The 30 Best Music Videos of the 80s (2023)

Since the advent of radio, there hasn't been a tool as powerful in making or breaking artists' careers as music television. He80ersaw MTV and VH1 become the new jukebox for a generation of music fans, where music videos were no longer just an adjunct, but an integral part of the artist's image. Since the medium was not yet refined, there were no conventions to break; It was the Wild West, both musically and visually, and it allowed for endless experimentation. Although the technology was primitive, it led to even more creative innovation. Let's go back to a more radical time when everyone was a little darker; a little richer, runner, crazier and wilder in the best 80s music videos that defined the decade.

Listen to ours while you readThe best music videos of the 80splaylist here.

30: Madonna: Chica material (1984)

Madonna channeled Marilyn Monroe in the iconic video for "Material Girl," the Nile Rodgers-produced song that crowned her Queen of Pop in 1984. Inspired by the famous scene from the 1953 film.Gentlemen prefer blondes.where Monroe sings "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", the plot of the video shows Madonna being harassed by a film director who unsuccessfully tries to woo her by flaunting his wealth. The striking resolution of the video, in which romance trumps materialism, shows that Material Girl is not as emblematic of '80s greed as many would like to believe.

29: Pat Benatar: Love Is a Battlefield (1983)

Brooklyn-born Pat Benatar's upbeat rock anthem "Love Is A Battlefield" inspired a video by Bob Giraldi whose theme was empowerment and seeking liberation from oppressive forces. It follows Benatar, after an angry confrontation with her controlling father, leaves home and travels to a big city where she ends up working as a taxi dancer in a seedy club where women are exploited by a tyrannical pimp. Benatar unleashes her wrath and starts a rebellion that culminates in a tense dance duel with the club owner, who is promptly thrown out.

28: Whitney Houston: I want to dance with someone (who loves me) (1987)

The depiction of reality and fantasy through the contrasting use of monochrome and color film is a cinematographic trick popularized by the 1939 film.The Wizard of Oz. Director Brian Grant used the technique to great effect in his dazzling video for Whitney Houston's Grammy-winning hit, which contrasts the singer's lonely life as a performer with an imaginary fantasy sequence in which she dances with a series of male partners. . Choreographed by renowned British dancer Arlene Phillips, this vibrant dance extravaganza captures the '80s in all its glory.

27: The Buggles: Video Killed the Radio Star (1979)

Before becoming an influential record producer, Trevor Horn was one half of the British duo The Buggles, whose debut single "Video Killed The Radio Star" came out in late 1979 and was accompanied by a groundbreaking video that set the standard. of what pop was like. over the next decade represented visually. It was directed by Australian director Russell Mulcahy, whose use of slow-motion sequences, sharp editing, and neon lighting became a staple of '80s pop videos. "Video Killed The Radio Star" was the first video to be released. aired on MTV when the channel launched on August 1, 1981.

26: David Bowie and Mick Jagger: Dancing in the Street (1985)

Martha & The Vandella's 1960s Motown hit 'Dancing In The Street' was revived as a duet by British rock titans Bowie and Jagger as a charity single to raise funds for Live Aid. Directed by David Mallet, they shot a low-key video in London that's full of manic energy, thanks in no small part to a sporty Jagger bouncing around the (relatively) cool Bowie.

25: Eurythmics: Sweet Dreams (will be made of it) (1983)

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart's synth-pop classics on the complex nature of human desire have established the Eurythmics as an international act; His fame was accelerated by the song's accompanying video, directed by Chris Ashbrook, which was an MTV staple in the early days of the pioneering music channel. Famous for Lennox's strikingly androgynous look (short punky orange hair paired with a formal suit and tie), the video also used startling and surreal imagery to emphasize the contrast between technology and the natural world.

24: Ray Parker Jr.: Ghostbusters (1984)

One of the biggest blockbuster movies of the 80s, the supernatural comedyGhostbustersfeatured a theme song by R&B musician Ray Parker Jr., whose catchy number hit charts and dance floors around the world. In the chilling video for the tune, director Ivan Reitman portrayed Parker as a spectral character, using footage from the actual film along with CGI animation. The video also featured fleeting cameos from various celebrities, including actor Danny DeVito and comedian John Candy.

23: Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Two Tribes (1984)

Liverpool's Frankie Goes To Hollywood caused a stir in the UK with his debut single "Relax", which was banned by the BBC for allegedly having sexual content. His second single, a feverish paean to nuclear Armageddon called "Two Tribes," fueled controversy with its Cold War-inspired video showing US President Ronald Reagan and his USSR counterpart Konstantin Chernenko reconciling their differences in a ring. wrestling. Conceived by former 10cc members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, the video is considered one of the weirdest music videos of the '80s.

22: Propaganda: Dr. Mabuse (1984)

This 80's music video looks more like a 1920's music video. dr. An infamous criminal mastermind with hypnotic powers, Mabuse was a fictional character who inspired German film director Fritz Lang to make three films about him. It was also influential on the debut single "Dr. Mabuse," whose dramatic video, shot at night by Dutch rock photographer Anton Corbijn, channeled Lang's visual style with its striking black-and-white imagery, using light and shadow as powerful metaphors. visuals of good and evil, Corbijn created an intriguing video whose impact was aided by the presence of well-known Polish actor Vladek Sheybal as the main villain.

