![]() The video was famous for Lennox’s striking androgynous look – cropped, punky orange hair juxtaposed with a formal suit and tie – and also used surreal, mind-bending imagery to emphasize the contrast between technology and the natural world. “Video Killed The Radio Star” was the first ever video to air on MTV when the channel launched on August 1, 1981.Ĭlick to load video 25: Eurythmics: Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (1983)Īnnie Lennox and Dave Stewart’s synth-pop classic about the complex nature of human desire put Eurythmics on the map as an international act their fame was accelerated by the song’s accompanying Chris Ashbrook-directed video, which was an MTV staple in the pioneering music channel’s early days. It was shot by Australian director Russell Mulcahy, whose use of slow-motion sequences, razor-sharp editing and neon lighting became staples of 80s pop videos. 27: The Buggles: Video Killed the Radio Star (1979)īefore he became an influential record producer, Trevor Horn was one half of the British duo The Buggles, whose debut single “Video Killed The Radio Star” came out in late 1979 and was accompanied by a groundbreaking video which set the tone for how pop was visually represented in the next decade. Choreographed by noted British dancer Arlene Phillips, this vibrant dance spectacle encapsulates the 80s in all its gaudy glory. Director Brian Grant used the technique to good effect in his dazzling video for this Whitney Houston Grammy-winning hit, which contrasts the singer’s lonely life as a performer with an imagined fantasy sequence where she dances with a succession of male partners. The representation of reality and fantasy by the contrasting use of monochrome and color film is a cinematic trick that was popularized by the 1939 movie, The Wizard Of Oz. The video’s surprise denouement – where romance triumphs over materialism – reveals that “Material Girl” isn’t as emblematic of 80s avarice as many would like to think.Ĭlick to load video 28: Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (1987) SHADOW ERA SOUNDTRACK MOVIETaking its inspiration from the famous scene in the 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes where Monroe sings “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” the video’s storyline depicts Madonna being pursued by a film director who unsuccessfully tries to woo her by flaunting his wealth. Madonna channeled Marilyn Monroe in the iconic video to “Material Girl,” the Nile Rodgers’ produced song that crowned her the queen of pop in 1984. While you’re reading, listen to our Best 80s Music Videos playlist here. Let’s flashback to a more radical time when everyone was a little bit more tanned a bit richer, broker, madder, and wilder, in the best of the decade-defining 80s music videos. Even if the technology was crude, it just led to even more creative innovation. With the medium not yet refined, there were no conventions to break it was the wild west, both musically and visually, and allowed for endless experimentation. The 80s saw MTV and VH1 become the new jukebox for a whole generation of music fans, where music videos were no longer just an add-in, but integral to an artist’s image. Not since the advent of radio had there been such a powerful tool to make or break artists’ careers than music television. ![]()
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