There is some irony that "The Buggles: Video Killed the Radio Star" is a music video and as such against the message of this 3.5-minute short film. But you have to go with the trend I guess and as such, it is a pretty good work of quality. Actually, this year, in 2016, so over 35 years later, there are many new music videos out there that are clearly inferior in quality. I got curious about this one here as I saw Hans Zimmer in the cast. I did not recognize him as the keyboarder in the video, but this is probably only because he was still very young. Annyway, pretty catchy tune and psychedelic music video. Nice to hear it again. It definitely has been quite some time since I last came across it. Recommended.
4 Reviews
Some thoughts on this important classic
Rodrigo_Amaro1 August 2023
And they certainly did it (42 years ago on this date) with the great assistance of MTV during their launch in 1981. I like the fact that the video
wasn't comissioned by the network, since it was originally released in 1979 and bear in mind that the song, by predicting the future The Buggles had as
their concept the idea of what the future would be like with cameras all around, futuristic sets crowded with artefacts, television screen and those huge
glasses worn by the lead singer. Early MTV with those countless colorful new wave/pop videos end up being exactly like that.
Even with two years of delay, the video was perfect for the zeitgeist of the television of the future with countless images, colors and sounds going on, and from there countless of iconic music videos, with Hollywood budgets and filmmakers being part of that, or even sending starting the careers of many future film directors who managed to replicate their style of cinematography and editing to the big screen.
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is catchy, highly memorable and quite fun to hear it; the video is quite alright but for a generation it was the beginning of a new era, the visual era where consuming music wasn't just with our ears but also with the images. The world was never the same afterwards.
As for the radio star, many of them had to reinvent their careers and follow the trend. But whenever I hear the song or its title alone I keep thinking of Christopher Cross and his supernova career with a best-selling multi-Grammy-award winning debut album in 1979 - a true radio star - but when MTV came on the scene it was as if he vanished. He made a couple of videos, being "Charm the Snake" the one that could really get an MTV audience with its presentation revolving racing cars. But poor guy never had the chance to compete with the then new musical scene, or at least find a young audience to follow him. So, The Buggles proved a point and MTV felt the need to have such song is their kickstart. Thus, becoming a classic. 8/10.
Even with two years of delay, the video was perfect for the zeitgeist of the television of the future with countless images, colors and sounds going on, and from there countless of iconic music videos, with Hollywood budgets and filmmakers being part of that, or even sending starting the careers of many future film directors who managed to replicate their style of cinematography and editing to the big screen.
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is catchy, highly memorable and quite fun to hear it; the video is quite alright but for a generation it was the beginning of a new era, the visual era where consuming music wasn't just with our ears but also with the images. The world was never the same afterwards.
As for the radio star, many of them had to reinvent their careers and follow the trend. But whenever I hear the song or its title alone I keep thinking of Christopher Cross and his supernova career with a best-selling multi-Grammy-award winning debut album in 1979 - a true radio star - but when MTV came on the scene it was as if he vanished. He made a couple of videos, being "Charm the Snake" the one that could really get an MTV audience with its presentation revolving racing cars. But poor guy never had the chance to compete with the then new musical scene, or at least find a young audience to follow him. So, The Buggles proved a point and MTV felt the need to have such song is their kickstart. Thus, becoming a classic. 8/10.
The Greatest Music Video Of All Time
baylorthornton7 April 2019
You heard me. The best music video ever isn't Thriller, Fat, This Is America, Bachellorette, or Hurt. Even though those are all fantastic, I've got to go with Video Killed The Radio Star. Why? Because it represents everything music videos should be. MTV opened to the sight of wide eyed Trevor Horn inventing the 80s. Video totally did kill the radio star. Ohh-wha-ooh.
The Buggles: Video Killed the Radio Star is still important as the music short that launched MTV
tavm19 April 2017
When MTV began its broadcast on August 1, 1981, this particular video was its launching pad, so to speak. Watching it now, it seems both futuristic and retro concerning the way the sets were designed, hair was worn, and music was presented at the time. Listening to the lyrics now, I still can't understand its point but it's still alluring to hear it, even now. So yeah, The Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star still enchants with its looks and sound.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
