Best 1980s Music Video
While films had been made to promote music dating back to at least the 1960s, the music video became a fixture of pop culture in the 1980s. Accelerated by the birth of MTV, MuchMusic, and VH1, music videos in the 80s experienced extraordinary growth in both popularity and artistic creativity. The decade would produce countless iconic music videos, giving renowned artists a second shot at relevancy, launching a whole new wave of aesthetically minded pop stars, and providing unlikely artists a shot at ubiquity with wild conceptual videos. So join the Great Pop Culture Debate as we attempt to name the Best 1980s Music Video!
Videos discussed: “Take On Me” by A-HA!; “Thriller” by Michael Jackson; “Like a Prayer” by Madonna”; “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel; “Love Shack” by The B-52s; “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer; “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper; “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon; “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits; “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran; “When Doves Cry” by Prince; “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles; “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)” by Beastie Boys; “Faith” by George Michael; “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitey Houston; “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler
Join host Eric Rezsnyak and panelists Derek Mekita, John Higgins, and Kate Racculia as they discuss and debate 16 of the most iconic music videos that defined 80s airwaves.
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Round 1 Match-Ups:
Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!
Match-Up 1: “Take On Me” by A-Ha! (1) vs. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler (4)
Match-Up 2: “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits (3) vs. “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon (2)
Match-Up 3: “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel (1) vs. “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)” by Beastie Boys (4)
Match-Up 4: “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles (3) vs. “Love Shack” by The B-52s (2)
Match-Up 5: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson (1) vs. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston (4)
Match-Up 6: “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran (3) vs. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper (2)
Match-Up 7: “Like a Prayer” by Madonna (1) vs. “Faith” by George Michael (4)
Match-Up 8: “When Doves Cry” by Prince (3) vs. “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer (2)
Want to play along at home?
Download theListener Bracketand see if your picks match up with ours!
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Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panelists: Derek Mekita, John Higgins, Kate Racculia
Producer: Bob Erlenback
Editor: Bob Erlenback
Theme Music: “Dance to My Tune” by Marc Torch
