At first I thought it was a joke, but it’s not. No more MTV Music Television.
Video didn’t kill the radio star – streaming did. The last vestiges of music video, worldwide, now gone.
MTV was must-see TV for decades. No house party was complete without it in the background. How many of us first encountered favorite music or grew to love a band because their music videos were so cool? And how many established stars reached new height and culture fame because of their videos? Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. (In fact any Michael Jackson video. I still get angry and sad that he’s gone.) Even Rick Astley, for heaven’s sake….people are still being Rickrolled.
TOP LISTS?
There are lots of lists about the top music videos of all time, like this one. It’s a fun walk – or dance – through time. There are a few videos that made me like the song so much that I couldn’t enjoy the song without the video – I literally can’t listen to the song without the video, like Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim, danced by Christopher Walken, at 58, the Coolest Guy ever.
Or the warm optimism and whimsy of Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel.
Other videos turbocharged an already great song, like Panama by Van Halen or Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper.
Of course there are plenty of other more somber music videos – Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt by Nine Inch Nails swapped Trent Reznor’s nihilism for a profound and moving reflection on time, aging, and choices. Even Trent said “It’s not my song anymore.” The sheer poetry of the video of REM”s Losing my Religion makes it more than a song about losing a lover. And even after all this time, I don’t like Mondays by the Boomtown Rats sends chills down my spine.
YOUR TURN
But that’s me. Which music videos do you miss? Which ones would you watch over and over? Share your faves in the comments!
Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; she writes frequently on Old School New York City and performs at open mic readings throughout New York City. Send Open Thread suggestions to editor@seniorplanet.org.
Photo: monticellllo – stock.adobe.com
