If the ’80s gave us one thing, it was those incredible music videos – Muddy River News

1.  I’m pretty sure it can safely be said the 1980s were the unofficial Era of the Music Video. It was a glorious time, wasn’t it?

Here are my 10 favorites from that decade, which upped the game for our favorite rock bands and individual artists. No longer could they just stand in front of a microphone and sing. Audiences came to expect full-blown storylines. I kind of miss those days … 

How many of the following do you remember?

1. “Take On Me” (1984) by a-Ha: This video will always be remembered for its groundbreaking blend of live-action and pencil-sketch animation, using what is called “rotoscoping.” The process created a seamless comic book world where animated characters interacted with real people. Oh, and the music was pretty good, too. To this day, “Take On Me” is rewarding to replay on YouTube.

2. “Thriller” (1983) by Michael Jackson: Its groundbreaking status as a 14-minute horror-themed short film with cinematic production, elaborate choreography and a narrative storyline helped elevate music videos from simple promotional clips to a significant art form. Honestly, I was never a huge, huge fan of the song, but this video was — and will always be — amazing. Kudos to Jackson.

3. “Alone” (1985) by Heart: Ann Wilson’s incredible powerhouse vocal range fittingly accented the presentation’s gothic aesthetics and intense emotion. This song — and in particular, this video — resurrected the group’s career and re-established Heart as a major rock player.

4. “Livin’ On A Prayer” (1986) by Bon Jovi: Remember when this would come on the TV and by halfway through the whole room was joining in on the chorus of this ’80s anthem? Yeah, those were the days.

5. “Every Breath You Take” (1983) by The Police: The finest of all The Police efforts, accented by its simple black-and-white approach. Sting was never better. Hard to believe it was 43 years ago when this first appeared on our TV screens.

6. “Addicted To Love” (1986) by Robert Palmer: Remember those mannequin-like, heavily made-up female models who mimed instruments with robotic, vacant expressions and created a visually striking — and somewhat controversial — image that transformed the song into a pop culture phenomenon?

7. “The Boys Of Summer” (1984) by Don Henley: Like “Every breath You Take” from The Police, “The Boys of Summer” hypnotized viewers with its striking black-and-white visuals, plus creating nostalgic memories while promoting all sorts of themes from lost youth to disillusionment. It was truly a work of art.

8. “How Will I Know” (1985) by Whitney Houston: This was Whitney at her finest. The watercolor-ish look of the video was intriguing and complimented Whitney’s hoppin’ and boppin’ throughout this three minutes of musical mastery.

9. “Here I Go Again” (1987) by Whitesnake: Arguably the favorite video of the 1980s if asking most teenage boys from that period, this video featured actress Tawny Kitaen’s sensual and gymnastic dancing on the hoods of two luxury Jaguars. She became a huge pop culture figure that helped, many observers feel, define the decadence of that decade. Kitaen was later married to MLB pitcher Chuck Finley.

10-tie. “Legs” (1984) by ZZ Top: This was one of the 1980s videos from the band’s “Eliminator” album that helped elevate the group to iconic status. ZZ Top arguably took the most advantage of 1980s videos is to create a special kind of aura around the group. The videos were known for both their humor and cleverness.

10-tie. “Money For Nothing” (1985) by Dire Straits: The video’s groundbreaking computer-generated imagery captured a nation of music listeners, not to mention helping define an era. The video also won several major awards en route to becoming Dire Straits’ first No. 1 hit.

2. Did you know (Part 612)

• — That Nike sells 25 pairs of shoes each second around the world.
• — That Alexander Graham Bell gained fame for his invention of the telephone, but his little brother, Taco, worked on some important stuff, too.
• — That “mamihlapinatapai” is that silent look between two people who both want the same thing, but each hopes the other will make the first move.
• — That the color you see when you close your eyes is not black, it’s called “eigengrau.”
• — That the scientific term for nail biting is “onychophagia.”

3. Appalachian Word of the Day: Inhale.

“Why inhale are the prices of eggs so high?”

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Your winner in tonight’s college football championship game will be Indiana. Three national titles in a row for The Big Ten. Indiana 31, Miami 17.