It’s been a while since MTV decided to shift its focus away from distributing iconic music videos. Regardless, it’s hard not to acknowledge the impact that those videos have had on pop culture today. Here are three that helped turn MTV into a household name, but also made statements at the same time.
“Video Killed The Radio Star”
This song by The Buggles, originally released in 1979, ended up being MTV’s first-ever video in 1981. The song literally talks about the transition from radio to video in popular media, so this choice made sense.
“It made an aspirational statement,” Bob Pittman, who cofounded MTV, explained. “[MTV] didn’t expect to be competitive with radio, but it was certainly a sea-change kind of video.”
“Thriller”
If we’re gonna look at iconic videos, we have to look at the most famous of them all. In October 1983, almost a year after Michael Jackson released the Thriller album, the King of Pop got to work on set with director John Landis. The result of this collaboration was a video nearly 14 minutes in length. “Thriller” was also one of the first videos to be released by a Black artist on MTV, along with “Beat It” and “Billie Jean”.
According to British director Brian Grant, that video changed the game for the platform.
“As soon as the Americans got involved, things became monetised, turning music videos into a proper industry, which operated alongside MTV,” he explained to The Guardian. “The big turning point was ‘Thriller’.”
“Like A Prayer”
The video for “Like A Prayer” was originally teased during a Pepsi commercial at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards. The next day, MTV launched the full-length video. While Pepsi ended up cancelling their campaign with Madonna due to backlash, MTV kept airing it. This proved that the platform wasn’t afraid of a little controversy. “Like A Prayer” also won the Viewer’s Choice award at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.
On social media on the day of the video’s 30th anniversary, even Madonna herself was quick to acknowledge “Like A Prayer”‘s legacy.
“30 years ago today I released Like a Prayer and made a video that caused so much controversy because I kissed a black saint and danced in front of burning crosses!” she wrote. “I also made a commercial with PEPSI that was banned because my video was seen as inappropriate. Happy Birthday to Me and Controversy!”
Photo by: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
The post 3 Music Videos That Made Big Statements and Turned MTV Into Pop Culture Gold appeared first on American Songwriter.
Go To Source | Author: Em Casalena
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