The ’80s were a magical time for music and MTV helped fuel the massive movement. Though music videos were a relatively new idea at the time, there were quite a few pioneers that understood the assignment.
From wacky imagery to on-the-nose visual storytelling, all videos tell a different story and give insight into the bands and artists’ visions. Although it’s nearly impossible to recount every single influential and groundbreaking music video of the ’80s, there are a few that definitely stand out from the iconic time period.
“Video Killed The Radio Star” – The Buggles (1981)
As the first-ever music video ever aired on MTV, the song’s topic is ironic yet fitting for the art form’s new movement. The video’s value is evident, as fans still feel butterflies in their stomach just seeing the opening shot, reminding them of the first good days of the music channel.
From the fun beat to the unique visuals, many fans agree that this video was a great one to kick off MTV’s career. The Buggles would also be very pleased to know that the video did not in fact kill the radio star, but rather made them even bigger superstars.
“Hungry Like The Wolf” – Duran Duran (1982)
While the video itself is pretty tame and simple compared to others, the iconic nature of this single is quite shocking. The song was huge, with an astounding 23-week run on the charts, so needless to say, the video was run quite a bit on the MTV channel in ’82.
Considering music videos were still on the rise at the time of the video’s release, the visual story didn’t need to be too compelling, as any music videos were exciting to just see, in the beginning.
“Bark At The Moon” – Ozzy Osbourne (1983)
Though Ozzy has been a controversial rocker for his many wild antics of the past, it’s undeniable that his music video for “Bark At The Moon” was so perfectly Ozzy. His first music video ever, the rockstar started off his video career on the right foot, as it was perfectly creepy in true Ozzy fashion.
Many fans believe this song holds one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time, while others believe the imagery alone is iconic in itself.
“Thriller” – Michael Jackson (1983)
With nearly one billion views on YouTube alone, fans can only guess how many times this video was shown on MTV at the peak of its success. Michael Jackson was one of the major musical pioneers of the ’80s, with endless hits breaking chart records, and this perfect Halloween anthem is no exception.
Jackson also received raving reviews for other popular videos like “Beat It” and “Billie Jean,” but nothing came close to the frightening yet fun 13-minute-long adventure that was “Thriller.”
“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” – Cyndi Lauper (1983)
Though the video is quite simple as it walks viewers through an upbeat and fun day in Cyndi’s life, that’s exactly what fans love about it. When Lauper burst onto the pop scene, many fans loved her quirky fashion and vocal quirks, and they fell in love with her energy immediately.
A song that was originally written to be more of a dreary idea, Cyndi happily put her own twist on the girl power anthem, and ’80s fans will never forget the first time they heard the classic.
“Like A Virgin” – Madonna (1984)
The pop star is no stranger to controversy, with songs like “Like A Prayer” airing on MTV depicting burning crosses and different versions of Jesus. However, when “Like A Virgin” came out, Madonna officially shook the world up by referencing sex during a much more conservative time.
Madonna quickly became even more of a well-known pop star, with her songs even infiltrating TV and movies. Despite people’s feelings about her provocative nature, there is no doubt she was a pioneer of the ’80s.
“Money For Nothing” – Dire Straits (1985)
Still one of the most captivating music videos to this day, this trailblazing video paved the way for outside-the-box music videos when it comes to unique design concepts. The almost trippy computer-animated style is what immediately drew fans in, and it allowed for future videos to marry new technology with pre-existing lyrical meaning.
Though the aspired 3D animation looks quite dated today, the entire concept inspired many artists and bands to come, and some may argue that this video set the tone for creative music videos period.
“Take On Me” – A-Ha (1985)
This unique animated video is for sure one that ’80s fans will never forget. This pop anthem achieved a comic book-style story with pencil sketch animations using the technique of rotoscoping, which was new and exciting for the time.
The video has over one billion views on YouTube alone, so the overall success of the video should speak volumes, as there are still not many music videos like it today.
“Walk This Way” – Run DMC And Aerosmith (1986)
Possibly one of the biggest genre crossovers of the ’80s, Aerosmith agreed to remix their hit “Walk This Way” with hip-hop group, Run DMC. Though the song was primarily a hit in the mid-70s, it was a good move for Aerosmith to work their way back onto the scene and show their acceptance of the ever-evolving music scene.
Though rock music is typically very different from hip-hop, the two groups meshed together seemingly well, and the music video was pretty fun to watch, too. In the video, the two groups playfully pretended to be bothered by the other’s noise, then come together in the end after they break down the literal and metaphorical walls separating them.
“Sledgehammer” – Peter Gabriel (1986)
This legendary music video most definitely started trends, as the most played video in MTV history. The entrancing stop motion style of the storytelling brings a whole new conversation to the table in terms of capabilities in the art world.
The director of the music video, Stephen R. Johnson, actually went on to produce other stop motion pieces of work, including the animated film, Wallace & Gromit. The music video was even further proof that a song is what you make it, and the visuals might even get people talking if executed well enough.
