Category Archives: music video

Music Video of the Day: Couple Days Off by Huey Lewis and the News (1991, directed by Jim Yukich)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Everyone needs a couple of days off, even Huey Lewis and the News!

This song was the final single from Huey to chart in the Billboard Top 20.  For better or worse (I would say “better”), Huey Lewis and the News were the epitome of a mid 80s band.  They worked hard and they made videos that celebrated having a good time.  They were never as obnoxious or openly hedonistic as the hair bands of era but they were also out-of-place in the angst-filled 90s.  But while everyone else continues to pay thousands to see Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis and the News will always be the blue collar bar band for me.

This video was directed by Jim Yuckich, who has directed videos for everyone.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Dead Ringer For Love by Meat Loaf, featuring Cher (1981, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Today would have been Meat Loaf’s 75th birthday.  Though he may no longer be with us, his music will live forever and so will his music videos.

In Dead Ringer For Love, Meat Loaf plays an amiable lunkhead who realizes that there is more to life than just beer and hanging out with his buddies at the local bar.  There is also love and, in this song and video, the object of his affection is played by Cher.

Interestingly, this song was originally written for a sitcom called Delta House, which was an attempt to spin Animal House into a television series.  If John Belushi had not been available or willing to play Bluto in that classic comedy, Meat Loaf was the second choice for the role.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Reach Out For Me by Olivia Newton-John (1989, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Today would have been Olivia Newton-John’s 74th birthday.  Today’s music video of the day is for Newton-John’s cover of the song Reach Out For Me, which appeared on her fourteenth studio album, Warm and Tender.  As an album, Warm and Tender was a mix of cover turns and children’s lullabies.  That is a theme that is certainly present in this music video.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Chelsea Girl by Simple Minds (1979, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Today’s music video of the day is for Chelsea Girl by Simple Minds.  This video makes good use of animation and split screens.  Though the video actually pre-dates MTV by a year, it’s a good example of the type of videos that would eventually transform MTV into every teenager’s must-watch cable station in the 80s.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Arnold Layne by Pink Floyd (1967, directed by Derek Nice)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Pink Floyd released their first single and their first video in 1967.  This video for Arnold Layne was filmed in February of 1967 on a beach in West Sussex.  I can only guess how cold it must have been while they were filming.

The video, which features the band and a bunch of mannequins, shows that Pink Floyd had a surreal spirit from the beginning.  This video is also unique because all of the members of the band seem to be happy to be with each other for once.  This was filmed before Syd Barrett’s breakdown and long before Roger Waters and David Gilmour started suing each other.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: 68 Guns by The Alarm (1983, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

In a video that switches from black-and-white to color, the members of The Alarm are chased through London by the police.  Not surprisingly, both this song and the video were inspired by a book that the lead singer of the Alarm read about street gangs in Glasgow.

68 Guns would go on to become The Alarm’s highest-charting song in the UK, reaching the 17th position.  In the U.S., the song reached number #39 on the Hot Mainstream Rocks chart.  This was the band’s first song to appear on the charts in either nation.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Babe We’re Gonna Love Tonite by Lime (1982, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

There have actually been several different versions of the Canadian dance band Lime.  This song was by the original and best-known version of the band, featuring Denis and Denyse LePage.  This song reached number 6 on the Billboard Dance Chart and the video was briefly in heavy rotation on MTV.

The video may seem primitive by today’s standards but this was the cutting edge in 1982.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me) by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1981, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Today’s music video of the day is the video for A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me) by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  Tom Petty and the band spend much of the song performing in the shadows of his heartbreak but otherwise, this is a simple video.  Sometimes, a video doesn’t need a lot of gimmicks to be effective.

This song was one of Tom Petty’s most underrated, only reaching 79 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.  It deserved to go higher.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Misunderstanding by Genesis (1980, directed by Stuart Orme)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

In today’s music video of the day, Genesis takes ua on a tour of Los Angeles in 1980.  Technically, the video is actually about Phil Collins driving around the city and searching for his girlfriend but mostly, that was just an excuse to show off Los Angeles and to perhaps announce that the new, post-Peter Gabriel Genesis was ready to conquer Hollywood.

According to Tony Banks, this song was meant to serve as an homage to the Beach Boys.  That probably explains Phil’s Hawaiian shirt.

This video was directed by Stuart Orme, who directed several videos for both Genesis as a group and Phil Collins as a solo act.

Enjoy!