On Saturday, August 1, 1981 at 12:01 AM EST something magical happened; videos were shown of the songs fans heard on the radio. There were VJs, countdowns, and more. What were the most awesome MTV rock videos of the 80s?
1.) “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones
2.) “Thriller” from Michael Jackson
3.) “Love is a Battlefield” by Pat Benetar
4.) “California Girls” by David Lee Roth
5.) “You Can Call Me Al” from Paul Simon
6.) “Danger Zone” with Kenny Loggins
7.) “We’re Not Going to Take It” from Twister Sister
8.) “Rio” by Duran Duran
9.) “Every Breath You Take” from the Police
Prologue: The 80s provided a combination of smash tunes and really cool videos. There isn’t as much diversity in the list as we’d like to see, but the 80s proved to be a fertile ground for these artists adapting to the new medium of videos pushing record sales. We’re not sure you’ve noticed, but there are no ballads on this list.
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