The MTV Generation: Favorite Videos

[godhi]

Does anyone remember the early half of the 1980's when MTV didn't suck?
I'm talking about those thrilling days of yesteryear before rap music put the final nail in the coffin of rock & roll--before any garage band with a videotape recorder could make a music video--when the music video was an art form.

My favorite MTV videos include:
arrow All She Wants to Do is Dance by Don Henley
arrow The Boy in the Bubble by Paul Simon
arrow Don't Come Around Here No More by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
arrow Don't Pay the Ferryman by Chris deBurgh
arrow End of the Line by the Traveling Wilburys
arrow Fight Fire with Fire by Kansas*
arrow I Got My Mind Set on You by George Harrison
arrow I Would Do Anything for Love by Meat Loaf
arrow Jeopardy by Greg Kihn
arrow Land of Confusion by Genesis
arrow Pressure by Billy Joel
arrow Radio Ga-Ga by Queen
arrow She Blinded Me with Science by Thomas Dolby
arrow Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel
arrow Stand Back by Stevie Nicks
arrow Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler
arrow The Union of the Snake by Duran Duran
arrow Why Me? by Planet P
arrow Wrapped Around Your Finger by the Police
arrow You Might Think by The Cars

*Anyone remember the giant mosquito from that video?  

[alanne-6]

sledgehammer was great! all of that stop motion animation.  

[CosmicHedgehog]

oooooooo, where to start. First, I agree, sledgehammer was great. You know, one of the great things about videos then was that did all sound manically depressed and didn't all look p. o. -ed at the universe.

Cindy Lauper - Girls Just Want to Have Fun
ABC - The Look of Love
David Bowie - Let's Dance
Duran Duran - just about anything. I'm partial to Rio and Save a Prayer.

God, there are TONS more.... but I'm drawing a blank right now.  

[godhi]

alanne-6

sledgehammer was great! all of that stop motion animation.

The animation in the music video is especially cool when you consider the fact that Peter Gabriel had to lip-synch the lyrics in time with the stop motion--which is not an easy task considering that the artist is singing the song one syllable at a time.
Peter Gabriel was not the first artist to lip-synch a song in stop motion, by the way--that honor goes to Mike Jittlov, one of the best stop motion animators in the business and the creator of The Wizard of Speed and Time.
If you like Sledgehammer, you'll love Mike Jittlov! mrgreen  

[Lil Brat]

Rock-It ~ Herbie Hancock ~ all the little robotics in that video just cracked me up...

Bang Your Head - Metal Health Will Drive You Mad ~ Quiet Riot - one of the few videos my father ever stood watching (along with the aforementioned one) and found funny (he hated MTV).

I'm sure I'll think of others eventually.  

[Warnersister]

I'm still partial to "Video Killed the Radio Star", I must admit.

Am I imagining things, or was it Cosgrove Hall (home of Danger Mouse & Count Duckula) that did the stop-motion on "Sledgehammer"?

DW  

[Catira Norr]

I agree with anything from Duran Duran, particularly partial to Girls on Film and Wildboys.

Aha did a good one that was the first real-life/ animation mix (was it "Take On Me"?)
Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams"
Kate Bush "Running Down that Hill"
Adam and the Ants "Prince Charming" just coz no-one had ever sounded or dressed like that before
and I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Robert Palmer's "Additcted to Love", I know that was one of my hubbies favs wink

There must be a ton more... I'll think about it!  

[Lil-Jo]

Do you remember Doctor and the Medics??? The name of the song is not coming to mind, but they were like a one hit wonder and they had this really odd video with an almost KISS looking singer and 2 girls that were crazy dancers in all white...


OH WAIT... Spirit in the Sky..... It was totally wierd  

[AFK Masturbating]

I fondly remember the good old days of Headbanger's Ball. heart

I don't remember the name of the song offhand, but Def Leppard had this one video that had bits of a comic strip in it.  

[godhi]

Does anyone remember the giant mosquito from the Fight Fire with Fire video by Kansas? For the first few years of MTV, that bizarre prop was visible on top of a filing cabinet in the background for most of the VJ segments.  

[CosmicHedgehog]

godhi

Does anyone remember the giant mosquito from the Fight Fire with Fire video by Kansas? For the first few years of MTV, that bizarre prop was visible on top of a filing cabinet in the background for most of the VJ segments.

I'm trying to, but I'm drawing blank.... all I keep thinking of is the fly from the Cars video.  

[Lil-Jo]

godhi

Does anyone remember the giant mosquito from the Fight Fire with Fire video by Kansas? For the first few years of MTV, that bizarre prop was visible on top of a filing cabinet in the background for most of the VJ segments.

Video...  

[godhi]

Lil-Jo

godhi

Does anyone remember the giant mosquito from the Fight Fire with Fire video by Kansas? For the first few years of MTV, that bizarre prop was visible on top of a filing cabinet in the background for most of the VJ segments.

Video...

There you go. One large economy size mutant mosquito! domokun  

[CosmicHedgehog]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! now I remember! cool visual aids are very helpful..... at my advancing age. rofl  

[godhi]

I recently received a Blast from the Past...
Jim Ladd on KLOS-FM in Los Angeles has a weekly radio show at midnight called Headsets. The theme of the show last week was tied to his recent album, and one of the songs was Why Me by Planet P.
Does anyone remember that tune from the early days of MTV? You might recall that the video featured the iconic image of an exploding spacesuit, which later had an influence on the logo for the MTV network.
Here are the lyrics to the song:

Why Me
by Planet P

Sittin' up here
watchin' all the lights blink down below
the earth is turning
why does it go so slow
thinkin' bout the girl I left behind
Houston can you hear me
or have I lost my mind
why me?
why me?
I was waiting on the pad
all systems were go
the man up in the tower
was enjoying the show
then I got this feeling
that I never had before
hey let me out of here
what am I here for
why me?
why me?
there must be a thousand other guys
must be some other way to look good in your eyes
why am I up here, what do they see in me
must be a thousand other places to be
why me?
the last man to be here
was never heard from again
he won't be back this way
till 2010...
and now I'm riding on a fountain of fire
with my back to the earth
I go higher and higher
why me?
why me?
there must be a thousand other guys
must be some other way
to look good in your eyes
why am I up here, what do they see in me
must be a thousand other places to be
why me?
take anyone but me
why me?