MTV celebrates its 40th Anniversary tomorrow. In remembrance of the station, which early videos impressed you most?

[Dekster]

I wasn't there in the beginning, but I still watch some of Billy Idol's earlier videos somewhat regularly. The Real World was my ish until they absolutely destroyed the concept trying to keep up with its other trash shows like Teen Mom and Jersey Shore. Never liked the challenges and now they killed off TRW and do challenges back to back. I haven't watched the network much since Teen Wolf went off. That was probably my last MTV series this lifetime at least.

 

[candycorn]

For me it was definitely the Duran Duran videos, "Hungry Like The Wolf", and "Rio", that caught my eyes AND ears. Michael Jackson's videos were fun, as were ZZ Top's. (RIP, Dusty Hill) So, which early MTV videos impressed you the most?

The hair styles from 40 years ago...so bizarre.

Two videos: Sledgehammer by Talking Heads and Money for Nothing by Dire Straits.

 

[MisterBeale]

Sledgehammer by Talking Heads

Sledgehammer was by former Genesis member, Peter Gabriel. But I do agree, it was one of the great video music achievements in video music television, it deserves a shout out.

 

[MisterBeale]

This one actually was made before MTV existed, and I did not see it until many years after the heyday of MTV. . . but a famous MTV video during MTV's heyday was based off of it. . .

It was part of a larger concert. . .



Which inspired this hubris of course. . .

 

[Canon Shooter]

First video played on MTV. . . If I remember right.

Yup!

Pat Benatar's "You Better Run" was the second...

 

[boedicca]

For me it was definitely the Duran Duran videos, "Hungry Like The Wolf", and "Rio", that caught my eyes AND ears. Michael Jackson's videos were fun, as were ZZ Top's. (RIP, Dusty Hill) So, which early MTV videos impressed you the most?

mr. boe and I watched the ZZ Top movie last night. They were so fun on MTV in the early 80s.

 

[Canon Shooter]

 

[Turtlesoup]

Cultural appropriation---couldn't be made now.

 

[Turtlesoup]

She was mentally ill then and still now---things don't change.

 

[Canon Shooter]

She was mentally ill then and still now---things don't change.

That broad could sing, though...

 

[hjmick]

First video played on MTV. . . If I remember right.

Trevor Horn and Geoffrey Downes.

 

[basquebromance]

"We didn’t have MTV in Canada when I was growing up so my first real experience with it was being on it. For the years that they were still playing music videos Mtv totally embraced us and we had an amazing relationship with them over the years. Our career would definitely not be the same without MTV. I miss those old days of having the kind of video budgets to make our ideas come to life. I also miss all the cool shows they used to do like, Diary, Icon, Cribs etc, and the list goes on. Glad we were apart of a lot of great years with them" - Sum 41's frontman

as for me, i watched it in the early 2000's...i used to wait forever for them to put the Good Charlotte video, for example "The Anthem"...i had terrible taste back then! still like GC tho!

 

[Gabe Lackmann]

Cultural appropriation---couldn't be made now.

 

[basquebromance]

Watch the first 100 videos played on MTV via the YouTube playlist for NPR

 

[MisterBeale]

I was thinking of this one today. . . the world seems to have gone crazy lately.

Sorry about the video quality, this is straight from the bands channel, I'm not sure I can find a better copy.

 

[basquebromance]