I was thinking about…When the Music Video Rebellion Invaded Our Living Rooms
By Andy Lee
When MTV’s Music Revolution Came Blaring Out of Our Basement TVs
Grainy NASA footage jogs my memory – no, not the moon landing. I’m flashing back to that epic summer of ’81 when cable TV first snaked into our wood-paneled living rooms. And with it came MTV, that very first channel broadcasting nonstop music videos. Our teenage minds were promptly blown.
I mean, we’d heard songs on the radio before. But now the musicians themselves invaded our family rooms! For my generation, this fused medium and message unlike anything before. Suddenly we didn’t just listen to songs – we experienced them through the magic of video.
It became a mad dash for bands to amp up showmanship and style. Forget holding a candle to lyrics sheets – if you couldn’t cut loose onscreen you didn’t stand a chance among this new wave of pop contenders. Before long anybody with enough hairspray and spandex could compete on MTV’s obsessively looping playlist. Democracy in action!
Now trivia time: we all know the very first music video MTV aired was The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.” A prophetic anthem. But do you remember what tune premiered second? It was Pat Benatar’s blistering call for equality, “You Better Run.” Girl brought fierce attitude through our screens right from the starting gun.
While critics argued MTV dumbed down music, I watched possibilities explode. This fusion of sound + vision felt like uncharted cultural territory with limitless creative frontiers waiting to be pioneered. And my generation would lead the vanguard.
Stay rebellious, keep reinventing! 🤘
I was thinking about... 