Author Topic: MTV in the 80s Song of the Day (Read 313238 times)

DebraKadabra · « **Reply #1470 on:** October 12, 2012, 04:11:40 PM »

Quote from: KevShmev on October 12, 2012, 09:35:08 AM

George Harrison - Got My Mind Set on You

I remember how much my parents loved this song when it came out; I liked it a lot, too. The video was a stitch, featuring the middle section where Harrison dances around and does a backflip, but even at the age of 14, it was oh so obvious that it was a stunt double doing all of that, not Harrison himself. For one, the stunt double had much thicker hair. But anyway, good toe-tapping tune.

LOVE

Actually, the whole Cloud Nine album is quite stellar.

KevShmev · « **Reply #1471 on:** October 13, 2012, 12:50:50 PM »

I gotta admit, the only songs I know from Cloud Nine are Got My Mind Set on You and When We Was Fab, the latter of which I like a lot as well.

Glenn Frey - Smuggler's Blues

Hands down, one of my favorite 80s videos back in my childhood. I think it still holds up well, and would still call it a favorite. Really good song, too. Looking back on the video, it apparently helped inspire the Miami Vice television show, but I gotta think Scarface was an inspiration on the video itself.

Orbert · « **Reply #1472 on:** October 13, 2012, 03:40:35 PM »

I like this song. A song that has the feel of an action movie. "I'm sorry it went down like this; somebody had to lose."

DebraKadabra · « **Reply #1473 on:** October 13, 2012, 03:41:43 PM »

I dig the hell out of Smuggler's Blues - I remember it being on the MV soundtrack too.

Quote from: KevShmev on October 13, 2012, 12:50:50 PM

I gotta admit, the only songs I know from Cloud Nine are Got My Mind Set on You and When We Was Fab, the latter of which I like a lot as well.

When We Was Fab is awesome too

Jeff Lynne (ELO, Travelling Wilburys) did an excellent job producing the Cloud Nine album - you should really check out the rest of it.

Orbert · « **Reply #1474 on:** October 13, 2012, 04:02:58 PM »

I like "When We Was Fab" a lot more than "Got My Mind Set On You". That violin line with the diminished chords (you know the one) sounds like something out of a Beatles song, a real Harrison trademark. Jeff Lynne is a huge Beatles fan and saw ELO as picking up where The Beatles left off, or at least picking up one part of what they were doing. If you listen to the first couple of ELO albums, you can hear it.

DebraKadabra · « **Reply #1475 on:** October 13, 2012, 04:10:30 PM »

Jeff freely admits that ELO was a Beatles rip-off band.

I didn't mind, as I love The Beatles (have ever since I can remember) and the whole mix of dramatic orchestral music with rock and roll just hit me in the right way growing up. Now... their later, more poppy output (after Out Of The Blue) was a bit hit and miss, as I really dig the more proggy sounding of their albums (going backwards from OOTB).

Quote from: Orbert on October 13, 2012, 04:02:58 PM

That violin line with the diminished chords (you know the one) sounds like something out of a Beatles song, a real Harrison trademark.

I know exactly what you're talking about.

Orbert · « **Reply #1476 on:** October 13, 2012, 04:32:44 PM »

KevShmev · « **Reply #1477 on:** October 15, 2012, 09:44:21 AM »

ZZ Top - Legs

Probably one of THE definitive 80s videos, it featured the Eliminator Car, the Eliminator girls and the type of video that was so symbolic of the 80s: story-driven, fun and a little funny. Plus, the pacing of the video matches the pace of the song perfectly; great job by the director in that regard. Really good song, too.

Orbert · « **Reply #1478 on:** October 15, 2012, 09:59:57 AM »

Agreed on all counts. ZZ Top's "three hot babes" series of videos were great. ZZ Top really knew how to use the video format, and I'm sure they sold tons of records. Heck, I almost bought some, that's how good they were.

Jaq · « **Reply #1479 on:** October 15, 2012, 12:10:37 PM »

ZZ Top, at least for those three videos/one album, managed to update themselves for the 80s musically without changing their personal image, while making videos designed to grab your attention if you were in that 18-25 demographic. A pretty neat trick all around for a Texas boogie rock band that was one of the stalwarts of the 70s scene. A lot of 70s rock acts didn't pull this stunt off at all, but ZZ Top did with flying colors.

SystematicThought · « **Reply #1480 on:** October 15, 2012, 01:02:05 PM »

That's a great song. I haven't checked out their new album yet. The Texicali EP didn't do much for me though

King Postwhore · « **Reply #1481 on:** October 15, 2012, 06:00:07 PM »

Man I loved that video and no joke, those legs were unreal on those 3 girls. Meow.

KevShmev · « **Reply #1482 on:** October 16, 2012, 10:10:37 AM »

The Human League - (Keep Feeling) Fascination

An oddly catchy song, but still a good one. I remember my dad being a big fan of the song and the video. The video itself doesn't have much to it, other than the band in a small room playing and singing the song, but it does a good job of rotating from band member to band member, which really works given how many band members sing in the song. Gives it a better feel than watching a video with a band playing where just one person sings.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #1483 on:** October 16, 2012, 10:52:40 AM »

I just saw them doing this song live on the HD music channel for some 80's revival concert in England. Man the lead singer is creepy.

Jaq · « **Reply #1484 on:** October 16, 2012, 11:01:51 AM »

I always thought of this song as being the perfect blueprint for making sure that a band that had a hit would do its level best to make certain that would never happen again.

"Okay, let's base this song on the most annoying, repetitious riff that mankind can think of! Let's have a large majority of the song sung by people who had nothing to do with our big hit! Let's pretty much annoy the fuck out of the people who just bought our hit and have never heard anything else by us!"

