Top Ten Music Videos of the 80's

Back in the day, music video premieres were stay-at-home events and watching MTV was a national pastime (for kids, anyway.) Though the importance of videos has dimmed somewhat over the last few years, there are a handful from the 80s that set the tone for some of today's hottest artists. Or you just can't get that video out of
your head, no matter how many years have passed. Either way, below are ten of the top videos from the 80s:

10. Mickey - Toni Basil
Though the production values are typical of early 80's music videos, "Mickey" represents a fantastic marriage of video and song. That catchy chant and those cheerleaders (real cheerleaders!) made "Mickey" an MTV staple and sent the song to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The song and video have been sampled and parodied endlessly, a sure sign that "Mickey" will live on.

9. Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
Admit it - even if you weren't into hard rock, you dug this video. The sight of lingerie-clad actress, Tawny Kitaen (ex-wife of Whitesnake lead singer, David Coverdale) writhing around on two Jaguars became an indelible image and helped propel the song to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Alas, Coverdale became disillusioned with Whitesnake's commercial success and it became one of the factors in his decision to later dismantle the band. He recently had a change of heart, reformed the band and Whitesnake has risen again.

8. (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) - Beastie Boys
Another example of an 80s video clearly filmed on a shoestring budget, "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" was the first single off the Beastie Boys' debut album, Licensed to Ill. The video featured a house party gone wild and was actually based on the famous party scene from the classic Audrey Hepburn film, Breakfast at Tiffany's. The Beastie Boys are far removed from the frat boy antics on display in this video, becoming elder statesmen of hip hop; however, this video will always hold a special place in the hearts of many early MTV fans.

7. Straight Up - Paula Abdul
Though her late 80's dominance has been overshadowed by her loopy "American Idol" antics, no one did videos like Paula Abdul. The former Laker Girl and choreographer (notably for Janet Jackson) was slow to come out of the gate, but once "Straight Up" was released as a single, there was no stopping the train. In fact, when the song was released, there wasn't even a video for it. As the song ascended the charts, a video was immediately commissioned. With Paula's fierce footwork, sophisticated black and white cinematography and cameo appearance by then-hot talk show host (and rumored Abdul paramour) Arsenio Hall, the video garnered Abdul four MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) and set her firmly on the path to superstardom. For a time anyway.

6. Looking for a New Love - Jody Watley
Before Beyonce or Jennifer Lopez, there was Jody Watley. With her fresh, funky style and hip videos, the onetime member of soul group, Shalamar, set the standard for what was cool in the late 80's. The "Looking for a New Love" video, with its numerous costume changes for Watley and "hasta la vista, baby" catchphrase (later co-opted for the 1991 blockbuster film, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) was one of the hottest videos of 1987 and would help turn Watley into a fashion icon. Though Watley has been quiet in recent years, she and this video, helped pave the way for many of today's pop divas.

5. Like a Virgin - Madonna
With "Like A Virgin," Madonna transformed from just another video vixen into bonafide superstar. Shot on location in Venice, Italy (and some in New York City), the video featured Madonna dancing on a gondola, a panting lion, a masked lover and a naughty white wedding dress. We didn't understand it, but we loved it. The song endures as one of Madonna's most popular tunes and the video made us all want to run out and find a black dress with cutouts.

4. Wanted Dead or Alive -Bon Jovi
If "Livin' on a Prayer," is an anthem, "Dead or Alive" is a one-song soundtrack. Like most hair bands of the day, Bon Jovi's videos stuck to the performance formula rather than a theme or storyline. However, the "Wanted Dead or Alive" video, with its stark black and white images, captured the bleakness of rigorous touring and the fatigue of superstardom. The song, later credited as the inspiration behind MTV's Unplugged series, has become a karaoke favorite, particularly at closing time and remains a lighter-in-the-air tune at Bon Jovi's live shows.

3. Take On Me - A-ha
This was a case where the song's chart performance was buoyed by the video. A-ha had released the song twice before with little U.S. success. The group recorded a new version of the song and came up with the innovative video (which was actually the second video for the song.) When the new video debuted in 1985, it was unlike anything on the air at that time. Utilizing a technique known as rotoscoping, which combines pencil-sketching and live action footage, the video was an MTV mainstay, eventually winning six awards at the 1986 VMA's. Even in the new millennium, the video holds up well, dodging the fate of so many videos from the era as being dated or downright cheesy. Simply put, it remains a classic.

2. Walk this Way - Run DMC with Aerosmith
"Walk This Way" was originally a Top Ten Billboard hit for Aerosmith in 1977. However, to the MTV generation, the 1986 redo is what blew the roof off of everything we ever thought about rap and rock. The symbolic wall being broken down in the video between Aerosmith and Run DMC represented the merging of the then-separate worlds of rock and roll and hip hop. The song and the video became legendary, introducing 70's relics Aerosmith to Black audiences (and bringing the group back into the mainstream) and sent Run DMC into the stratosphere.

1. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Choosing the landmark "Thriller" as the No. 1 video of the 1980s would be a no-brainer. However, it was the video for "Billie Jean" that put Michael Jackson on the map with the MTV crowd. Literally. Hard to believe today, given the pervasiveness of Black culture on the channel, but back in 1983 no Black artists were played on MTV. "Billie Jean" broke the color barrier and Michael's black leather suit, pink shirt and red bowtie were imitated around the world. The popularity of the video helped push Thriller towards becoming the top-selling album of all time and eventually garnered Jackson induction into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame in 1992. It remains a seminal moment in music video history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_I_Go_Again

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Coverdale

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_(song)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_for_a_New_Love

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like_a_Virgin_(song)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_When_Wet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_Up_(song)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_on_Me#Music_video

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_This_Way

http://www.beastiemania.com/qa/ffyrtp01.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Jean#Music_video