Music Video of the Day: The Man With The Child In His Eyes by Kate Bush (1978, directed by Keith MacMillan)

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1981, MTV premiered. Over the course of 24 hours, 166 unique music videos were played on MTV. Yes, there was a time when the M actually did stand for music.

The 57th video to air on MTV was the video for Kate Bush’s The Man With The Child In His Eyes. Amazingly, Bush wrote this song when she was only 13 and recorded it when she was 16.

The video was directed by Keith MacMillan, who directed several music videos in the 70s and early 80s. Along with Kate Bush, he worked for artists such as Paul McCartney, Culture Club, Pay Benatar, and Motorhead.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

Music Video of the Day: Sign of the Gypsy Queen by April Wine (1981, directed by ????)

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1981, MTV premiered. Over the course of 24 hours, 166 unique music videos were played on MTV. Yes, there was a time when the M actually did stand for music.

Well, this sucks. The 56th video to air on MTV was Sign of the Gypsy Queen, performed by April Wine. The video was taken for their Live From London concert film. Unfortunately, while the entire film has been uploaded to YouTube, video of the band just performing Sign of the Gypsy Queen in London has not. The video above is from the band’s Live in Cedar Rapids concert film, which was filmed the same year as their London performance. Unfortunately, the person who uploaded video disabled playback so you’ll have to click on “Watch On YouTube” to see it.

It’s a good song, though. I don’t know much about April Wine but they could play.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

Music Video of the Day: Bring It All Home by Gerry Rafferty (1980, directed by ????)

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1981, MTV premiered. Over the course of 24 hours, 166 unique music videos were played on MTV. Yes, there was a time when the M actually did stand for music.

Following the video for Andrew Gold’s Thank You For Being a Friend, MTV re-aired the video for The Who’s You Better You Bet, making that video that first to air twice in one day on MTV. Following the Who video, the 55th video to make its MTV debut was the video for Gerry Rafferty’s Bring It All Home.

Though this video only aired once on MTV’s first day of broadcast, it was significant in that it was the first animated video to air on MTV and, as such, it was a sign of the direction that both MTV and music videos in general would soon follow.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

Music Video of the Day: Thank You For Being A Friend by Andrew Gold (1978, directed by ????)

Posted on September 19, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1981, MTV premiered. Over the course of 24 hours, 166 unique music videos were played on MTV. Yes, there was a time when the M actually did stand for music.

The 54th video to air on MTV was for Andrew Gold’s Thank You For Being A Friend. Yes, that’s the same song that was later covered by Cynthia Free and used as the theme song for The Golden Girls. Gold, himself, later said that this was a song that he wrote in a little less than an hour.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

Music Video of the Day: Can’t Happen Here by Rainbow (1981, directed by ????)

Posted on September 18, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1981, MTV premiered. Over the course of 24 hours, 166 unique music videos were played on MTV. Yes, there was a time when the M actually did stand for music.

The 53rd video to air on MTV was the video for Can’t Happen Here by Rainbow. Watching the video, it’s interesting to see that a lot of it did end up happening here. Just take a look at the lyrics:

Contaminated fish and micro chips
Huge supertankers on Arabian trips
Oily propaganda from the leaders’ lips
All about the future
There’s people over here, people over there
Everybody’s looking for a little more air
Crossing all the borders just to take their share
Planning for the future
And we’re so abused, and we’re so confused
It’s easy to believe that someone’s gonna light the fuse
Can’t happen here, can’t happen here
All that you fear they’re telling you, can’t happen here
Supersonic planes for a holiday boom
Rio de Janeiro in an afternoon
People out of work but there’s people on the moon
Looking for the future
Concrete racktracks nationwide
Juggernauts carving up the countryside
Cars by the million on a one way ride
Using up the future
And we’re so abused, and we’re so confused
It’s easy to believe that someone’s gonna light the fuse
Can’t happen here, can’t happen here
All that you fear they’re telling you, can’t happen here
Satellites spying for the CIA
The KGB and the men in grey
Wonder if I’m gonna see another day
Somewhere in the future
We got everything we need for a peaceful time
Take what you want but you can’t take mine
Everybody’s living on the Siegfried line
Worried ’bout the future
And we’re so abused, and we’re so confused
It’s so easy to believe that someone’s gonna light it
Easy to believe someone’s gonna light the fuse
Can’t happen here, can’t happen here
All that you fear they’re telling you, can’t happen here can it?

