The redoubtable Mark Lerner sends along the following link to the first twenty-four hours in the history of MTV: Music Television, from August 1, 1981. I doubt you want to watch the whole thing, but the winsome Martha Quinn is still worth checking out.
To make things easier for you, here is a list of the songs played that day on MTV. The playlist is better than I remember - the Pretenders and "Oliver's Army" are always worth hearing - but also more repetitive. If you were watching MTV that day, I hope you liked Rod Stewart and REO Speedwagon:
The Buggles: "Video Killed the Radio Star"
Pat Benatar: "You Better Run"
Rod Stewart: "She Won't Dance"
The Who: "You Better You Bet"
Phd: "Little Susie's on the Up" I have no idea who or what this is.
Cliff Richard: "We Don't Talk Anymore" This video, from 1979, is basically someone using every digital effect on their brand new videotape editing machine. Gerry Todd would have loved it.
The Pretenders: "Brass in Pocket"
Todd Rundgren: "Time Heals"
REO Speedwagon: "Take It on the Run" If you're going to play a bunch of REO, this is the one to kick it off with. I always liked it much better than "Keep on Loving You."
Styx: "Rockin' the Paradise"
Robin Lane & The Chartbusters: "When Things Go Wrong"
Split Enz: "History Never Repeats"
.38 Special: "Hold On Loosely"
April Wine: "Just Between You and Me"
Rod Stewart: "Sailing" Was this the Christopher Cross song?
Iron Maiden: "Iron Maiden"
REO Speedwagon: "Keep On Loving You" "I don't want to sleep/I just want to keep": Genius!
The Pretenders: "Message of Love"
Lee Ritenour: Mr. Briefcase"
The Cars: Double Life"
Phil Collins: "In the Air Tonight"
Robert Palmer: "Looking for Clues"
The Shoes: "Too Late" The Shoes were a pretty great power-pop band from Zion, Illinois, sort of the missing link between Cheap Trick and Enuff Z'Nuff.
Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty: "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"
Rupert Hines: "Surface Tension"
Madness: "One Step Beyond"
Gerry Rafferty: "Baker Street"
Pat Benatar: "I'm Gonna Follow You"
Tom Johnson: "Savannah Nights
Rockestra: "Lucille" This was a one-off formed for some charity thing, with Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend, Robert Plant, bunch of other guys. Useless.
Styx: "The Best of Times"
Carly Simon: "Vengeance"
Iron Maiden: "Wrathchild"
Blotto: "I Wanna Be a Lifeguard"
Rod Stewart: "Passion"
Elvis Costello: "Oliver's Army"
REO Speedwagon: "Don't Let Him Go"
The Silencers: "Remote Control/I'm Too Legal"
Juice Newton: "Angel of the Morning"
Rockestra: "Little Sister"
Bootcamp: "Hold On to the Night"
Cliff Richard: "Dreaming"
Lee Ritenour: "Is It You?"
Fleetwood Mac: "Tusk"
Michael Stanley Band: "He Can't Love You"
REO Speedwagon: "Tough Guys" The fourth REO song of the day.
Blondie: "Rapture"
The Who: "Don't Let Go the Coat"
Rod Stewart: "Ain't Love a Bitch"
The Pretenders: "Talk of the Town"
Rainbow: "Can't Happen Here"
Andrew Gold: "Thank You for Being a Friend" The Golden Girls would debut in September of 1985.
Gerry Rafferty: "Bring It All Home"
April Wine: "Sign of the Gypsy Queen"
Kate Bush: "The Man With the Child in His Eyes" So even if they weren't playing Michael Jackson at this point, they were playing songs about Michael Jackson.
David Bowie: "Ashes to Ashes"
April Wine: "Just Between You and Me" Yes, that's the second time in the first 24 hours that viewers were treated to "Just Between You and Me."
The Specials: "Rat Race"
Talking Heads: "Once in a Lifetime"
Bootcamp: "Victim"
Rod Stewart: "Tonight's the Night"
Nick Lowe: "Cruel to Be Kind" I do my best to understand it.
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6 comments:
One could applaud their "1960's AM radio" approach with regard to musical diversity, but I'm not convinced. What a weird line-up. Is it more likely that those were simply all the videos they had?
The Shoes were on that day...I'm surprised! Their first album "Black Vinyl Shoes" is wonderful. Gotta dig that one out of the basement this weekend.
How did Lee Ritenour -- a smooth-jazz guitarist, if I'm not mistaken -- get two videos played on the first day?
That rather supports the play-anything-we've-got argument.
"Is It You?" was an actual pop hit, going to Number 15 in the summer of '81. It had vocals (not by Mr. Ritenour), but I don't know what "Mr. Briefcase" was like.
Blimey, I remember this day well. Know what I remember about it? PASSION!
cause I need it! PASSION!
you need PASSION!
we all need PASSION!
there was a video for "Baker Street"??? PASSION!
No, Rod's "Sailing" was not the Christopher Cross song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW2-_01i48w&feature=PlayList&p=027AEA2B9A20381D&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1
Hey, here's a follow-up question: What did the *second* day of MTV look like?
(I don't really expect you to find the answer; I just wonder how much the second 24 hours differed from the first.)
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