Category Archives: Music Review

Music Video of the Day: One Step Ahead by Split Enz (1980, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

The 28th music video played on MTV on August 1st, 1981 was this video for One Step Ahead by the Split Enz.

If some of this video appears to be familiar, that’s because Michael Jackson was apparently a fan and he based his later moonwalk on the walk that Split Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner does in this video.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

  1. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles
  2. You Better Run by Pat Benatar
  3. She Won’t Dance With Me by Rod Stewart
  4. You Better You Bet By The Who
  5. Little Suzi’s On The Up by PH.D
  6. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard
  7. Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
  8. Time Heals by Todd Rundgren
  9. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon
  10. Rockin’ in Paradise by Styx
  11. When Things Go Wrong by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
  12. History Never Repeats by Split Enz
  13. Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
  14. Just Between You And Me by April Wine
  15. Sailing by Rod Stewart
  16. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
  17. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon
  18. Better Than Blue by Michael Johnson
  19. Message of Love by The Pretenders
  20. Mr. Briefcase by Lee Ritenour
  21. Double Life by The Cars
  22. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins
  23. Looking for Clues by Robert Palmer
  24. Too Late by Shoes
  25. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  26. Do Ya Think I’m Sexy by Rod Stewart
  27. Surface Tension by Rupert Hine

Music Video of the Day: Surface Tension by Rupert Hine (1981, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

The 27th music video to ever be broadcast on MTV was this video for Rupert Hine’s Surface Tension.

Though Hine was best known as a producer, working with He produced albums for artists including Rush, Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, the Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Stevie Nicks, Chris de Burgh, Suzanne Vega, Underworld, Duncan Sheik, Formula and Eleanor McEvoy, he also recorded 11 albums over the course of his long career. Surface Tension comes from his third solo album, Immunity.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

  1. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles
  2. You Better Run by Pat Benatar
  3. She Won’t Dance With Me by Rod Stewart
  4. You Better You Bet By The Who
  5. Little Suzi’s On The Up by PH.D
  6. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard
  7. Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
  8. Time Heals by Todd Rundgren
  9. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon
  10. Rockin’ in Paradise by Styx
  11. When Things Go Wrong by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
  12. History Never Repeats by Split Enz
  13. Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
  14. Just Between You And Me by April Wine
  15. Sailing by Rod Stewart
  16. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
  17. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon
  18. Better Than Blue by Michael Johnson
  19. Message of Love by The Pretenders
  20. Mr. Briefcase by Lee Ritenour
  21. Double Life by The Cars
  22. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins
  23. Looking for Clues by Robert Palmer
  24. Too Late by Shoes
  25. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  26. Do Ya Think I’m Sexy by Rod Stewart

Music Video of the Day: Do Ya Think I’m Sexy by Rod Stewart (1978, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1980, MTV premiered. Over the course of that day, they played over 160 unique music videos. The 26th video that they played was the video for Rod Stewart’s Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?

Actually, it would be more appropriate to say that they tried to play it. MTV’s first broadcast day was not without its technical problems. When they first tried to play the video, only the audio was heard. There was no picture. After 27 seconds of this, MTV moved on to another video. They would again attempt to play Rod Stewart’s infamous hit later in the day, this time with success.

In defense of this song, it’s apparently not meant to be taken seriously. Stewart and co-writer Duane Hitchings have both said the song was meant to be a spoof on disco. The spoof, of course, went on to become the song that Stewart arguably remains best known for.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

  1. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles
  2. You Better Run by Pat Benatar
  3. She Won’t Dance With Me by Rod Stewart
  4. You Better You Bet By The Who
  5. Little Suzi’s On The Up by PH.D
  6. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard
  7. Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
  8. Time Heals by Todd Rundgren
  9. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon
  10. Rockin’ in Paradise by Styx
  11. When Things Go Wrong by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
  12. History Never Repeats by Split Enz
  13. Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
  14. Just Between You And Me by April Wine
  15. Sailing by Rod Stewart
  16. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
  17. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon
  18. Better Than Blue by Michael Johnson
  19. Message of Love by The Pretenders
  20. Mr. Briefcase by Lee Ritenour
  21. Double Life by The Cars
  22. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins
  23. Looking for Clues by Robert Palmer
  24. Too Late by Shoes
  25. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Music Video of the Day: Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1981, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