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

Music Video of the Day: Talk of the Town by The Pretenders (1981, directed by ????)

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1981, MTV premiered. Over the course of 24 hours, 166 unique music videos were played on MTV. Yes, there was a time when the M actually did stand for music.

The 52nd video to air on MTV was the video for Talk of the Town by The Pretenders. Unlike some of the other videos that aired on that day, the video for Talk of the Town still looks impressive. Though it’s been rumored that the song was about Ray Davies, Chrissie Hynde has said that the song was inspired by a fan who used to quietly watch the band during all of their soundchecks.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

Music Video of the Day: Ain’t Love A Bitch by Rod Stewart (1979, directed by Bruce Gowers)

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1981, MTV premiered. Over the course of 24 hours, 166 unique music videos were played on MTV. Yes, there was a time when the M actually did stand for music.

The 49th video to play on MTV was the video for Blondie’s Rapture, which only aired once on that date despite being better remembered than many of the videos that played multiple times. The 50th video was The Who’s Don’t Let Go The Coat. This was the Who’s second video to air on MTV, after You Better You Bet.

That brings us the 51st video. Rod Stewart’s Ain’t Love A Bitch was one of 11 Rod Stewart videos that were played on MTV’s first day. In fact, Rod Stewart was by far MTV’s most popular artist when it premiered. It’s tempting (and probably correct) to say that today’s MTV viewers probably has no idea who Rod Stewart is but then again, today’s MTV viewers aren’t watching music videos to begin with.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

Music Video of the Day: Tough Guys by REO Speedwagon (1980, directed by ????)

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1981, MTV premiered. Over the course of 24 hours, 166 unique music videos were played on MTV. Yes, there was a time when the M actually did stand for music.

MTV played a lot of good music on that first of August. They also played a lot of REO Speedwagon. The 48th video to play on MTV was Tough Guys by the Speedwagon.

Enjoy?

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

Norm MacDonald, R.I.P.

Posted on September 14, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

I’m still in shock about the news that Norm MacDonald died today, at the age of 61. He died of cancer, which he had been battling for nine years.

Norm MacDonald was the funniest man alive, though he often didn’t seem to get the appreciation that he truly deserved. There are so many comedians who claim not to care what people think about them and their jokes but, when it came to Norm, it was no act. He would joke about anything and anyone, delivering his punchlines with deadpan but savage nonchalance.

Like a lot of people, I first knew Norm MacDonald as the anchorman of SNL‘s Weekend Update. He was the last great Weekend Update anchor, which unfortunately led to him losing his job when NBC president Don Ohlmeyer took offense to his frequent jokes about OJ Simpson.

Personally, I liked Norm MacDonald’s takes on the movies:

After he was fired from Weekend Update, Norm MacDonald appeared on David Letterman’s show and said that he had been told that he would still be allowed to be a performer on Saturday Night Live and that he would still be doing celebrity impersonations but “I suck at that.” However, anyone who ever saw Norm MacDonald plays Burt Reynolds knows that MacDonald was being too modest.

After Saturday Night Live, Norm MacDonald continued to be a popular and beloved talk show guest. His appearances on Conan O’Brien were legendary.

My personal favorite Norm MacDonald talk show appearance was when he showed up on The Larry Sanders Show, along with special guest Henry Winkler. Though everyone on the show was concerned about a missing Hank Kingsely sex tape, Norm kept the audience laughing.

Norm MacDonald, Rest in Peace.

Music Video of the Day: He Can’t Love You by Michael Stanley Band (1981, directed by ????)

Posted on September 14, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1981, MTV premiered. Over the course of 24 hours, 166 unique music videos were played on MTV. Yes, there was a time when the M actually did stand for music.

The 47th video played on MTV was the video for He Can’t Love You by Michael Stanley Band. I hadn’t heard this song nor did I know much about this band up until a few days ago but I have to give credit where credit is due. This is a good song and a good video. The video, including the hospital scenes, was filmed in a Los Angeles factory that manufactured shopping carts and, more so than the many performance-orientated videos that also aired on the station’s first day, it indicated the direction that would soon be taken by both MTV and music videos in general.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV: