In partnership with AGD Beer
All good days start with AGD Beer and Long Weekends

When you think MTV in the ’80s, what music videos do you see? Probably A-ha’s animated “Take on Me”, or Rick Astley’s killer dance moves in “Never Gonna Give You Up”. Surprisingly enough, neither of these videos made the top 10 in MTV’s countdown of the top 100 music videos of the 1980s (which aired in November, 1989). Take a trip down memory lane with us as we count ’em down for your viewing and listening pleasure!

 

10) Genesis – Land of Confusion (1986)

One word; Puppets! Some say it’s creepy. Some say it’s brilliant. Lots say it’s controversial. The video itself is not so relevant to the world today but was dubbed quite controversial in the ’80s. The song lyrics still ring true 35 years later.

9) INXS – Need You Tonight/Mediate (1987)

We personally think this one is cheating! Two music videos in one, “Need You Tonight” which segues into “Mediate” both from their most successful album “Kick”. These guys started the trend of flipping through flash cards to tell a story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSjZtSXjFN4

8) Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A (1984)

Americans love to sing about how great they are, which is what most people think this anthem is about. The lesser known truth behind the lyrics could be surprising to some. The song is actually about a Vietnam War veteran who returns home to desperate circumstances and few options. The video portrays that much better.

7) Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine (1988)

You may not think this video is worthy. In fact, it’s pretty “plain Jane” as far as music videos go. HOWEVER, GNR’s “Sweet Child O’ Mine” has surpassed 1 BILLION views on Youtube, making it the first music video from the 1980’s to ever do so! So, there must be something to like about it! What do you think?

 

6) ZZ Top – Legs (1984)

This video was very popular! Feminist groups criticized the song for objectifying women. Even with the song being protested, the “Legs” music video became a staple on MTV, which was only in it’s third year as a network at the time!

5) Bon Jovi – Wanted Dead or Alive (1987)

Starting with their first album in 1984, Bon Jovi played 300 shows a year! When it came time to write their third album, “Slippery When Wet”, to which this song resides, they wrote “Wanted Dead or Alive” about what they knew: playing for tons of people that all blended together after a while. This was also the song that kicked off the Unplugged craze.

4) Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me, Version 2 (1988)

This is the second video for this song, which is just the band performing it live. You can’t get much simpler than that! Great song, great video! Need we say more?

3) Dire Straits – Money For Nothing (1985)

This video was widely considered to be the first instance of CGI on MTV and to no surprise, became a smash hit. The video earned 11 nominations and 2 awards at the third ever Video Music Awards. Funny, that the song itself is poking fun at MTV music videos!

2) Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer (1986)

This video was a smash hit and you can see why. Peter Gabriel lay under a sheet of glass for, get this, 16 HOURS in order to film this video one frame at a time! He stated in an interview, “If anyone wants to try and copy this video, good luck to them!” To this day, “Sledgehammer” holds the record for most awards won by a single video, with 9 total!

1) Michael Jackson – Thriller (1983)

To no surprise, Michael Jackson’s video “Thriller” takes the number 1 spot! The nearly 14-minute-long musical horror film has been viewed over 750 million times on YouTube! It cost half a million dollars to make, which, at the time, was the most expensive video ever made. The opening title card (“Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult”) was inserted due to Jackson’s Jehovah’s Witness faith.

Song and video facts courtesy of Wikipedia, songfacts.com, Rolling Stone, IMDB.

Music videos courtesy YouTube.

Countdown courtesy IMDB.

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)