While they did go on to have another hit with Human a few years later, this song and album killed the band fucking DEAD for a while in America.

DebraKadabra · « **Reply #1485 on:** October 16, 2012, 11:39:51 AM »

Quote from: KevShmev on October 15, 2012, 09:44:21 AM

ZZ Top - Legs

Cool video, but I always liked Sharp Dressed Man better - better song and all.

Quote from: SystematicThought on October 15, 2012, 01:02:05 PM

I haven't checked out their new album yet.

Don't know how you feel about Rick Rubin at all, but IMO you're better off sticking with older ZZ Top.

Quote from: KevShmev on October 16, 2012, 10:10:37 AM

The Human League - (Keep Feeling) Fascination

Next...

jingle.boy · « **Reply #1486 on:** October 16, 2012, 11:46:16 AM »

DebraKadabra · « **Reply #1487 on:** October 16, 2012, 11:47:38 AM »

KevShmev · « **Reply #1488 on:** October 16, 2012, 12:26:09 PM »

Okay...

Pat Benatar - We Belong

I didn't like this song at all when it was big in 1984, partly because I fond the video really annoying for some reason, but I kind of like it now.

Orbert · « **Reply #1489 on:** October 16, 2012, 12:29:58 PM »

I basically like most of Pat's rocking songs, and the slow ones and/or ones with political messages generally make me want to puke. This one's in the second category so

TAC · « **Reply #1490 on:** October 16, 2012, 12:34:57 PM »

This is when Pat Benetar jumped the shark. I mean I think this was successful for her, but for me, I was done.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #1491 on:** October 16, 2012, 12:48:11 PM »

A bit like TAC when she went soft but I tought she rebounded well with 7 The Hard Way. Not a rocking album but it was so different at the time I liked it.

I don't mind the song now at all but the rest of the album is poor.

DebraKadabra · « **Reply #1492 on:** October 16, 2012, 01:24:58 PM »

Next...

Jaq · « **Reply #1493 on:** October 16, 2012, 03:49:50 PM »

Quote from: DebraKadabra on October 16, 2012, 01:24:58 PM

Next...

KevShmev · « **Reply #1494 on:** October 16, 2012, 11:50:35 PM »

Damn it.

John Parr - St. Elmo's Fire

I remember, as a kid, thinking this song had the greatest, most powerful chorus ever. In retrospect, that seems like an absurd thought, but it is still an awfully good chorus, and the rest of the song, reeking of the 80s, is quite enjoyable. I have never seen the movie, however.

Jaq · « **Reply #1495 on:** October 16, 2012, 11:57:16 PM »

Isn't this another David Foster "No Humans Were Harmed Or Even Used In The Recording of this Song" sound track songs?

Reminds me of an old Doonesbury comic where the strips folk singer character went to the studio to be produced by David Foster and every single aspect of his needs musically was answered by Foster by describing some computerized wonder that replaced actual musicians. The singer finally says "Hey, about my vocals?" and Foster says "I got it covered."

jingle.boy · « **Reply #1496 on:** October 17, 2012, 06:11:03 AM »

Was never a huge fan of Benetar's. Always liked her radio hits, which this was one.

St. Elmo's Fire ... Very groovy, love the piano. Since I was taking piano lessons back then, this was a tune that appealed to me. Still like it to is day.

wolfking · « **Reply #1497 on:** October 17, 2012, 06:14:05 AM »

Quote from: KevShmev on October 16, 2012, 11:50:35 PM

Damn it.

John Parr - St. Elmo's Fire

I remember, as a kid, thinking this song had the greatest, most powerful chorus ever. In retrospect, that seems like an absurd thought, but it is still an awfully good chorus, and the rest of the song, reeking of the 80s, is quite enjoyable. I have never seen the movie, however.

Always loved this track, great voice.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #1498 on:** October 17, 2012, 06:18:51 AM »

Weird Kev. On the same concert I talked about with The Human League, John parr played and they showed that song. I'm not joking when I tell you he looks the same and had the same hair style from the era nd the video for SEF.

Good song but I never would have bought it. But that's ok, MTV played the crap out of it.

TAC · « **Reply #1499 on:** October 17, 2012, 06:27:38 AM »

I honestly cannot remember how this song goes.

Was Naughty Naughty not available?

DebraKadabra · « **Reply #1500 on:** October 17, 2012, 05:46:37 PM »

Quote from: KevShmev on October 16, 2012, 11:50:35 PM

John Parr - St. Elmo's Fire

Liked Naughty Naughty better. Neeeext...

jjrock88 · « **Reply #1501 on:** October 17, 2012, 07:38:04 PM »

decent track, pure 80's

KevShmev · « **Reply #1502 on:** October 18, 2012, 10:14:25 AM »

Madonna - Borderline

This was the first Madonna song I liked a lot. She had three hits from her self-titled 1983 album, and all got heavy airplay, but this was the only one I really liked a lot. Good video, too, that showed even early on how creative she could be with videos. The various looks and styles she had in the video was nothing compared to what would later come from the material girl.

DebraKadabra · « **Reply #1503 on:** October 18, 2012, 11:38:13 AM »

The earlier with Madge, the better IMO - this does include Borderline, although my favorite from that album is Lucky Star.

KevShmev · « **Reply #1504 on:** October 19, 2012, 09:19:23 AM »

The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter

Good cover of a Simon & Garfunkel, albeit quite different. I love how the video matches the fast pace of the song, and the movie shots from Less Than Zero work perfectly in it, too.

News: Track-by-track video for Untethered Angel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Co1_h0GtAw

Author Topic: MTV in the 80s Song of the Day (Read 313238 times)