Before we talk about the most played videos on MTV, do you remember the first video you saw on MTV? I do. It was “Rock the Casbah” by The Clash. My mind was blown. I have to give MTV credit for exposing me to music that I didn’t know existed. Because of this, I attribute my lasting love of 80’s-90’s Alternative Rock to my days of watching MTV.
As much as I loved my MTV, it was back in the early days when MTV really was MUSIC TELEVISION.. that’s when you had me, fools. One of our recent Throwback Thursday tracks, “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel, made me think about MTV and wonder… “What were the most played videos on MTV?”
My Money Is On Sledgehammer
“Sledgehammer” HAS to be on the list. In my opinion, this video was groundbreaking. It was one of the first to use stop-motion claymation. “Sledgehammer” had Stephen Johnson directing the video… he had given a similar treatment to The Talking Heads’ “Road To Nowhere” the year before.
These types of videos are not plentiful. I have to believe that the budget dollars and time required to put them together were all insanely high.
The “Sledgehammer” video cost a ton of money and had some crazy issues. Peter Gabriel kept getting electrocuted by his light-up suit. They had to Scotchlite tape HIM and THE ENTIRE SET to fix the problem.
I read that they also used model chickens for the chicken dances in the video. The chickens are postmortem. As a result, the shelf life was an issue. I’m going out on a limb and saying they went through a LOT of chicken models. I know. It is gross. Suddenly, the chicken dances seem less funny to me, but let’s move along.
At the end of the day, “Sledgehammer” was a ground-breaking video and well received. In 1987, “Sledgehammer” swept the MTV Video Music Awards.
What Were the FIRST videos played on MTV?
MTV debuted on August 1st, 1981. Chances are good you and I both know the first song: “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. I have recently rewatched Pat Benatar’s “You Better Run” video. It’s so great to see her at a time when she’s about to take off. Third: Rod Stewart’s “She Won’t Dance With Me.”
Oh, and a sidenote of trivia that I love, did you know that the first “rap” song played on MTV was Blondie’s “Rapture?” To check out more of the first day of MTV’s videos CLICK HERE. Now let’s find out which songs were the most played videos on MTV. My list is reflective of actual play on MTV.
The 8 Most Played Videos on MTV
