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 not be handed out again until the 2016 ceremony where it was renamed Breakthrough Long Form Video. Meanwhile, the award for Best Post-Modern Video was renamed Best Alternative Video, and The Video Vanguard Award was renamed the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in honor of Michael Jackson′s contributions to the culture of music videos.
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
R.E.M. – "Losing My Religion"- C+C Music Factory – "Gonna Make You Sweat "
- Deee-Lite – "Groove Is in the Heart"
- Divinyls – "I Touch Myself"
- Chris Isaak – "Wicked Game "
- Queensrÿche – "Silent Lucidity"
Best Male Video
- Jon Bon Jovi – "Blaze of Glory"
- Gerardo – "Rico Suave"
- George Michael – "Freedom! '90"
Best Female Video
- Paula Abdul – "Rush Rush"
- Neneh Cherry – "I've Got You Under My Skin"
- Amy Grant – "Baby Baby"
- Madonna – "Like a Virgin "
Best Group Video
- The Black Crowes – "She Talks to Angels"
- Divinyls – "I Touch Myself"
- Queensrÿche – "Silent Lucidity"
Best New Artist in a Video
- C+C Music Factory – "Gonna Make You Sweat "
- Deee-Lite – "Groove Is in the Heart"
- Gerardo – "Rico Suave"
- Seal – "Crazy"
Best Metal/Hard Rock Video
- AC/DC – "Thunderstruck"
- 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 "
- Monie Love – "It's a Shame "
Best Dance Video
- Bingoboys – "How to Dance"
- Deee-Lite – "Groove Is in the Heart"
- EMF – "Unbelievable"
Best Alternative Video
- Jesus Jones – "Right Here, Right Now"
- R.E.M. – "Losing My Religion"
- The Replacements – "When It Began"
Best Video from a Film
- Bryan Adams – " I Do It for You"
- Jon Bon Jovi – "Blaze of Glory"
- Guns N' Roses – "You Could Be Mine"
Best Long Form Video
- Aerosmith – Things That Go Pump in the Night
- Peter Gabriel – POV
- R.E.M. – Tourfilm
Breakthrough Video
- Deee-Lite – "Groove Is in the Heart"
- Enigma – "Sadeness "
- Seal – "Crazy"
Best Direction in a Video
- Chris Isaak – "Wicked Game "
- George Michael – "Freedom! '90"
- Queensrÿche – "Silent Lucidity"
Best Choreography in a Video
- Janet Jackson – "Love Will Never Do "
- Madonna – "Like a Virgin "
- MC Hammer – "Pray "
Best Special Effects in a Video
- Neneh Cherry – "I've Got You Under My Skin"
- MC Hammer – "Here Comes the Hammer"
- The Replacements – "When It Began"
- Seal – "Crazy"
- Bart Simpson – "Do the Bartman"
Best Art Direction in a Video
- Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – "Mama Help Me"
- C+C Music Factory – "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..."
- Faith No More – "Falling to Pieces"
- Janet Jackson – "Love Will Never Do "
- Jellyfish – "The King Is Half-Undressed"
- George Michael – "Freedom! '90"
Best Editing in a Video
- C+C Music Factory – "Gonna Make You Sweat "
- Deee-Lite – "Groove Is in the Heart"
- Chris Isaak – "Wicked Game "
- George Michael – "Freedom! '90"
- Seal – "Crazy"
Best Cinematography in a Video
- LL Cool J – "Mama Said Knock You Out"
- George Michael – "Freedom! '90"
- R.E.M. – "Losing My Religion"
Viewer's Choice
- C+C Music Factory – "Gonna Make You Sweat "
- Deee-Lite – "Groove Is in the Heart"
- Divinyls – "I Touch Myself"
- Chris Isaak – "Wicked Game "
- R.E.M. – "Losing My Religion"
International Viewer's Choice Awards
Asia Pacific|MTV Asia]]
Cui Jian – "Wild in the Snow"- Kenny Bee – "Be Brave to Love"
- Bird – "Prik Kee Noo"
- Chris Ho – "Fictional Stuff"
[MTV Australia]
- Crowded House – "Chocolate Cake"
- Ratcat – "Don't Go Now"
- Third Eye – "The Real Thing"
[MTV Brasil]
- Cidade Negra – "Falar a Verdade"
- Engenheiros do Hawaii – "Refrão de Bolero"
- Kid Abelha – "Grand' Hotel"
- Os Paralamas do Sucesso – "Caleidoscópio"
[MTV Europe]
- EMF – "Unbelievable"
- Pet Shop Boys – "Being Boring"
- Seal – "Crazy"
MTV Internacional
- Emmanuel – "Bella Señora"
- Juan Luis Guerra y 440 – "A Pedir Su Mano"
- Los Prisioneros – "Estrechez de Corazón"
[MTV Japan]
- no other nominees listed
Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award
Wayne Isham
Performances
- Van Halen – "Poundcake"
- C+C Music Factory – Medley: "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..."/"Here We Go "/"Gonna Make You Sweat "
- 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"
- Was
Appearances
- Pee-wee Herman – opened the show and welcomed the audience
- Linda Hamilton and Steven Tyler – presented Best Group Video
- Downtown Julie Brown – appeared in pre-commercial vignettes about the Viewer's Choice award and telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Christian Slater – presented Best Video from a Film
- Lenny Kravitz – presented Breakthrough Video
- Kurt Loder – interviewed various celebrities backstage before commercial breaks
- DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – presented Best Dance Video
- Martha Quinn – appeared in pre-commercial vignettes telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Dennis Hopper – presented Best Direction in a Video
- Fred Savage – appeared in a backstage vignette with Pauly Shore
- Pauly Shore and Cindy Crawford – presented Best Long Form Video
- Color Me Badd – presented Best Choreography in a Video
- John Norris – appeared in a pre-commercial vignette telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Billy Idol – presented Best Alternative Video
- N.W.A – presented Best Rap Video
- Mike Myers and Dana Carvey – introduced the winners of the professional categories
- Jason Priestley and Jennifer Connelly – presented Best New Artist in a Video
- Ed Lover and Doctor Dré – appeared in a pre-commercial vignette telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Arsenio Hall – presented the Video Vanguard award
- C.C. DeVille – appeared with Downtown Julie Brown before a commercial break to tell viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Pip Dann – announced the winner of the International Viewer's Choice Award for MTV Europe and introduced the other winners of the International Viewer's Choice Awards
- VJs Nonie, Richard Wilkins, Thunderbird, Daisy Fuentes and Dionne Mitsuoka – announced their respective region's Viewer's Choice winner
- James Brown and MC Hammer – presented a special Moonman to host Arsenio Hall for his four-year hosting stint and then presented the Viewer's Choice award
- Spinal Tap – presented Best Metal/Hard Rock Video
- Cher – presented Best Male Video and Best Female Video
- George Michael and Cindy Crawford – presented Video of the Year