what you say doesn't matter to them at all.
I'm not sure I can point out a definite favorite, but I will never get tired of watching Happy Souls.
I haven't actually played Dark Souls 2, but this is still by far the most lighthearted, fun interpretation of any FromSoft game that I've seen and there's a bunch of great lines I love to quote while playing other games with friends ("it's easy, and it does a lot of damage" is probably my favorite).
It was a tough call, but this is probably the most underrated of my top picks:
Inside Lens - Game Preservation, the Quest
Cute House
https://youtu.be/-yXaBunkh4o?si=ou0u01Pbuyvxy7bk
I don't have favorites of anything, but I do really like Alasdair Beckett-King. For example: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iJ1sg1ypWVE
I like this ad for a local hi-fi shop where a guy just kind of riffs on a walkman for a minute. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azn9H3AF1kw
I have a favorites-of-favorites list of videos (labeled "daily dose") that I had a hard time choosing from, but this takes the cake - Super Mario 64 Anti-Piracy Screen. I have a phobia of games or programs acting unexpectedly and there are a lot of videos in this kind of format, but this is the best of the best and the creators nailed the same vibe as actual creepy anti-piracy screens. Just subtle enough, just unsettling enough, just enough threat that the game could do worse if you don't follow it that I can't stop watching it.