The 25th music video to play on MTV on August 1st, 1980 was this performance clip, featuring Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, and the Heartbreakers performing Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.  MTV would play the video a total of four times during its first day of broadcast.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

  1. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles
  2. You Better Run by Pat Benatar
  3. She Won’t Dance With Me by Rod Stewart
  4. You Better You Bet By The Who
  5. Little Suzi’s On The Up by PH.D
  6. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard
  7. Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
  8. Time Heals by Todd Rundgren
  9. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon
  10. Rockin’ in Paradise by Styx
  11. When Things Go Wrong by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
  12. History Never Repeats by Split Enz
  13. Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
  14. Just Between You And Me by April Wine
  15. Sailing by Rod Stewart
  16. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
  17. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon
  18. Better Than Blue by Michael Johnson
  19. Message of Love by The Pretenders
  20. Mr. Briefcase by Lee Ritenour
  21. Double Life by The Cars
  22. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins
  23. Looking for Clues by Robert Palmer
  24. Too Late by Shoes

Music Video of the Day: Too Late by Shoes (1979, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

The 24th video played on MTV on August 1st, 1981 was a song that, up until yesterday, I had never heard.  Too Late was performed by Shoes, a band that, again up until yesterday, I had never heard of.

According to what information I could find, Shoes was founded by John and Jeff Murphy and Gary Klebe.  They were friends in high school and, after graduating, they decided they wanted to start a band.  Unfortunately, none of them knew how to play a musical instrument so they each picked an instrument, spent a year learning how play it, and then reunited to form Shoes.  They recorded their first album in Jeff Murphy’s living room and apparently it did well enough, being sold through local record stores and by order from Bomp! magazine, that they were eventually signed by Elektra Records.

Formed in the 70s, Shoes is still performing to this date.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

  1. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles
  2. You Better Run by Pat Benatar
  3. She Won’t Dance With Me by Rod Stewart
  4. You Better You Bet By The Who
  5. Little Suzi’s On The Up by PH.D
  6. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard
  7. Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
  8. Time Heals by Todd Rundgren
  9. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon
  10. Rockin’ in Paradise by Styx
  11. When Things Go Wrong by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
  12. History Never Repeats by Split Enz
  13. Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
  14. Just Between You And Me by April Wine
  15. Sailing by Rod Stewart
  16. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
  17. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon
  18. Better Than Blue by Michael Johnson
  19. Message of Love by The Pretenders
  20. Mr. Briefcase by Lee Ritenour
  21. Double Life by The Cars
  22. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins
  23. Looking for Clues by Robert Palmer

Music Video of the Day: Looking for Clues by Robert Palmer (1980, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1980, MTV premiered and played over 160 unique music videos in a 24 hour period.  The 22nd video that they played was the video for In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins.  This was followed by the video for Looking For Clues by Robert Palmer.

Robert Palmer was an artist who would later become famously and forever linked to MTV with his video for Addicted to Love.  Looking for Clues was the first Palmer video to air on MTV and it doesn’t feature the models who would later become famous for pretending to be Palmer’s backing band.  Instead, it features giant phones, giant letter blocks, and Robert Palmer looking for clues.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

  1. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles
  2. You Better Run by Pat Benatar
  3. She Won’t Dance With Me by Rod Stewart
  4. You Better You Bet By The Who
  5. Little Suzi’s On The Up by PH.D
  6. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard
  7. Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
  8. Time Heals by Todd Rundgren
  9. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon
  10. Rockin’ in Paradise by Styx
  11. When Things Go Wrong by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
  12. History Never Repeats by Split Enz
  13. Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
  14. Just Between You And Me by April Wine
  15. Sailing by Rod Stewart
  16. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
  17. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon
  18. Better Than Blue by Michael Johnson
  19. Message of Love by The Pretenders
  20. Mr. Briefcase by Lee Ritenour
  21. Double Life by The Cars
  22. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins

Music Video of the Day: Double Life by The Cars (1979, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1980, MTV premiered.  Over the course of its first broadcast day, it aired over 160 unique music videos.  That’s at least 160 more than they’re going to air today.  Yes, there was a time when the M in MTV truly did stand for Music.

