I’m trying to remember a video from the early days of MTV. All I can recall is that it had an Irish or Scottish feel to it and they kept showing a closeup of the lead singer’s face and he kept moving his jaw back and forth. It was kind of creepy.
They were probably a one hit wonder but I don’t know that for certain.
Cry by Godley & Creme?
You’re not thinking of “Run Runaway” by Slade, are you?
Is this it? Slade - Run Runaway
ETA - Ninja’d!
Not it.
It’s so weird for me to ninja anyone. That almost never happens.
That’s it! Thanks.
Woohoo!
Glad I could help
So they definitely weren’t a one hit wonder but their popularity in the US is meager compared to what it was in the UK.
Yes, indeed. Slade is one of those bands that simply didn’t properly translate from the UK to the USA. Their albums - I have the all and had to buy them in the 80s on trips to the UK - are pretty solid pub rock. Three chords and shouting with a lot of fun thrown in.
But it didn’t work here. Critics seemed to like them personally but the music was essentially the UK version of, say, Huey Lewis and the News (if noisier). It was good, basic rock music without a lot to distinguish it.
I loved it. Still do.
Surprise hits in the early 80s with Run Runaway and My Oh My brought them back to the US for a brief run. But it didn’t last.
Still, the enjoyed themselves and made some money. And the singer, Noddy Holder, got himself a knighthood and fame on Coronation Street. Also got featured as a leprechaun in the Tank Girl comic. So he’s got that going for him, anyway.
The lead singer of Slade looks like a Dr. Who cosplayer in the Run, Run Away video.
NM, thought this was a thread looking for forgotten MTV videos.
As you probably know, they also did the original version of Cum On Feel the Noize, which most Americans attribute to Quiet Riot.
Do they not have That bloody christmas song song as well? I think its the most popular christmas song in the UK. “Merry Christmas Everybody”?
They seem to hit the right notes for some brits (actually most likely English rather than brits), of being quintessentially shit.
Noddy is just so damn likable. No one I would like to hoist a pint with more. Dave Hill is a weirdo though.
That is…not a good video. Even by 1984 standards.
Fun song, though!
THIS, my friends, sums it up. Working class rock that aggressively takes it not very seriously. Goofy, fun beer music.
And yes, Loach, I’d love to buy them all a pint. It’d be a fun night, even now that we’re all old.
So very much this. It looks like they took three or four 15 second shots and just kept repeating them. Guy with caber; lead singer gurning (not a good look, dude); violinist jamming and other guitarist giving camera weird leer / side eye and turning away. Rinse and repeat.
I hadn’t thought of this song in 30+ years, and I can’t believe I never saw that video considering what an MTV junkie I was. What type of radio station would it have played on back then? It seems like something on the rock station (like KMET or KLOS if you’re from L.A.) but I was listening to the New Wave station in those days.
On the not taking themselves too seriously note, I seem to recall Noddy saying at some point that when they were making videos, they deliberately made their “playing their instruments” look as fake as possible. Figuring that everybody knew they weren’t really playing, so why not have some fun with it?