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Just Don't Call It Music Television

So MTV has finally admitted what we've all known for years: it's not about the music anymore.

On Monday, the network debuted its new logo, with its formerly defining tag-line — "Music Television" — gone for good. Perhaps it's proof that the 29-year-old network is so ubiquitous that it now transcends mere words. Or maybe it means what we've long suspected: music is truly dead at the cable station.

Does MTV still matter to music fans? [Poll]

MTV execs say that music is still an important part of the network's identity. But the cultural revolution that was once Music Television has long been replaced with the Brand MTV, best known these days for such shows as "Jersey Shore" and "The Hills."

MTV might as well be selling Kleenex, pushing Xerox machines, or competing with UPS, because the letters that once stood for something innovative and exciting are now part of the long line of made-up words and acronyms offering the big nothing.

Ah, but on August 1, 1981, when the brand-new network debuted with its instantly iconic logo — it was musical magic. Nothing but '80s video goodness and the whole world in front of us. Big hair, padded shoulders, and lots of guitar hooks. Here are the first ten music videos played that day, in their original order. Let the good times roll and let the funeral bells toll for world turned upside-down. I'll be waiting for this year's MTV Awards to air on the Food Network. Do they still have shows about food?

1. THE BUGGLES "Video Killed The Radio Star" Ground zero for MTV. Co-founder Trevor Horn would go onto future MTV successes with the bands Yes and Art of Noise.




2. PAT BENATAR "You Better Run" Born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski, Pat and her lead guitar player, Neil Giraldo, would marry in 1982. They're still together and they still rock.




3. ROD STEWART "She Won't Dance" Rod the Mod was pushing 40 when MTV debuted in 1981. He was recycling his old band Faces on this tune, but who knew?




4. THE WHO "You Better You Bet" Another veteran act that had an early '80s MTV makeover. Kenney Jones was on drums replacing the dearly departed Keith Moon. Coincidentally, Kenney was in Faces with Rod Stewart. Six degrees of Rod...




5. Ph.D "Little Suzi's On the Up" Going for the cred factor, MTV aired a video from a one-hit wonder U.K. band consisting of two former members of the Jeff Beck Group. Tesla covered the tune in 1986. 6. CLIFF RICHARD "We Don't Talk Anymore" This one rounded out the trio of videos from slowly aging rock dudes. Cliff Richard was the ripe age of 41 when he made his MTV debut. He was a major heartthrob in the U.K., but in the U.S? Not so much.




7. THE PRETENDERS "Brass In Pocket" This video was the best thing on MTV that first day. It's still one of the best things the channel ever aired. But my Chrissie crush prejudices me.




8. TODD RUNDGREN "Time Heals" The former Utopia front man was pushing the limits of early music video production on Day One, with lots of pre-computer trickery that inspired a generation of Mac users.




9. REO SPEEDWAGON "Take It On the Run" "Heard it from a friend who " What can I even say about this? What would the '80s be without REO? 10. STYX "Rockin' the Paradise" What's the only thing better than a slammin' REO riff? Some Styx concept-album rock. It's no "Tommy," but it's got that classic rock bombast. Only two years later, Styx would up the ante with 1983's "Mr. Roboto." YES!!!


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Top Comment
  • +4
    Jersey-Gurl February 10, 2010 20:01:10
    Jersey-Gurl
    WTTV
    white-trash-televison.

    thats what my sister's friend told me :D wttv white-trash-televison sisters friend told
    >> See Replies
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  • Jersey-Gurl February 16, 2010 02:48:47
    Jersey-Gurl
    but hey, theres still the MTV Hits channel! All music videos!
  • hatshepsut123 February 14, 2010 01:01:27
    hatshepsut123
    MTV was such a great channel, now is stupid with stupid "reality" shows!!
  • +1
    Melinda February 11, 2010 15:26:51
    Melinda
    I don't know why they'd change it. So many people loved it as Music Television. I remember it was my favorite channel as a kid... even if I shouldn't have been watching it. The point is that now all it's doing is polluting minds with some of the dumbest shows I've ever seen or heard. It's a sad truth America. MTV has died and raising a generation of dumb down kids.
  • +1
    Anemone February 11, 2010 07:47:54
    Anemone
    Good, all they have now is mediocre reality shows. The only thing I like on MTV is I Love the 80's, I Love the 70's, and I Love the 90's.
  • +1
    escape.the.unruly.fate February 11, 2010 04:40:21
    escape.the.unruly.fate
    Mtv hasnt been Mtv since the rise of rap
  • +1
    Sarah ~Friends Not Followers~ February 11, 2010 01:15:05
    Sarah ~Friends Not Followers~
    My cuz says she remembers back when MTV played music. Then she says "That's how old I am." XD
  • +3
    STEFKA February 11, 2010 01:12:35
    STEFKA
    AFTER HEADBANGERS BALL WENT OFF THE AIR I BOY COTTED MTV......... I WANT MY MTV WITH BANDS THAT DON'T SELL OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • +1
    Eric ~ The Logician February 11, 2010 00:05:39
    Eric ~ The Logician
    Great post. MTV quit on the whole music thing a while ago. Even the music that they show doesn't have much to do with music. It has to do with sending terrible messages to children and young adults. For the "musicians" (using the term loosely) it has to do with putting on an act and forgetting about musicianship, with the primary goal being $. Unfortunately the effect is a generation that reinforces gender stereotypes and materialism. MTV shows us that it's all about how you look and how many people you sleep with. Women have to spend most of their time and money on looking a certain way. Guys have to sleep with as money girls as they can that look that way. And EVERYONE has to have a threesome before they die. Yup, no where in my rambling did I mention anything about music. And that's because MTV presents NOTHING that has to do with music.
  • Princess Eeyore February 10, 2010 23:50:07
    Princess Eeyore
    As I've said for years, it should now be called eMpTV.

    I shed no tears when Ken Ober kicked a few months ago, as he had that abomination known as Remote Control which i think was the start of the downward spiral of shows on that channel.
  • +1
    Anthony W. Leone February 10, 2010 21:20:07
    Anthony W. Leone


    It says it all. I really do miss the MTV that I had when it first came out. It played great music and the videos were fun to watch. Of course, it was the 80s.
  • Digital Thunderbird February 10, 2010 20:17:52
    Digital Thunderbird
    I was there at the start, when it was GOOD. Much of my playlist is culled from the spirit of early MTV. The beginning of the end came when they started playing the damn annoying Tom Tom Club video, but at least that gave me a chance to get up and go to the bathroom. Then Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna dragged it away from the rock and cutting edge new wave and into the pop realm, and they never looked back. By the mid-late 1980's I had given up on halting the degeneration and began calling them Moron Television.

  • +4
    Jersey-Gurl February 10, 2010 20:01:10
    Jersey-Gurl
    WTTV
    white-trash-televison.

    thats what my sister's friend told me :D wttv white-trash-televison sisters friend told
  • +3
    Arya February 10, 2010 19:22:51
    Arya
    MTV has sucked for YEARS, I prefer VH1 Classic..
  • Matthew Kirshner February 10, 2010 14:47:03
    Matthew Kirshner
    Very interesting, Shawn. Always knew what the first two videos were, but thanks for rounding out the ten.

    For the record, Pat Benatar is to me as Chrissie Hynde is to you. <3

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Shawn Amos

Shawn Amos

CA, US

October 20, 2009 12:35:58

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