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MTV: The First Five

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Other than John asking Paul to join the Quarrymen, there is perhaps no bigger moment in music than August 1, 1981. It was the day MTV launched, and music videos were beamed directly into our living rooms. Before the network would turn into a waste zone for repeats of Ridiculousness, over-tanned kids from New Jersey, and teenagers who became famous by getting pregnant, MTV used to mean something. Here are the first five videos ever played on the channel.

Number 1: Video Killed the Radio Star

This was the perfect song to announce the new network of music videos. Written, recorded, and originally released in 1979 by the Buggles, the song was the first single off their album The Age of Plastic. The video was shot in 1979 for $50,000 and directed by Russell Mulcahy who would go on to direct such films as Highlander, Ricochet, and The Shadow. Try watching it again and see how the cheap futuristic/ sci-fi sets and costumes don’t really age well but keep a look out for Hans Zimmer in the background.

The song would do well internationally upon release but would only chart at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the recognition that would come with being the first video played on MTV would keep the track in the zeitgeist for the next 40 years, and rightfully so. Listen to the new wave song again and hear how melodic it is even though its message on the impact of modern technology might be dated.

The band would release a second album, Adventures in Modern Recording, in November 1981 but the first Buggles tour would not happen until 2023 when the group was the support act for Seal’s 30th anniversary tour.

 

Number 2: You Better Run

Originally a song by The Young Rascals in 1966, Pat Benatar’s cover was the first single off her 1980 Crimes of Passion album and would peak at 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would be her second single, “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” that would allow Benatar to crack the top 10 at number 9.

By today’s standards, the video directed by Nick Saxton is kind of boring with a performance by Benatar and her band in an abandoned warehouse but the song is a much more rocking version than the Young Rascals and still feels fresh. Benatar has not released a new studio album since 2003, but she still tours constantly with her husband (and guitarist) Neil Giraldo. And yes, “You Better Run” is a staple of those shows.

 

Number 3: She Won’t Dance with Me

On November 21, 1980, Rod Stewart released his tenth studio album, Foolish Behavior. There were five singles released from the album. None of them were “She Won’t Dance with Me”. Yet MTV still chose the song to be played as the third video on the channel. The white and black domino set is very dated as are the 80’s hairstyles and cheesy image overlapping effects employed by director Mike Mansfield (he also directed Elton John and Kiki Dee’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”) and with so many hits in his repertoire, it’s hard to imagine this track would pop up very often on tour.

Number 4: You Better You Bet

When you think of what MTV would become, you don’t think of classic rock bands like The Who. But their track off the album Face Dances was the fourth video played on the channel. The video is a fairly simple performance clip of the band with new drummer, Kenney Jones (following the death of Keith Moon). It was directed by John Crome and shot in black and white which weirdly seems to be the reason why it still holds up today.

The song was written for Pete Townsend’s girlfriend at the time and ended up reaching number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also was the first song released in 1981 to be played on MTV.

The Who would continue to tour for decades most recently completing a tour in 2023 where the song was featured in the setlist.

 

Number 5: Little Suzi’s on The Up

Finally, a video with a little more narrative to it. But be honest, when you read this you asked yourself, “Who is Ph.D?” They were a New Wave British group, and this track was the first song off their debut album from 1981. The album and the song never charted in the U.S. and the band would break up in the early 80’s.

Of the first five videos played on MTV, “Little Suzi’s on The Up” feels and reminds us most of the ’80s. Between the mindless lyrics, the synth sound, and the pointless narrative of a dance competition in the video this one screams “80s.”

The song would be covered a few years later by Tesla in 1986 and would hit number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100.

 

While the only tracks to stand the test of time in MTV’s first 5 are really “You Better You Bet” and “You Better Run”, they are remembered more for the songs themselves than the music videos that would help launch a network. It does seem ironic that these forgettable music videos were chosen to represent what at the time was just another cable network launch but would come to be known as such a historic moment in both pop culture and music history.

-Robert Matvan

Photo: Pat Benatar (Getty)

3 comments on “MTV: The First Five

  1. Andru Reeve

    Todd Rundgren’s “Time Heals” is somewhere in the first dozen songs/videos to air–right?

  2. briefly50378e5b87

    Interesting. Had never seen (or heard) that Rod song. And had forgotten all about Ph.D but immediately recognized Jim Diamond once it started. They had one big hit in the UK – “I won’t let you down.”

  3. Joseph Chimi

    I’m not sure of the time stamp, but there’s a moment in the You Better You Bet video where Pete messes up and goes to the mic to do his lip sync and it’s the wrong moment. When he gets to the right moment, he’s clearly amused by his own mistake.

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