The Beijing Olympics has been all over the news lately. In fact, it has practically dominated the global news spotlight that not even a shooting war that has erupted between the former Soviet republic of Georgia and its bully-of-a-neighbor Russia could nudge it from the headlines. Anyway, as a result of these two major events, August 1 went by quietly last week with hardly anybody noticing a little milestone. On that date, the music channel MTV quietly marked its 27th anniversary.
It was on August 1, 1981 when MTV made its debut to a new generation of music lovers. It was an immediate success. It revolutionized the music industry and spawned successful sister music channels such as VH1 and CMT (Country Music Television).
The following is the music video that holds the distinction as the first ever to be played on MTV:
The song is called "Video Killed the Radio Star" and was performed by a British New Wave band called the Buggles. The song was written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley before the band was formed. However by the time the Buggles as a band came into existence, only Messr. Horn and Downes remained. Mr. Woolley was no longer with his two songwriting partners by then, having decided to pursue his own music interests.
Mr. Horn did the vocals and played bass guitar on the song while Mr. Downes played the keyboards. Two ladies, Debbie Doss and Linda Jardim, provided the backup vocals.
The song was no longer new by the time MTV made its debut in 1981. The song was originally released in October 1979 and became an immediate number one hit in the United Kingdom. Although the song got a lot of airplay and gained quite a bit of following in the United States, its sales were not strong enough to crack the Billboard Top 40.
Given the song's title, one could say that the folks at MTV were quite cocky but prescient when they decided to use it as their debut music video. At the dawn of MTV, no one could have predicted save for the visionaries at MTV that the music channel would revolutionize the music industry. It provided a new channel (no pun intended) for music artists, old and new, to be introduced to music fans.
I was already a freshman in college when I got introduced to the music videos shown on MTV. At the time, cable television was pretty much non-existent in the Philippines. People's television sets were powered by antennas then and thus, tv programming was obtained from the five Filipino TV networks that were in operation (or were allowed to operate by the Marcos Dictatorship) at the time namely, BBC 2 and RPN-9 (both stations operated by the Benedicto family), PTV-4 (operated by the government), GMA-7 (owned by Menardo Gimenez), and IBC-13 (also government-operated).
There were hour-long television shows then that featured the latest MTV videos. It was through those music video shows where I first saw new and rising recording stars such as Madonna, Duran Duran, Boy George and the Culture Club, Tears For Fears, and Wham among many others. Unfortunately, my memory is failing me at the moment for I can't recall what those shows were. Sigh. Can anybody recall what they were?
As a group, the Buggles were a one hit wonder. However, members of the band, specifically Mr. Horn, found success afterwards as a record producer for acts such as Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Lisa Stansfield, Yes, China Crisis, LeAnn Rimes, and Seal. Mr. Horn was also a co-writer of Seal's hit "Kiss By A Rose".
Let me leave you then with the lyrics of the song that helped usher in a music channel that forever changed the music industry.
I heard you on the wireless back in Fifty Two
Lying awake intent at tuning in on you.
If I was young it didn't stop you coming through.
Oh-a oh
They took the credit for your second symphony.
Rewritten by machine and new technology,
and now I understand the problems you can see.
Oh-a oh
I met your children
Oh-a oh
What did you tell them?
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
Pictures came and broke your heart.
Oh-a-a-a oh
And now we meet in an abandoned studio.
We hear the playback and it seems so long ago.
And you remember the jingles used to go.
Oh-a oh
You were the first one.
Oh-a oh
You were the last one.
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
In my mind and in my car, we can't rewind we've gone to far
Oh-a-aho oh,
Oh-a-aho oh
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
In my mind and in my car, we can't rewind we've gone to far.
Pictures came and broke your heart, put the blame on VTR.
You are a radio star.
You are a radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
53 responses:
I'm embarrassed to admit that the first time I ever watched MTV was in 2001 and only because a niece was watching it. This is quite an interesting backgrounder for me. Thanks!
and then i read somewhere that its the Beatles actually who started music videos... with all those videos they did (Help comes to mind) before... before, music videos were just videos of artists performing, but it was the Beatles who presented stories and interpretations (however SOC) to the music...
