1.09.2009

Ten Things...

...I Have Learned From '80s Music Videos

After a three month hiatus, it is high time for a new installment of "Ten Things." We all know there is much to be learned from '80s movies (read all about it here and here), but I would be remiss if I didn't share some nuggets of wisdom gleaned from the dawn of the music video era. Let me know if your favorite video is missing from this list and I will see if I can work it into the eventual sequel. YouTube, what did we ever do without you?

10. Flower pots are an essential fashion accessory for any music video on a budget. Whip It // Devo






9. If a stranger ever approaches you and says "you totally remind me of George Michael in that Wham! video," it might be time to rethink your life—on pretty much every level. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go // Wham!

8. Dancing badly with Bruce Springsteen just might be your first step on the road to stardom. Dancing in the Dark // Bruce Springsteen




7. Worried your new video is repeating the last one a little too much? Don't sweat it, just fluff up your hair a bit more and get strapped into that flying harness! Livin' On A Prayer // Bon Jovi

6. Man, that David Lee Roth has an endless supply of charisma. I bet he could totally make it as a solo artist. Jump // Van Halen





5. Silly police, you can't shut down Bono, you can only hope to contain him. Where the Streets Have No Name // U2

4. If you ever find yourself saying "okay, now all we need are the stop motion dancing chickens," you may have reached your creative zenith as an artist. Sledgehammer // Peter Gabriel



3. Throwing over a table in a crowded restaurant is totally acceptable behavior—as long as your name happens to be Simon Le Bon. Hungry Like The Wolf // Duran Duran

2. When Michael Jackson explains to his date that he's "not like other guys," he means it. Thriller // Michael Jackson





1. The chasm between the real world and the animated world can only be bridged by true love. Take On Me // a-ha

3 comments:

Christie said...

Hahaha. Brings me back to sneaking MTV in the basement in NJ. I was getting worried that you hadn't learned anything from Duran Duran. I was expecting something from Wild boys. Thanks for covering all the best..

Steve&Melissa said...

Since cable was banned from my house as a kid, I don't have the same affinity for them as you do. Eww...especially that Sledgehammer song. Can you imagine the level of salmonella floating around that set? I hope they burned it when they were done...ick!

Jess said...

I don't know if you get notified when someone comments on your blog, so this comment actually belongs on The House that Ruth Built (either part I or II).
You were fortunate enough to live in an area where you could go to a MLB game when you were young. The closest I ever got was the summer I was in the MTC, my family took a trip to San Diego and saw a Padres Game without me. And, wouldn't you know it, it was the same time Rickey Henderson was on his Padres stint. Lucky me.