Guns N’ Roses' epic "November Rain" music video was released 30 years ago this week

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-06-07/novemeber-rain-guns-n-roses-music-video-making-of-30th-anniversary

Released in June 1992, the 9-minute-plus music video for 'November Rain' -- which MTV ranks as the No. 3 music video of all time -- is groundbreaking for a number of reasons. “'November Rain' cost a reported $1.5 million, making it the most expensive music video of its time — a milestone that was quickly surpassed but that drew much negative media attention because of (Axl) Rose’s increasingly volatile reputation," says Meredith Blake. "Fans may have embraced the video, but it was regarded by many cultural tastemakers as excessive, indulgent, bloated — particularly in contrast to Nirvana’s gritty, low-budget 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' released a few months earlier." Mike Southon, one of two cinematographers who shot the video, says "'November Rain' was a bit like the last of the dinosaurs before the meteorite, and the meteorite was grunge and everything that happened to the music industry” thanks to file-sharing. But "November Rain" has only grown in stature. In 2018, it became the first video made before YouTube to reach the billion-view milestone. It's now approaching 2 billion views.