I agree with Mec, while MTV DID officially usher in the age of music television, it was the fab four who inadvertently (or was it accidentally?) produced the first-ever music videos through their films "A Hard Days night" and "Help". They further elevated it by using psychedelic animation in 1968 with "Yellow Submarine". MTV's founders had stumbled on the idea and the rest is, well... music history.
hi buddy! how r u? thanks for sharing the first video ever played on the MTV!
have a great Tuesday!
i didnt know this. thanks panaderos. this song was also revived by the PUSA.
hehe. i became familiar with MTV only in 1995. ang jologs ko, ano? thanks for the info. i didn't know this was the first song played there.
tuwang tuwa yung barkada ko nung pinakinggan namin kanina toh!akalain mong una pala tong video..di ko alam yun,at di ko napapansin..yung You tube ba kelan nagsimula?..ayan tuloy aware nako sa mga simmula.hirap maiwan sa ganito.minsan para akong lagi nahuhuli..he he he.sampung palakpak para sa kaalamang ito pards.:)
Bugsybee,
You're welcome. :)
wow, so this is the first video ever aired by MTV! what a wicked choice!:D i can't recall the MTV shows i watched in 1982 but i remember dancing in front of the TV set, the walis-tambo as my guitar, imitating Rick Springfield's Jessie's Girl or Love Somebody (hahaha).
Mec,
You're right. The Beatles did help pioneer the music video for aside from their two films "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!", they also did videos for Britain's Granada TV in 1965 and 1966 to promote their songs. They did those videos because due to their busy recording and concert schedule, they did not have the time to make the rounds of the various television programs. Thus, they resorted to videos or "promotional clips" as they were called then and distributed to those to tv stations in Europe and the US just to maintain a level of visibility with their fans.
Rudy,
So true, Pards. I remember back in the 1970s when music videos of artists such as Alice Cooper, The Knack, Bob Welch, Air Supply, and the Bee Gees were shown on tv. The folks who started MTV simply came up with the idea of starting a music channel devoted to showing all such music videos.
Fingertalks,
Thank you! Have a good one too. Take care. :)
Dong,
You're welcome, Pards. I heard PUSA's version on the Adam Sandler movie The Wedding Singer. I like that version too. :)
Atticus,
Oks lang iyon. You're welcome. Don't be harsh on yourself naman. Hindi ka jologs! Ok? You don't need rehab. :)
Ever,
Walang anuman, Pards. Salamat din sa papuri. :)
Luna Miranda,
Buti ka pa may walis-tambo. Ako "air guitar" lang. Hehehe
Great piece of trivia ! They might ask this question in Jeopardy hehe :)
BW,
Hahahaha They certainly might. :)
there seems to be a hiccup somewhere, mr baker. i put in a comment earlier in the day and i did not get any error msg, but its not here. well....
great post. my fave video in the day was careless whisper. very romantic kasi.
Photo Cache,
Yes, there seems to be a blogger lately. I've received feedback from other readers too regarding problems posting their comments.
Anyway, I enjoyed listening to George Michael's songs too during his "pre-gay" days. Hehehe Careless Whispers was one of those songs of his that I liked. The others were from his Wham! days such as Freedom.
hope we'll have Filipino athletes excel in their field at the Beijing olympics.
I used to be an MTV addict when I was in college. Because of it I got updated with what's latest in the music industry. Now, our MTV channel is not getting a good signal and i lost interest. I am no longer updated to it.
to this day, the image of muscle-less Madonna slithering on the stairs with her "Like a Virgin" video sticks like kulangot in my brain, hehehehe...
video killed the radio star indeed
in much the same way that counterstrike killed komiks heheh
I had always known we were of the same generation!
I attended our HS homecoming last year and felt really old when the DJ/emcee (obviously from the 21st century) introduced 80s music as "oldies" music. Gosh! Isn't that what we called 60s music in our day?
Nyl,
The sad thing too about MTV is that it has veered away from showing music videos and now focuses on reality tv. As a result of that shift, I no longer watch this channel. I've shifted to VH1 for I find their programming a lot more interesting.
Miki,
Hahaha Naalala ko pa nga iyong mga videos ni Madonna especially Material Girl, Like A Virgin, and Like A Prayer. In my personal opinion, the 80s was the period when she was at her best musically.
Wow, Counterstrike killed the komiks industry pala. :(
MegaMom,
Hahaha I remember a co-worker who is in her 20s telling me how she loves those "classic" movies from the 1980s. Waaah!! :D
Like you, for me oldies music and classic movies are those from the 60s and earlier. Hehehe Ouch!
Wow you did your research :D Galing talaga!
Hi Aline,
Kumusta na? Thanks! :)
Panaderos, I remember being on a school bus listening to kikds (age 10.... 11?) when they were talking about "cable" television, and this thing called MTV.
I think it fascinating to know that this piece of history comes to me by way of you. I am tickled, no longer saddened to realize how much time has passed...
I am now getting notices for my 20 year high school reunion... We all look so old!