21: Herbie Hancock: Rockit (1983)

As a musician, jazz pianist Herbie Hancock has always championed technological innovation, so it came as no surprise when "Rockit," his groundbreaking hip-hop and techno-funk single, released perhaps the most futuristic music video of years. 80. The main focus of the video is not on Hancock, whose head and hands are occasionally seen on a television, but rather on a crazy conglomeration of crash test dummies, smashed dummies, and bizarre technological creatures whose body parts twitch and flutter at the same time. rhythm of the music. Directed by Godley & Creme, the "Rockit" video deservedly won five MTV Video Awards in 1984.

20: Paula Abdul: Opposites Attract (1988)

Before cartoon lust became the social normcool world, Paula Abdul shared screen time with a cartoon cat named MC Skat Cat (who also has a solo album?!) in her music video for Opposites Attract. The song is a delicious slice of late '80s pop and features Abdul's signature dance moves, but while it's one of the best music videos of the '80s, would we send it into space as a document of the band's contribution? humanity to culture? Probably not.

19: Olivia Newton-John: Physics (1981)

Before the days of athleisure, Olivia Newton-John encouraged us all to throw on our best sweats and "get in shape." Capitalizing on the fitness craze of the '80s, John took her sexually stimulating single of hers and turned it into a workout mantra. He gets all the guys in shape and turns them into cupcakes. The only calories you'll find here are in the cheese.

18: The Police: Every Breath You Take (1983)

Knownly misconstrued as a romantic ballad, Sting describes all the red flags of a stalker relationship set to a hypnotic guitar riff as he stares into the camera. Like the restPoliceand a string quartet plays behind him, he vents his unresolved feelings on his poor twinkly-eyed double bass.

17: Billy Idol: White Wedding (1982)

Like Madonna, Billy Idol can't resist a good church motif, and his gothic wedding fantasy for White Wedding is just as cool. Directed by legendary director David Mallet, who would go on to direct several of Idol's music videos in the '80s, the 'White Wedding' clip showcased Idol's cute snarl and featured more latex than a Trojan commercial. Once accepted into MTV's regular rotation, Billy Idol was canonized as a fixture on the network and in '80s culture.

16: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Don't Come Here Anymore (1985)

For the casual observer,tom pettyhe was not seen as nervous. Petty and The Heartbreakers haven't been looking for trends or edgy haircuts, but they have released some seriously subversive music videos. A case in point is the deliciously psychedelic video for Don't Come Around Here No More, in which Petty plays the Mad Hatter.Alice in Wonderlandwhich eats Alice after she suffers the unfortunate fate of being turned into a sheet cake.

15: Dire Straits: Money for Nothing (1985)

When MTV launched on August 1, 1981, they probably didn't imagine it. Although she notoriously hates music videos,troublesHe made one of the best meta music videos. The promo for herCrossover-Singlefeatures two CGI-animated workers (who also inspired the song's lyrics) who reject the band's rock 'n' roll lifestyle. The result is another live-action/animation hybrid courtesy of director Steve Barron, the man behind a-ha's Take On Me and Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. Of course, the video took off and made Dire Straits international stars.

14: Run-DMC and Aerosmith: Walk This Way (1986)

This innovative collaboration betweenaerial forgeand Run-DMC showed the walls of hip-hop and rock literally coming down, with Steven Tyler crashing through a studio wall as the Kool-Aid man. The unlikely joint effort was led byRick Rubinand both brought Aerosmith back into the fray and introduced hip-hop to all the kids in the suburbs. As the first hybrid rap-rock hit, the collaboration paved the way for others like it, includingmilzbrandy "Bring The Noise" de Public Enemy.

13: NWA: Straight Outta Compton (1988)

While most '80s music videos were phosphorescent fantasy, hip-hop videos have turned the tide.NWAThe innovative Straight Outta Compton. The gangster rap pioneers used their video to represent their hometown, filming in different parts of Compton and introducing the street life of Los Angeles to the rest of the country (and the world).

12: Cyndi Lauper: Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1983)

With her call to zest for life, Cyndi Lauper essentially created the original girl gang and became one of MTV's first rising stars, and a national sensation. In the video, Lauper rebels against her parents (played by her real-life mother and professional wrestler Captain Lou Albano). The graphics are just as vibrant as the music - it makes you want to jump through the streets of the Lower East Side like Lauper himself.

11: Duran Duran: Hungry as a Wolf (1983)

A tough choice between it and Rio, but Hungry Like the Wolf is something very special. In an effort to break into the American market, Duran Duran convinced her label to send her to Sri Lanka and shoot an outlandish music video that would launch this career and would soon be a staple of many a '80s music video. the trappings of the exotic here, but this video has turned the needle from acting videos to a more cinematic direction. Come cosplay Indiana Jones and stick with the literal "page turning" transitions.

