Music Video of the Day: And The Beat Goes On by The Whispers (1979, directed by ????)


The Whispers were first formed 1964 but they had to wait 16 years before scoring the first top 20 hit in both the U.S. and the UK with And The Beat Goes On.  This song was co-written by Leon F. Sylvers III, Stephen Shockley, and William Shelby.  Sylvers felt that the song had little potential to be a hit.  The Whisperers felt differently and they turned out to be correct.  This song was both a hit and it lived on as a part of the Vice City soundtrack.

As befits an old school song, this is an old school video, a simple performance clip of the band doing what they did best.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2 (1983, directed by Gavin Taylor)


This video was shot at Red Rocks in Denver, Colorado during U2’s tour supporting War. When they were a young group and before Bono’s messianic tendencies got the better of him, U2 were a rocking band who were responsible for some of the best songs of the 80s.  Sunday Bloody Sunday was one of their signature songs and this video captures them at their best.

The song is meant to be a condemnation of the atrocities committed by both sides during The Troubles.

Enjoy!

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


Huey Lewis and the News were the epitome of a mid 1980s 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: Rock ‘N’ Roll Star by Oasis (1995, directed by Nigel Dick)


This song is the epitome of Oasis.

The video was filmed at the band’s Live By The Sea gig at Southend-on-Sea while the off-stage scene were filmed at Southend Pier,.  Anyone who has ever been a rock ‘n’ roll star has been directed at least once by Nigel Dick.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Send Her My Love by Journey (1983, directed by Phil Tuckett)


 Like so many of Journey’ videos (with the notable exception of Separate Ways), the video for Send Her My Love is a no-nonsense performance clip.  This video was directed by Phil Tuckett, who also directed videos for Slayer, Def Leppard, Europe, The Black Crowes, and others.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Year: Can’t Turn Back The Years by Phil Collins (1994, directed by Jim Yukich)


 This music video was directed by Jim Yukich, who is one of those directors who seems to have directed a video for everyone.  If you have ever had a hit song or top-selling album, Jim Yukich probably directed a music video for you.  He directed a lot of videos for both Genesis and Phil Collins as a solo act.  But Yukich also directed videos for everyone from Iron Maiden to David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Huey Lewis, and David Hasselhoff.  Going for Maiden to Hasselhoff, that’s a journey!

This song received lukewarm reviews when it was first released but, as is this case with much of Collins’s work, it has since been favorably reevaluated.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Kickstart My Heart by Mötley Crüe (1989, directed by Wayne Isham)


Today’s music video of the day was filmed at Hollywood’s famed Whisky a Go Go, while Mötley Crüe was preparing to embark on their tour promoting Dr. Feelgood.  In the 80s, you knew you had made it big if Sam Kinison was your chauffeur.

This video was directed by Wayne Isham, who directed videos for practically everyone.  Everyone who was anyone in the music biz worked with Wayne Isham at least once.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Hold Me Now by Thompson Twins (1983, directed by Rupert James)


Today’s music video of the day is for a song that epitomizes the 80s for a lot of people.  I don’t know how many John Hughes’s film featured Hold Me Now but it seems like everyone one of them should have.  This was not only the group’s first big hit but the video was a popular one in the early years of MTV.  This was one of those videos that proved that even a performance clip could be more than just a video of the band on stage.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Rock ‘N’ Roll Doctor by Black Sabbath (1976, directed by ????)


I have no idea who directed this or where it was filmed.  The Black Sabbath YouTube channel lists this as being the official music video for Rock ‘N’ Roll Heaven and the IMDb says that the video was released in 1976 so that’s what I’m going with.  I’m going to assume that this video was filmed at one of the American stops during the first part of the Technical Ecstasy Tour.

Like most 70s music videos, this is a pretty basic performance clip.  The video lets the band do the talking, as it were.

Enjoy!