Welcome back to ’80s Music Video Thursday. This week, perhaps predictably, we present to you a small assortment of holiday themed offerings. Next week, we’ll get back to posting your suggestions. For now, enjoy a very ’80s Christmas with these videos:

“Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid

Detractors have called this song and the entire Band Aid endeavor condescending, insincere, self-righteous, and even diabolical. I suppose some of those are hard to argue when Bono is featured on the track. But certainly the original idea was to do good and to be charitable at a time of year when some people only like to think of themselves.

“Little Drummer Boy” by Bing Crosby and David Bowie.
This clip features some really good scripted dialogue between Mr. Crosby and Mr. Bowie before they jump into the song. Cheesiness aside, it’s an interesting pairing, and the result is a nice little Christmas ditty.

“Last Christmas” by Wham!
This United Colors of Benetton advert…Um, I mean…This Wham! video embraces the ’80s in the same ways that most of Wham!’s other videos embrace the ’80s. The song became a holiday classic. The video? Not so much. But it’s fun to remember; and it’s more fun to laugh.

Do you feel like you might enjoy a literal translation of the video more than the original? As an extra special holiday bonus—a gift from me to you—please enjoy a “literal translation” of the events featured in Wham!’s video for even more laughs. Find it behind the jump:

Click to see more… »

You know the drill by now. But if not: Welcome to ’80s Music Video Thursday, where we post gems from the Golden Age of music video clips. As always, suggestions for next week are welcome in the comments.

“I Heard a Rumor” by Bananarama, submitted by QuoteMan.

Some of the fashion in this video makes Lady GaGa look like a jeans-and-t-shirt gal. Quality ’80s “what were they thinking” to be found here. Personally, I can’t listen to Bananarama without thinking of Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders’ parody of the band called “Lananeeneenoonoo.”

“Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) by Wham, submitted by uffda.

I imagine that they were going for “cool.” But it mostly just looks like Grease.

“The Big Picture” by Y Kant Tori Read, submitted by Leven:

Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly (well, with as much pride as I can muster for even knowing about this video) present Y Kant Tori Read’s lone single and music video: The Big Picture.

Wow. Ms. Amos certainly has…evolved…artistically since the ’80s, has she not?

A few more from the past:

’80s Music Video Thursday: Sunglasses at Night?! But It’s So Dark!
’80s Music Video Thursday: Candy Coated Sugar Sweetness
’80s Music Video Thursday: Walk, Don’t Run, Like an Egyptian

Welcome back to ’80s Music Video Thursdays! Suggestions for next week’s edition are welcome in the comments.

“Sunglasses at Night” by Corey Hart, submitted by CosmykDolfyn.

I don’t know a video with more synchronization problems than this. I must randomly move my mouth. And I hate wearing my sunglasses, even though that’s the song’s title.

“Nightboat” by Duran Duran, submitted by MaryIn Boise.

This is pre-Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf, and the album it comes from is their best in my opinion.

“Cloudbusting” by Kate Bush.

Kate Bush playing Donald Sutherland’s son in a video conceived by Ms. Bush and Terry Gilliam. ‘Nuff said.

A few more from the past:

’80s Music Video Thursday: Candy Coated Sugar Sweetness
’80s Music Video Thursday: Walk, Don’t Run, Like an Egyptian
’80s Music Video Thursdays are my Reality

Welcome, once again, to ’80s Music Video Thursday here at Once Upon a Win. This week we’re (loosely) sticking to a (vague) theme. By theme, I mean a song and/or band that has something relating to sweetness and/or candy in its name. If you’d like to see a particular video posted on this site next week, feel free to leave a link in the comments!

“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics, submitted by CosmykDolfyn

I couldn’t believe the singer was a woman. Sorry.

“Birthday” by The Sugarcubes
Björk is like candy for my ears, and her videos, even her pre-solo-career videos with The Sugarcubes, are eye-catching eye candy.

“I Want Candy” by Bow Wow Wow
The giant candy cane sticking out of the sand? Yeah, that’s a metaphor…for candy.

“Candy Girl” by New Edition
I walk down all stairs the way these young men walk down the stairs at the start of the video. They were doing it to be cool. I do it because of a bad hip.

Previously:

’80s Music Video Thursdays: Walk, Don’t Run, Like an Egyptian
’80s Music Video Thursdays are my Reality
’80s Music Video Thursday is Gonna Set Sail
Bonnie Tyler Owns ’80s Music Video Thursday
Return of the ’80s Music Video Thursday
’80s Music Video Thursday Strikes Back
’80s Music Video Thursday

It’s that time of the week again: ’80s Music Video Thursday! I’ll call this the “Thanksgiving Edition,” although there is nothing relevant to the holiday to be found in the videos below. As always, suggest your favorite cheesy/awful/funny/cool 80s videos in the comments!

“Walk Like an Egyptian” by The Bangles
One of my favorite things in life is learning dances that were choreographed specifically to match the lyrics of the song. Don’t tell me you don’t do “Egyptian arms” when this song comes on the radio. Just don’t do them while driving, ‘cuz that would be dangerous.

“Love is the Drug” by Grace Jones
Grace Jones’ cover of Roxy Music’s “Love is the Drug” is just as good as the original, which is a rare feat. As for Ms. Jones, she was doing the crazy-fashion-music-performance-art thing two decades before Lady GaGa, so let’s give her props. Despite the 80s-ness of the video, I still think it’s kind of cool.

“Lavender” by Marillion
A saccharine video to match a saccharine song. It’s so classically ’80s it hurts.

Previously:
’80s Music Video Thursdays are my Reality
’80s Music Video Thursday is Gonna Set Sail
Bonnie Tyler Owns ’80s Music Video Thursday
Return of the ’80s Music Video Thursday
’80s Music Video Thursday Strikes Back
’80s Music Video Thursday