When MTV debuted in 1981, they couldn’t have picked a better music video to launch the fledgling cable channel. At 12:01 am on August 1st, after intro shots of the space shuttle and Apollo launches, capped by the famous moon man planting the MTV flag, VJ Mark Goodman finally revealed their first video. The honor went to The Buggles’ 1979 international hit Video Killed the Radio Star, a low-fi clip that reflected the primitive look of the early music video era. The British new wave duo consisting of singer/bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes was quite popular across the pond in Europe. But sadly, other than their groundbreaking music video, they never managed to break through on the U.S. charts.
Video Killed the Radio Star was the first single from The Buggles’ 1979 debut album, The Age of Plastic. The heavy synthesized tune became a huge hit on the international charts, reaching number one in over 16 markets. The single charted in the U.S. but barely broke into the top 40, although the MTV exposure helped give the song a second life as an 80’s classic staple. It’s a simple, jingle-like track with lyrics foreshadowing how technology would transform media, particularly music. At the time, The Buggles was singing about VCR, FM Radio, and cassette tapes changing how music was recorded and produced. Ironically, their music video would help launch a cable network that would reinvent the musical landscape in the 1980s, bringing their prophecy of fusing visuals with song into reality.
The landmark video was directed by Australian filmmaker Russell Mulcahy, a director who would influence the tone of the early MTV era. He’s known for his long collaboration with Duran Duran, directing their stylish videos Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf. But Mulcahy’s videography is a smorgasbord of 80s classics like Fleetwood Mac (Gypsy), Elton John (I’m Still Standing), The Motels (Only the Lonely), and Kim Carnes (Bette Davis Eyes). Much of his glam style is shown in The Buggles clip, lensed in spare and simple shots full of bizarre, retro science fiction imagery. It follows a little girl as she encounters The Buggles and their sexy sci-fi-clad backup singers in an Oz-like fashion. It certainly is a product of its time, and the micro-budget production has a zippy 70’s era charm. (Fun Fact: famed film composer Hans Zimmer is the keyboardist clad in black who uncomfortably plays near the video’s end.)
It’s fitting that MTV chose a 1979 British hit to debut their American-based cable channel, as music videos were already popular in England. Many British new wave acts like The Police and David Bowie were releasing pre-1981 videos that aired on the popular BBC program Top of the Pops. Even as far back as the 1960s, The Beatles produced promotional “films” for their single releases like Paperback Rider, Rain, and Strawberry Fields Forever. All these clips, especially Strawberry Fields Forever, are essentially proto-music videos that were hugely influential. Look no further than the Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) as an example.
Ultimately, Video Killed the Radio Star is a time capsule of where music videos had been and where they were headed when the format arrived in the United States via a 24-hour cable channel. For the first few years, MTV struggled to fill its airwaves, relying heavily on many British-based clips that helped fuel the British new wave invasion. But in 1983, many American acts began to catch on to the branding and advertising possibilities of the new format. That was the year musicians like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Cyndi Lauper broke new ground and showed there could be real artistry in this new medium. The videos became slicker, with tighter editing, and would start influencing TV commercials and even feature films like Flashdance and Footloose.
And it all started with bassist Trevor Horn singing, “I heard you on the wireless back in fifty-two.”
Check out the music video below, and let me know your thoughts in the comment section.
Love this song
Chad, a landmark video indeed! Every time I hear it, it reminds me of when it ALL started. MTV dominated the global conversation when it first debuted. Lots of fond memories of this and other videos/songs which came down the pike shortly thereafter.
This was a fun one to revisit, and a landmark in the history of music videos.