More videos from the 1980’s! Here’s Part 1 if you want more.
“Beat It” by Michael Jackson (1983)
Though the “Thriller” video gets most of the love today when looking back at Michael Jackson’s 1980’s rocketing to stardom, it is actually this video that put him at the top. It was a sensation. The video dominated MTV for months and the song won just about all the awards. Its also the video that pushed Jackson’s dance skills more into the public eye. Heck… it even made Weird Al Yankovich a star as his parody “Eat It” was his first huge hit. Observations:
- MJ was the man!
- The red coat is pretty awesome too
- Interesting that back then MJ could be seen as someone who could step into the middle of a gang fight and make a difference.
So 80’s pieces: Jheri curls, Gang look, Men with long earrings, Collars up, Starts or ends with a single person in a bed, Smoking in a bar, Mechanical gas pump, white socks with loafers, Bandanas
“Heart of Glass” by Blondie (1979)
OK… It is not technically the 1980’s, but this Blondie song had legs that took it well into the 1980’s. There’s just something mesmerizing about it. Observations:
- Debbie Harrie is awesome
- I can’t figure out if the video is about Harry or her shawl or her dress.
- The bassist looks like Jesse Eisenberg
- I read that this was a song Blondie started performing in the mid-70’s and later, due to the success of “Saturday Night Fever,” they infused it with some disco elements and released it in this form on their 3rd album.
- Blondie is the only U.S. band to have #1 hits in the U.K. in the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s
- If you liked this you can check out a few of their other videos: “Call Me” , “One Way Or Another” on American Bandstand
So 80’s pieces: Woman in a tie, 4 button suit coat, Low budget
Todd Jacobucci presents “Heart of Glass” by Blondie from Todd Jacobucci on Vimeo.
“Party Train” by The Gap Band (1983)
OMG! I totally forgot about this video. It is stupendous. And so, so 80’s. After watching it a few times I feel “Party Train” is an underplayed 80’s classic nowadays. Observations:
- I like everything the Gap Band guy in red is bringing to the video: Driving the car, the big glasses, the wrist bands… He doesn’t quite have the rhythm of the others and may not know the words to the song, but he’s still having fun with a big smile on his face. He GETS it.
- I bet they did walk down the street like that all the time…. 3 wide, black leather in the lead, the other two trying to keep up. They owned their neighborhood
- Some of the breakdancing is really bad. So is the lipsynching
- 50 years from now when someone sees this video the first thing that will come to their minds is “The 80’s”. Aliens could invade from another planet and they’d know.
So 80’s pieces: THE WHOLE VIDEO!, Break dancing pants, Bad hair, Collars up, Big glasses, Boomboxes, Hare Krishnas
“Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” by Wham!
This is one of the more embarrassing efforts of the 80’s. The whole thing feels strangely uncomfortable. It has a bit of a feeling a Christian dance band, but its lead by… George Michael? Some observations:
- Seeing this video today, I now know it was really just a display mechanism for George Michael’s eyebrows.
- Black light trying to be cool
- I almost didn’t recognize Michael with that nose.
So 80’s pieces: Women screaming for George Michael, Painter’s hat, HAIR!