Keith,
Thanks. I've been getting those reunion invitations lately too. The only invitation I haven't gotten yet is from the AARP! Hahaha :D
Take care, Keith. :)
i used to watch mtv back in the 80s. my personal faves were madonna, debbie gibson and the new wave artists.
aside from mtv, there was america's top ten by casey kasem. remember the show?
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Panaderos, I remember when kids spoke of how they 'loved' the Buggles. I only later came to realize knew the song.
This is quite an informative post. I actually remember hearing that song on the radio non stop since we were still residing in Europe during that era. My earlier memories of MTV are videos of Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Tears for Fears. REO Speedwagon and REM. hehe :D
classic. lol.
hindi ko nga alam lahat ng sinabo mo eh. ni hindi pa nga yata ako pinapanganak o kaya nakadiaper pa ko nun.
hahaha the olympics can't be blamed for this... hahaha andun kaya si Micheal Phelps!! hehehe
Mari,
Thanks for the info. America's Top Tem was indeed one of those shows where music videos were shown.
Keith,
The band's music was nice but unfortunately, the band's existence was rather short. Trevor Horn, the band's leader I presume, gained further success later as a record producer.
Daphne,
I guess I'm a bit biased but I also think that the music videos during the 80s in general were better produced than a lot of the ones that are coming out lately.
"video killed the radio star" -->i love this song!
Prinsesamusang,
Aray! Ang sakit! Hahaha
Neuroticsister,
Michael Phelps is breaking records for most gold medals. Although his performance has been impressive, I don't count myself as a big fan. Some US reporters have gone overboard in my opinion by saying that he is the greatest Olympian of all time. That is quite debatable I think because it fails to consider a host of other factors such as the quality of training (access to "power" drinks and exercise equipment), the quality of the competition, etc.
Pennylane,
I like that song too. I find it catchy. :)
When I was a young boy, I used to see The Beatles doing a song or two on tv. It's not called MTV but it's practically the same thing. I don't know if you remember but during the 70's I use to watch a show called "In Concert". It showcased various talents, sometimes featuring one band, other times more than two. I saw a lot of acts there like Savoy Brown, Chuck Berry and other big name stars.
Rolly,
Kumusta na? Glad to see you're back. Unfortunately, hindi ko na inabutan iyong "In Concert". Except for Beatles tunes, I wasn't really into other musical forms and musicians yet at that point.
Must have been a cool show to watch.
wow! thanks for sharing sir.
i loved that since i first heard it on the radio back in the days.
i never knew that the music vid was mtv's 1st!
astig!
Bulitas,
Thank you very much for the compliment and for the visit. Much appreciated! :)
Time sure flies. I had some friends who worked at MTV at that time. I, too, was part of MTV's first music awards telecast.
That song got a lot of airplay, but at that time, I loved the B52s and Devo a lot more. I love the New Wave era!
Thanks for this feature!
Cheers!
Eric
Eric,
Wow. I didn't know that you were involved in the first MTV music awards. You probably worked at MTV's studios over at Times Square. That's cool! :)
I enjoyed the music of both bands. Enjoyed Devo's Whip It so much that I still play the song every once in a while.
The MTV studio at 1515 Broadway was only created about a decade ago. Its original studio setting was on West 57th Street, a huge soundstage that MTV rented, near the old Red Parrot Club, while its offices were scattered all over the city. The one I used to go to often was in 1776 Broadway corner 57th Street.
I should also mention that any artist included in MTV's regular rotation was guaranteed stardom. It's influence in the industry at that time was rather mind-boggling!
BTW, there wasn't a show in Manhattan by both Devo and the B5s that I didn't see. They were so much fun!
But what was weird was running into Fred Schneider (front man of B5s) during the '90s at the Red Apple grocery store near where I lived. He seemed such a normal middle-aged guy doing his daily chores ... hahaha.
On the other hand, Jerry Casale of Devo pursued his interest in art, and has become good friends with my best friend.
Eric,
MTV's influence during the 80s and 90s was indeed tremendous. It was the ticket to stardom for many up-and-coming artists.
Thanks for the info about MTV's offices on Broadway. I always see large crowds made up mostly of teenagers milling around that building whenever I'm in the area.
B-52's Rock Lobster became a huge hit when I was in my teens. It was around the same time that Devo came up with their hit tune Whip It.
I agree with you regarding Fred Schneider. Take away the guitar, the costumes, and the band and he certainly looks like your average neighbor. (White neighbor, that is. Hehehe)
As for Devo, aside from Jerry Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh has become active in writing songs for television. In fact, on one of MTV's tv networks, Nickelodeon, he wrote the themes for several cartoon shows. Truly a talented bunch of guys.
Thanks for the additional info, Eric. Much appreciated. :)
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