Top Five Videos of 1986 as Seen on YouTube

Party All The Time - Eddie Murphy
In the 80s we were treated to a round of ill advised vanity songs from Bruce Willis, Don Johnson and Eddie Murphy. Murphy is here with his million dollar smile that looks as if it will dissolve into laughter. I'm not sure who is more vain here, Murphy for using his tuneful but ultimately boring voice or Rick James, in a blond wig, for taking over the song at the end. I wouldn't want to be upstaged by James, that's for sure. This is important as a piece of pop culture history but I'm not sure why Murphy's own voice wasn't as good as his impressions of Elvis and Michael Jackson in his comedy concert films. Don't miss the guy in the white polo rocking out with his bad self.

Dancing on the Ceiling - Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie went from 70s R&B superstar to 80s pop icon with the album Can't Slow Down, from which this song came. The clip begins as he enters a hotel room after a show; his act of being surprised to find a party going on is priceless. Then, in true 80s fashion, the party guests immediately break into a choreographed dance number. The best part is when Richie dances up the wall and onto the ceiling. In those fledgling days of CGI this must have been a logistical nightmare. One imagines the set pieces being attached to the "walls" and moved around in a process that had to take countless hours. Still, the video looked great then and it still looks great.

Walk Like a Egyptian - Bangles
The Bangles started one of the dumbest dance crazes ever with this video, which featured average looking people on the street walking like Egyptians. In effect the video made the dance popular although the clip suggests the dance was already sweeping the nation. Animated arms doing the Egyptian are amusingly added to news clips of Princess Di and Libya's dictator Khadaffi, although a quick Google search on Khadaffi shows that 21 years later we're still not sure how to spell his name. Does he spell it Khadafi, Khadaffi, Quadaffi or Gadaffi? We may never know this or whether the bass player of the allegedly all girl Bangles was a man. Check out Susannah Hoffs, the lead singer and possibly the only person whose entire stage presence consists only of moving her eyeballs back and forth.

Papa Don't Preach - Madonna
This is Madonna at the top of her game. At five minutes this is more of a short film than a video and also stars actor Danny Aiello as Papa. Madonna is breathtakingly gorgeous and her solo dance sequences are stunning. The flashback scenes of Aiello raising his young daughter alone are enough to bring a tear to the eye of any young parent facing the reality that their baby will one day make awful adult decisions. One wonders why the boyfriend, actor Alex Mc Arthur, never became a household name as he was such a heartthrob. Upon first viewing the video really does build the tension until she tells her father she is pregnant. Sadly, teen pregnancy is a common thing now but in '86 this was a groundbreaking video.

Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer
Addicted to love? The world was addicted to this video. This concept spawned three sequel videos for Palmer, some commercials, a thousand parodies and a million tight black spandex skirts. Ah, the 80s. Not much to say about this one except that it was definitely the most unforgettable of the year. Are the girls supposed to be prostitutes, models or the undead? Why couldn't they try harder to look like they were playing those instruments? Who cares, every girl wanted to be these hot women and every guy wanted to see more of them. Unfortunately Mr Palmer left us too soon but his legacy will live in pop culture forever.