1997 MTV Video Music Awards

The 1997 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 4, 1997, honoring the best music videos from June 17, 1996, to June 16, 1997. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.[1]

1997 MTV Video Music Awards
DateThursday, September 4, 1997
LocationRadio City Music Hall, New York, New York
CountryUnited States
Hosted byChris Rock
Most awardsBeck (5)
Most nominationsJamiroquai (10)
Television/radio coverage
NetworkMTV
Produced byAndy Schuon
Directed byBeth McCarthy
← 1996 · MTV Video Music Awards · 1998 →

American singer Beck took home the most Moonmen of the night, winning a total of five awards. British acid jazz band Jamiroquai closely followed, though, taking home four awards, including the coveted Video of the Year prize. The only other multiple winner that night was British dance outfit The Prodigy, which took home both the American and European Viewer's Choice awards – making them the first act in VMA history to win two Viewer's Choice awards in the same year.

As for nominations, Jamiroquai dominated the field with a total of ten nominations for their video for "Virtual Insanity." In second place was Beck, who received a total of seven mentions: five for "The New Pollution" and two for "Devils Haircut." Lastly, Nine Inch Nails came in third with five nominations for "The Perfect Drug." Unlike Beck and Jamiroquai, though, Nine Inch Nails went home empty-handed that night.

Background

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MTV announced on July 7 that the 1997 Video Music Awards would be held at Radio City Music Hall on September 4 and hosted by Chris Rock.[2] Nominees were announced on July 22.[3] MTV noted prior to the show that performances would be "more heavily choreographed" than in previous ceremonies.[4] The ceremony broadcast was preceded by the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards Opening Act. Hosted by Kurt Loder and Tabitha Soren with reports from Serena Altschul, Chris Connelly, Abbie Kearse, and John Norris, the broadcast featured red carpet interviews, a pre-taped interview with Mariah Carey, the world premiere of Janet Jackson's music video for "Got 'til It's Gone", and performances from Foo Fighters and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The Foo Fighters performance was notable for guitarist Pat Smear's announcement that he was leaving the band and Franz Stahl's debut as a band member.[5]

Performances

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List of musical performances
Artist(s) Song(s)
MTV.com cybercast
Meredith Brooks[6]
Pre-show
Foo Fighters "Monkey Wrench"
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones "The Impression That I Get"
Foo Fighters "Everlong"[7]
Main show
Puff Daddy "Mo Money Mo Problems" (featuring Mase)
"I'll Be Missing You" (featuring Faith Evans, 112, and Sting)
Jewel "Angel Standing By"
The Prodigy "Breathe"[a]
The Wallflowers (featuring Bruce Springsteen) "One Headlight"
Lil' Kim, Da Brat, Missy Elliott, Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes and Angie Martinez "Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix)"
U2 "Please"
Beck "The New Pollution"
Spice Girls "Say You'll Be There"
Jamiroquai "Virtual Insanity"
Marilyn Manson "The Beautiful People"
  1. ^ Live from Chelmsford, England

Presenters

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Pre-show

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Main show

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Winners and nominees

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Winners are in bold text.

Video of the Year Best Male Video
Best Female Video Best Group Video
Best New Artist in a Video Best Rock Video
Best R&B Video Best Rap Video
Best Dance Video Best Alternative Video
Best Video from a Film Breakthrough Video
Best Direction in a Video Best Choreography in a Video
Best Special Effects in a Video Best Art Direction in a Video
Best Editing in a Video Best Cinematography in a Video
Viewer's Choice International Viewer's Choice: MTV Asia
International Viewer's Choice: MTV Australia International Viewer's Choice: MTV Brasil
International Viewer's Choice: MTV Europe International Viewer's Choice: MTV India
International Viewer's Choice: MTV Japan International Viewer's Choice: MTV Latin America
International Viewer's Choice: MTV Mandarin
Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award
LL Cool J
Mark Romanek

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Beck, Jamiroquai big winners at MTV Music Awards". CNN, September 5, 1997
  2. ^ Huff, Richard (July 8, 1997). "MTV will Chris Rock 'n' roll in NYC with music-vid awards". New York Daily News – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Jamiroquai leads MTV nods". The Times. Streator, Illinois. Associated Press. July 23, 1997 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Strauss, Neil (September 3, 1997). "The Pop Life". The New York Times.
  5. ^ "Pat Smear leaves the Foo Fighters, on live MTV". MTV News. September 4, 1997. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  6. ^ "Meredith Brooks To Open For Video Music Awards Online". MTV News. September 2, 1997. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "MTV Music - VMA RED CARPET". MTV. Archived from the original on 2009-06-10. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  8. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards 1997". MTV.com. Winners > Best Direction. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-15.