The 21st vide that aired on that date was the performance clip from The Cars.  This was the first of many Cars videos to air on MTV.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

  1. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles
  2. You Better Run by Pat Benatar
  3. She Won’t Dance With Me by Rod Stewart
  4. You Better You Bet By The Who
  5. Little Suzi’s On The Up by PH.D
  6. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard
  7. Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
  8. Time Heals by Todd Rundgren
  9. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon
  10. Rockin’ in Paradise by Styx
  11. When Things Go Wrong by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
  12. History Never Repeats by Split Enz
  13. Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
  14. Just Between You And Me by April Wine
  15. Sailing by Rod Stewart
  16. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
  17. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon
  18. Better Than Blue by Michael Johnson
  19. Message of Love by The Pretenders
  20. Mr. Briefcase by Lee Ritenour

Music Video of the Day: Mr. Briefcase by Lee Ritenour (1981, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1980, MTV premiered and, over the course of 24 hours, played 166 individual music videos.  Some of those videos and songs are still remembered.  Others, like Lee Ritneour’s Mr. Briefcase, are more obscure.

Just because a song or a video isn’t well-known doesn’t mean that it’s not good, of course.  Mr. Briefcase has a killer bassline and a pretty good video.  I guess Mr. Briefcase and the suits in this video are meant to represent the record company execs who wanted Lee Ritenour to sell out.  The vocals here are by Eric Tagg.

This was the 20th music video to air on MTV.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

  1. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles
  2. You Better Run by Pat Benatar
  3. She Won’t Dance With Me by Rod Stewart
  4. You Better You Bet By The Who
  5. Little Suzi’s On The Up by PH.D
  6. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard
  7. Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
  8. Time Heals by Todd Rundgren
  9. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon
  10. Rockin’ in Paradise by Styx
  11. When Things Go Wrong by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
  12. History Never Repeats by Split Enz
  13. Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
  14. Just Between You And Me by April Wine
  15. Sailing by Rod Stewart
  16. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
  17. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon
  18. Better Than Blue by Michael Johnson
  19. Message of Love by The Pretenders

Music Video of the Day: Message of Love by The Pretenders (1981, directed by Mark Robinson)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1980, MTV premiered. On that day, they played over 160 unique music videos, which is certainly a contrast to today when they play none. The 19th video that MTV played was the video for The Pretenders’s Message of Love. While the video may ultimately be a performance clip, it still captures the unique aesthetic and sense of humor that won and continues to win The Pretenders a legion of loyal fans.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

  1. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles
  2. You Better Run by Pat Benatar
  3. She Won’t Dance With Me by Rod Stewart
  4. You Better You Bet By The Who
  5. Little Suzi’s On The Up by PH.D
  6. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard
  7. Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
  8. Time Heals by Todd Rundgren
  9. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon
  10. Rockin’ in Paradise by Styx
  11. When Things Go Wrong by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
  12. History Never Repeats by Split Enz
  13. Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
  14. Just Between You And Me by April Wine
  15. Sailing by Rod Stewart
  16. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
  17. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon
  18. Better Than Blue by Michael Johnson

Music Video of the Day: Bluer than Blue by Michael Johnson (1978, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

On August 1st, 1980, MTV premiered and played a total of 116 music videos over a 24 hour period.  The 18th video that they played was for Michael Johnson’s Bluer than Blue, which features the singer singing about a failing relationship in a blue-tinged house.

This was an early music video, made three years before MTV even premiered so it looks fairly primitive to modern eyes.  It’s still a step up from the performance clips that were used for most music videos during the late 70s.  It actually has a narrative, albeit a simple one.

Enjoy!

The First Videos Shown on MTV:

  1. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles
  2. You Better Run by Pat Benatar
  3. She Won’t Dance With Me by Rod Stewart
  4. You Better You Bet By The Who
  5. Little Suzi’s On The Up by PH.D
  6. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard
  7. Brass in Pocket by Pretenders
  8. Time Heals by Todd Rundgren
  9. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon
  10. Rockin’ in Paradise by Styx
  11. When Things Go Wrong by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
  12. History Never Repeats by Split Enz
  13. Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
  14. Just Between You And Me by April Wine
  15. Sailing by Rod Stewart
  16. Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
  17. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon