Return of the ’80s Music Video Thursday
And here’s this week’s installment of awesomely terribly awesomely terribly awesome ’80s video. As always, recommendations for next week are welcomed in the comments.
“Our House” by Madness submitted by xjuggernaughtx
Fun song, fun band. I actually kind of enjoyed watching this.
“We Built This City” by Starship submitted by Miroku
Correctly identified by many commenters as “the worst song ever.” I recommend viewing this video with your sound on mute.
“I Know What Boys Like” by the Waitresses
Contender of the title of Least Sexy Video of All Time. Maybe runner up to this.
“Rock Me Tonight” by Billy Squier
My pick. This video made me realize that Billy Squier was more flamboyant than Freddie Mercury. I didn’t even know that was possible.
Previously:
’80s Music Video Thursday Strikes Back
’80s Music Video Thursday
First!
K, I re-recommend this:
Too bad, it was perfect for Halloween.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpdZvewjwJs
This…is just awful………http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQbZRMLKozk
So the woman in the band steal the show…No surprise…But they still did it badly.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96jFtzVa80A
I will never understand this.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cCI_XDQWb0
I want to know who said this dance was sexy…So I can slap them silly.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0U5JfGYx4c
Love the videos. I do want to know who told Billy Squier that he could dance, though.
He was the predecessor to the Carlton Dance.
(sorry, first time i tried i did links wrong.
I re-nominate Huey Lewis And The New’s video to “Doing It All For my baby” It is cheezy funny, and shows the band’s lead singer getting killed and re-born! SWEET! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpdZvewjwJs
There is a reason this video appears on hate lists. Journey’s Seperate Ways http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQbZRMLKozk
I know people thought this was sexy or something, but I disagree. I call the idea stupid. Robert Palmer Addicted to Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0U5JfGYx4c
I am sorry, this music video is weird. I like the song, but include ALL OF IT in the video and do something that at least makes half-sense. Soft Cell Tainted Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cCI_XDQWb0
Errr…Weird. ABC…who else…The Song Lookof Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkwEK9AYQHg
Guys, the women will take over the video…At least make sure they do a good job of it. Ace Of Base: The Sign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96jFtzVa80A
I actually saw the Waitresses in concert. LOL They were ahead of their time….the first band to do “rap”….remember Christmas Wrapping?
Rap was brought into the mainstream by Debbie Harry and Blondie. The Waitresses were subtitled We Wish We Were Blondie.
I recommend these:
Level 42 – Something About You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zamqe602AU4
David Bowie – Life on Mars
What the heck is WRONG with you? These are GOOD. This is not a conversation about good music and good videos. This is a conversation about BAD videos.
(That is my very most favorite Bowie song and Level 42 is awesome too.)
That video is soley responsible for the ruination of Billy Squier’s career.
It wasn’t much of a career to start with.
Billy Squier ROCKED!
I had never seen this video, but, in hindsight, I had no idea how gay it was. And, I mean that in the homosexual sense, not the “sixteen year old with a cheesy mustache sense”. I saw him open for Queen way back in 1982, and never got that vibe from him.
I guess the best songs cross genders, . . . like The Stroke!
Snerk. You know what The Stroke is about right? Kissing butt in L.A. to get a record contract. Obviously Squier was pretty good at that ‘cuz there’s no way in a billion years he’d have gotten the time of day from today’s recording companies.
It’s been ages since I’ve seen “Our House” – classic! Then they sold out to “Maxwell House”… booo…. did anyone else recognize all the “Gumbys” (from Monty Python) in the pool?! TOO FUNNY!
I actually really like “We Built This City,” no matter how many times I hear others say it’s awful. So sue me. It’s catchy, and it’s associated with a lot of great memories.
I agree whole heartedly,
I know what boys like is a million times worse
I listen to it all the time! I agree that I know what boys like is really annoying. >>
I really don’t hate We Built This City. And I can name much worse songs. (Everything on Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins)
But when you remember the band who made this song shares the same family tree with Jefferson Airplane, you just have to ask. “What went wrong?”
I have to agree! I can’t even listen to White Rabbit any more without thinking how far they fell with We Built this City. Man, oh, man. Do you know how much a song sucks when even the good songs make you think of how much a song sucks?
Yeah, I think that’s the issue most people have with the song. It’s just harmless cheesy 80s pop, and in fact I knew that side of them before I ever heard White Rabbit or Somebody to Love. But even then, after I heard White Rabbit especially, I was all, “Wait … what?”
Also can I recommend You’ re only human (Second wind) by Billy Joel?
It has a pre MythBusters Adam Savage in it.
Link in my name.
Starship-”We Built this City”….
Did anyone else’s local radio station put a lame sound bite of their their name in the song? For example, in the Norfolk, VA area, it was:
“We built this city…
(WITH Z104!)
We built this city on roooock and roll…”
I thought it was kinda cool at the time. Then again, my age was still in the single digit ballpark. Surf Wisely.
Apparently the song had different sound bites for that part depending on where it was played. Like if you heard it in NYC it mentioned the Brooklyn Bridge
How about this one, from 1984(1985, Maybe?)?
I can’t believe nobody mentioned Herbie Hancock!
I did in one of the last ones.
This one creeped me out as a teen. So, I decided to watch it an adult. Still creepy…. *shudders*
“Holding Out for a Hero” is made of win. Just MHO. Even what the Shrek movies did to it didn’t ruin it.
I can’t believe I’m doing this but ….
Kevin Bacon. The ‘Footloose’ dance scene.
I love “We Built This City.” I had a crush on Mickey Thomas when I was younger.
People that think “We Built this City” is the worst song ever, obviously don’t listen to the radio nowadays. All of that Flo-Rida and Souljaboy crap makes that song look like Bohemian Rhapsody in comparison.
… but Bohemian Rhapsody is also a giant piece of crap. I love it, but it’s cheese without rival, like most Queen stuff.
Yes but who need a rival when you are the queen. the majority will love it anyway
One reason it’s so horrible is that those people were Jefferson Airplane at one point.
i actually think we built this city is pretty good. catchy in its own way. and i didnt even grow up in the 80’s.
Ok, I wasn’t even born when these were hits, but I remember singing both On the Radio and She Works Hard for the Money for school churus. Haha…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TKQcWEXSKU
They didn’t have a video for On the Radio
Today is Grace Slick’s birthday. She’s 70. Holy crap! Jagger, Dylan, McCartney…she’s older than any of them.
Unless you count Yoko Ono *(I don’t), who is 76.
Something Else-Sid Vicious
Technically it was 1979, but that’s close enough right? It’s still pretty funny to watch. Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc4HWiH_pzw
Toein’ The Line-Rocky Burnette
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPBwbdRuKPc&feature=related
I don’t really get what the whole fire truck thing was about… Or the whole shiny jump-suits… It was the 80’s, can you blame them?
Finally;
Stray Cat Strut-The Stray Cats
Again, technically it was 1979, but let’s call it the 80’s anyways.
Got to love his pompador, it really brings me back (But not really, I’m only 13).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoG62Wi8twU
Loving that Gretsch Mr.Setzer
-QM
Another Madness fave, House Of Fun:
I DEMAND to know why the link above “I Know What Boys Like” was not linked to a rickroll.
I’d never seen that Billy Squier video before. That was like watching a one-man version of Sweatin’ to the Oldies.
(sorry, hit button at wrong time) Murray would disappear from public eye yet again, but we still remember his hit song.
I don’t know everyone seems so down on Starship’s “We Built This City”. I remember singing this song when I was a kid, though, not really realizing the point the song was actually trying to make. It was all about how the commercialization of Rock and Roll was ruining it and the corruption that was facing the recording the industry at the time.
the song video killed the radio star has the worst music video! they’re even televisions popping out from the ground. its 1979 btw. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWtHEmVjVw8
Its the 80s do a lot of coke and vote ronald regan!