What was the first music video on MTV?
Quick answer
The first music video shown on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the British duo The Buggles. It aired at 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981, moments after the channel launched with the words “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.” The song’s title made it a fitting choice for a channel built around music videos.
The launch
MTV, short for Music Television, started broadcasting on cable TV in the United States on August 1, 1981. The first images were footage of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, with an astronaut planting an MTV flag; see who was the first person on the Moon. The “Moonman” later became the shape of MTV’s Video Music Awards trophy.
The first few videos
| Order | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Video Killed the Radio Star” | The Buggles |
| 2 | “You Better Run” | Pat Benatar |
| 3 | “She Won’t Dance with Me” | Rod Stewart |
| 4 | “You Better You Bet” | The Who |
Few cable systems carried MTV at first, so only a small number of homes saw the launch.
Who were The Buggles?
The Buggles were Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes. Their 1979 song was about nostalgia for the radio era. Horn went on to become one of the most successful record producers of the 1980s.
How MTV changed music
- Image mattered: artists such as Madonna, Duran Duran and Michael Jackson became stars partly through striking videos.
- In 1983, Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” helped break barriers for Black artists on MTV, which had been criticized for rarely playing them. See who is the King of Pop.
- The 14-minute “Thriller” video (1983) turned music videos into mini movies.
- MTV launched the Video Music Awards in 1984 and MTV Unplugged in 1989.
Fewer videos, more reality TV
From the late 1990s, MTV shifted toward reality shows such as The Real World, Jackass and Jersey Shore. Most music videos are now watched online, on platforms such as YouTube.
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