30 Years of MTV: Five Favorite Videos

It's been 30 years since The Buggles appeared on television screen announcing that "Video Killed the Radio Star," and MTV was born. When thinking about the best videos, or those which influenced me both, some obvious choices come to mind.

Here's a list of five of my favorites and why I love them. For purposes of this list, I am leaving off Michael Jackson's "Thriller," because it will be on everybody else's list and is a too-obvious choice. Click on the bold blue titles for links to the videos.

Cars -- You Might Think

The ultimate stalker video where if you know the back story the stalker (Ric Ocasek) is presumed by most people to have married the person being stalked (future wife Paulina Porizkova). While Porizkova did appear in the video for Drive, it was model Susan Gallagher in "You Might Think."

The video won Video of the Year in 1984, beating a great field, which included "Thriller."

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers -- Don't Come Around Here No More

Another video which incorporated then cutting-edge technology and mixed it with a fun theme, it was loosely based on Alice In Wonderland. The original video ended with the Alice character being a cake and getting eaten by the band. It offended some, so another version was made, where she didn't get eaten.

Madonna -- Like a Prayer

Many people like the video from Vogue better, but my favorite Madonna piece is "Like a Prayer." It's a better song, and the way it offended people with a black Jesus character makes me laugh at the sheer idiocy of religion.

Radiohead -- Paranoid Android

This one might be just another song with an animated video, but it becomes notable because of the censorship. In one part, a man cuts off his arms and legs and falls into the water, only to be rescued by mermaids.

The mermaids, like one might expect, or topless. In the United States on MTV, the breasts of the mermaids were blurred out, but the bloody appendages were no problem. I had satellite TV at the time which also included Canada's Much Music Channel, which did not censor. Incredibly, YouTube to this day requires you to sign in to see the uncensored version.

Johnny Cash -- Hurt

An extraordinary song originally from Nine Inch Nails, it became even more outstanding video when put to Johnny Cash singing overlaying scenes from his life. It was up for Video of the Year, but lost to Justin Timberlake for "Cry Me a River."

To his credit, Timberlake said while accepting that the award should have went to "Hurt." In my view, it's the best video ever made.