10: Genesis: Land of Confusion (1986)

'80s music videos had their own tropes: over-the-top parodies, animation, live performance, and puppetry.GenesisThe five-minute play is like one of Ronald Regan's fever dreams, with plenty of cameos along the way. While the political message was loud and clear, the puppets were from the British TV seriesspit image, they were more chilling than satirical for the children watching at home. Still, it was hugely popular on MTV, and there are plenty of Easter eggs to look out for.

9: Prince: Raspberry Beret (1985)

It's almost impossible to pick just one Prince video. Between "Purple Rain" and "When Doves Cry", the Purple One was a master of form. But we chose "Raspberry Beret," largely because of the puffy-shirt psychedelia in this animated mash-up video. Dressed in cloud suits and freshly shaved hair (and coughing just before singing "I did it just to be sick, to do something no one else would do"), Prince And The Revolution enter a merry troupe of dancers. As the story goes, Prince directed an entire video for the single, but also commissioned Japanese animator Drew Takahashi to create an entire separate promo, resulting in this surreal mashup. If you look closely, you can see a patch of Pat's dreadlocks.Nirvana, step in as an extra.

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8: Madonna: Like a Prayer (1989)

Life is a mystery, but successVirgens controversial attitude toward Catholicism is not. He has it all: burning crosses, stigmata, and the seduction of a saint. Of course, everyone was outraged: from Pepsi executives (who sponsored her tour) to the Pope himself, but Madonna is the master of the music video and she knows exactly how to use it as a means to promote the latest incarnation of hers. The use of MTV is a springboard for her own career over the decades.

7: Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime (1980)

Talking Heads' postmodernist promotion proved that innovative videos can be made on a limited budget. Co-directed by famed choreographer Toni Basil (of “Mickey” fame), the video features a bespectacled David Byrne assuming the avatar of a proselytizing preacher for African tribes while moving like a digital puppet. The talking heads also represented the unbridled creativity that flourished during this era.

6: Grace Jones: Slave to the Rhythm (1985)

For a complex track with layers likegrace jones"Slave To The Rhythm" needs something visually challenging to go along with it. Step inside Jean-Paul Goude's carnival-themed house of pleasure with elevated art, photo tricks and fashion. A former partner and frequent collaborator of Jones, the two worked together to create a visually stunning and socially conscious entry into '80s music videos.

5: Guns N' Roses: Welcome to the Jungle (1987)

Despite his television boast,Guns N Rosesthey weren't always an MTV favorite. Afterdestructivenesswas released, they were crickets in other parts of the world. It was not until the fateful transmission of his video for"Welcome to the Jungle"that the band blew up overnight and the clip became one of the most iconic music videos of the '80s. The video itself offers a triptych of scenes: there's Axl fresh off the bus, rock star Axl and Axl having a nervous breakdown in the face of a deluge of radio news à laA Clockwork Orange– also known as today's news cycle.

4:a-ha: Face Me (1985)

The music video tooDogThe synth-pop classic from is not only memorable for its impressive special effects, but also for the song's falsetto highs. This video is the epitome of the 1980s: Rick Astley hair, romantic antics, and comic book-inspired pop art. It was also a labor of love, as illustrator Mike Patterson reportedly created over 3,000 sketches for the clip. The video was a huge hit and started the trend of animation in '80s music videos that would last for a decade.

3: Janet Jackson: Rhythm Nation (1989)

Afterjanet jacksonhe unleashed this video on the unsuspecting masses, we all wanted to be recruits into his Rhythm Nation. Directed by Domenic Sena, who directed the video for Let's Wait Awhile two years earlier, it presented a dystopian vision of dance, one in which Janet leads a sexy paramilitary troupe into their stylish future, with a penetrating attitude and a... sharp as a razor. choreography that goes beyond the standard for all subsequent dance videos.

2: Peter Gabriel: Sledgehammer (1986)

Impressive youngsters will remember this video for its amazing sound animation and Peter Gabriel starring in his own Pee Wee playhouse, but adults will remember the not-so-subtle animated hint that starts at the very beginning. Regardless, "Sledgehammer" is a truly groundbreaking promo and MTV's most-watched music video of all time.

1: Michael Jackson: Suspended (1983)

To have a music video other than "Thriller" ranked #1 on our list of the most iconic music videos of the '80s would be heresy. Play the director of An American Werewolf In London,miguel jacksonsingle-handedly transformed commercials into short films. The angel-faced ex-Motown boy wanted to explore the dark side of himself and had the budget to do so. Michael Jackson essentially left the lights on on the net, and "Thriller" became the first music video inducted into the Library of Congress's National Film Registry.

With such a prolific number of promo videos throughout the decade, it's hard to narrow down to just music videos from the '30s and '80s.Beastie Boyshe had already begun his creative takeover with music video parodies like "No Sleep Till Brooklyn". Heavy metal entered the mainstream in the '80s, and theThe best metal videoscontinue to amaze and amaze. However, some music videos (no matter how influential or infamous) are just NSFW, like B. The Weird "Sex Midget" by Soft Cell. And then there were the '80s music videos, which not only influenced but dominated the decade. Watch "She Drives Me Crazy" bygood young cannibalsand "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club. Good luck getting them out of your head.

Looking for more? find out why80's music is cooler than you think..