Episode 2: We Wanted Our MTV!

PLAY LIST

1. Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles (1979)

2. Rio by Duran Duran (1982)

3. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson (1982)

4. Like a Virgin by Madonna (1983)

5. Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top (1983)

SHOW NOTES

It is difficult to overstate the impact of MTV on popular music and culture in the 1980s. This episode discusses how the cable music channel impacted how music was made, consumed, and marketed. The reach of MTV was evident from the beginning, as “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles created an American interest in a band that radio virtually ignored. This progressed to artists being forced to consider their visual brand as well as their music, while record companies poured hundreds of thousands — and later, millions — of dollars into videos. A glaring problem for MTV in its first two years was its refusal to play videos by African American artists, arguing that their music was not “rock.” It was very much the same attitude of FM radio programmers, who were going to great lengths to avoid any association with disco and drew a hard line between “white rock” and “black R&B.” Michael Jackson will change that, whether MTV wanted to change or not.

Even if you never watched MTV, it had an effect of your entertainment habits and dollars. MTV influenced the music that was played on the radio, how movies were promoted (think “Top Gun” and “Footloose”), and fashion. While some of the videos may seem silly now and MTV eventually morphed into a reality show network, much of the music it featured has withstood the test of time. That alone makes MTV’s legacy secure.

SOURCES

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