# MTV is 30 years old today. What was your favorite early MTV video?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [August 1, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033 "2011-08-01T13:36:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/1 "2011-08-01T13:36:24Z")
For me, it’s a tossup between ZZ Top’s [“Legs”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EXXZVdUJ98) or Rainbow’s [“All Night Long”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxXzgSGhh98) (link might be NSFW since it features a dancer in a tubetop and skin tight shorts) which gave us classic lines like:
“You’re kind of young but you’re overage.”
“Don’t know about your brain but you look alright.”
“Your mind is dirty but your hands are clean. You’re short of class but your legs are long.”
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### Author:  [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/2 "2011-08-01T13:49:30Z")
I think my favorite video of all time is Ah Ha’s ‘Take On Me’. Amazing concept and animation.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914)
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### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/3 "2011-08-01T13:50:33Z")
Dire Straits, _Money For Nothing_.
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### Author:  [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/4 "2011-08-01T13:59:01Z")
Duran Duran’s Hungry Like The Wolf
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/5 "2011-08-01T14:00:30Z")
Peter Gabriel’s [Sledgehammer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqyc37aOqT0). Still the greatest video ever.
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### Author:  [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/6 "2011-08-01T14:04:22Z")
MTV used to play music videos? Huh.
I kid, I kid. I remember the excitement back in college when the local cable company added MTV to the lineup. Before that, the only way to see music videos was _Radio 1990_ on USA Network … and didn’t NBC have videos on late at night on the weekends?
Good times, good times. I was a fan of videos by ABC (the group, not the network … _Poison Arrow_, _The Look of Love_). Also Men at Work (_Who Can It Be Now_, _Down Under_) and the Fixx (_One Thing Leads To Another_).
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### Author:  [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/7 "2011-08-01T14:06:58Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> Peter Gabriel’s [Sledgehammer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqyc37aOqT0). Still the greatest video ever.
And speaking of Peter Gabriel … loved [Shock the Monkey](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo9riZYUpTw).
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### Author:  [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/8 "2011-08-01T14:07:53Z")
Talking Heads: [“And She Was”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZAyxUMfBvA&ob=av2e)
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### Author:  [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/9 "2011-08-01T14:15:28Z")
[You Might Think](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yf2WP6K1gQ) this question is subjective, but there is actually one correct answer.
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### Author:  [@Stormcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormcrow)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/10 "2011-08-01T14:19:29Z")
> [@Uncle\_Jocko](#):
>
> And speaking of Peter Gabriel … loved [Shock the Monkey](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo9riZYUpTw).
This is the one I was going to mention. I had only a vague idea of who Peter Gabriel was when I first saw this video, and I’m like:
“Cool music, neat beats. Funny it should be coming from this normal looking guy in a business suit. Not your usual look for that kind of music…”
“…and now he’s… in a white suit wearing monkey makeup! AHHHHHHH!!!”
I was caught utterly off-guard.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/11 "2011-08-01T14:26:56Z")
I swear I remember seeing The Residents cover of James Brown’s [Its A Man’s Man’s Man’s World](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcGknYx4sxQ) get played a few times. I know I first saw it during a movie break on Showtime, HBO or Cinemax, but I swear I saw it a few times on EmptyVision too.
I used to love seeing Mike Nesmith’s [Cruisin’](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRWTz3zY1WY). Even then the Zappa-esque nature of the song and video made me laugh; the two were apparently good friends.
Before they hit it really big, Dire Straits pretty much blew my mind with [Skateaway](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQBKUPwG_Gk).
Of course that first year I hoped every day to see DEVO’s [Whip It](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbt30UnzRWw).
And who didn’t absolutely love Twisted Sister’s [We’re Not Gonna Take It](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmckWVPRaI&ob=av2n) and [I Wanna Rock](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRwrg0db_zY&ob=av2e)?
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### Author:  [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/12 "2011-08-01T14:35:04Z")
I didn’t get MTV. I had to wait for “Friday Night Videos” on NBC. It was cool not just for the videos, but because I was allowed to stay up late enough to watch.
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### Author:  [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/13 "2011-08-01T14:36:20Z")
Hell, I remember _Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert_, you kids.
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### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/14 "2011-08-01T14:44:13Z")
Thanks for the nostalgia. I was part of a generation that just could not turn off MTV. As Beavis or Butthead said: “This video’s lame. I bet the next one’ll be better…”
[Early promos](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nWPq6zCDkA) with Pete Townshend shameslessly telling you to call your cable company and yelling “I want my MTV!”
[And the first ten minutes of MTV](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nWPq6zCDkA), 30 years and “Video Killed The Radio Star” still holds up!
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### Author:  [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/15 "2011-08-01T14:47:54Z")
Can’t say I have a favorite, but in addition to some already mentioned, The Motels’ “Only The Lonely”.
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### Author:  [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/16 "2011-08-01T14:52:15Z")
I came in mentioning Aha’s Take on me, and I kind of expected someone to already have mentioned it. Great taste, **PapSett!**
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### Author:  [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/17 "2011-08-01T14:57:25Z")
According to this [site](http://www.smoothjazz1059.com/rssItem.asp?feedid=160&itemid=29701739), the first 25 videos played on MTV were
“Video Killed the Radio Star” – The Buggles
“You Better Run” – Pat Benatar
“She Won’t Dance” – Rod Stewart
“You Better You Bet” – The Who
“Little Suzi’s on the Up” – Phd
“We Don’t Talk Anymore” – Cliff Richard
“Brass in Pocket” – The Pretenders
“Time Heals” – Todd Rundgren
“Take It on the Run” – REO Speedwagon
“Rockin’ the Paradise” – Styx
“When Things Go Wrong” – Robin Lane And The Chartbusters
“History Never Repeats” – Split Enz
“Hold on Loosely” --.38 Special
“Just Between You and Me” – April Wine
“Sailing” – Rod Stewart
“Iron Maiden” – Iron Maiden
“Keep on Loving You” – REO Speedwagon
“Message of Love” – The Pretenders
“Mr. Briefcase” – Lee Ritenour
“Double Life” – The Cars
“In the Air Tonight” – Phil Collins
“Clues” – Robert Palmer
“Too Late” – The Shoes
“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” – Stevie Nicks w/Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
“Surface Tension” – Rupert Hines
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/18 "2011-08-01T15:00:00Z")
A Friday night favorite: Loverboy’s _ **Working For The Weekend** _
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### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/19 "2011-08-01T15:05:02Z")
> [@PapSett](#):
>
> I think my favorite video of all time is Ah Ha’s ‘Take On Me’. Amazing concept and animation.
>
> [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914&ob=av2e](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914&ob=av2e)
And the [_• o b l i g a t o r y • l i n k •_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HE9OQ4FnkQ) to the literal version. I use it during a creativity class at an art school.
“Gonna kick some ass with my own pipe wrench…”
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### Author:  [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-is-30-years-old-today-what-was-your-favorite-early-mtv-video/591033/20 "2011-08-01T15:15:57Z")
Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” The premiere of the video was a huge deal. There was even an hour-long special on the making of “Thriller.”
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