Dismissing MTV as just music television is damn near criminal. For the past three decades, the network has spawned a culture of its own, giving us everything from unplugged performances to raunchy cartoons and everything in between. Sure, there's been the occasional slip-up, but on its 32nd birthday, we can give some love to MTV for being brash, hip, and consistently setting its own trend. Isn't that what modern music's all about?
Relive the days of "Thriller" and Yo! MTV Raps while still keeping Snooki and the Jersey Shore crew close by. Let's relive MTV's 32 most memorable moments.
The channel launched at 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981 with this prophetic single from The Buggles. Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, The Who, and other popular acts saw their videos play shortly after. More than three decades later, this song's message still rings true. If internet killed the video star, what will take down the internet star?
The channel rung in the New Year its own way with Duran Duran, The Producers, Jack Mack & The Heart Attack, and A Flock of Seagulls (I see you Googling them, millennials) rocking live sets on December 31. New Year's Eve Rock 'N' Roll Ball was one of MTV's most buzzworthy original programs, and the second installment was shot in London after '81 was in New York City. Dig the amazingly archaic intro and the Frogger commercial?
No words can do it justice. Music videos were fundamentally changed by this 14-minute mini-movie, and the single went on to sell over nine million units. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" premiered December 2, launching both him and MTV to bigger fame.
The first-ever Video Music Awards (don't worry, lots more on those later) were memorable for Madonna's iconic performance of "Like a Virgin," replete with a wedding gown and a huge cake. ZZ Top, Rod Stewart, and Tina Turner also performed. The 2013 VMAs air this month.
MTV catapulted the ongoing Ethiopian famine into a national conversation by broadcasting a benefit concert, Live Aid, on July 13, 1985. The show took place in London and was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, but MTV's airing helped raise awareness in the states. Try not to get chills from Queen's performance. This was also the year that the network began airing safe-sex PSAs, marking its first venture into social advocacy.
You've seen the pictures. You've heard the stories. But Daytona Beach, Florida was never a popular spring break site until MTV began hosting parties and live shows there in '86. Starship performed in the inaugural year, while the Beastie Boys would appear for the second program. You can almost smell the booze, sunblock, and poor decisions.
MTV's original programming took off further with its first game show, Remote Control. The show featured pop culture trivia and skits and ran until 1990, notable for booting contestants from play with loud buzzers, "goodbye songs," and general jeering. In the final round, players were strapped to a bed facing nine TV screens and had to identify who was performing in each music video shown.
The show that helped put hip-hop into the mainstream. Along with Aerosmith pushing Run DMC through a wall in "Walk this Way," Yo! MTV Raps was instrumental in broadening the genre's audience. The two-hour program ran until 1995, and featured comedy, live freestyles, music videos, and interviews. Just about every Golden Age star imaginable made an appearance.
The first of MTV's Unplugged sets began in November of '89 with Squeeze, Syd Straw, and Elliot Easton. It was a new kind of live performance for the network, one that saw the artist as stripped down as its music. Later Unplugged performances have come from everyone from Bob Dylan to Lil Wayne.
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