Siouxsie and the Banshees had long been revered as leading gothic icons, yet after an extended career they took a daring and arty turn with this 1987 video for True Faith by French choreographer Philippe Decoufle featuring dancers reflecting both its emotional intensity and rhythmic beat while translating Bernard Sumner’s lyrics through sign language.
The Eurythmics
Eurythmics were an iconic British new wave duo in the ’80s. Led by Annie Lennox – also an accomplished musician and producer – who combined soulful vocals with sophisticated synthesizer music, Eurythmics became one of the best-known duos during that era. Formed following The Tourists’ dissolution in 1980, Eurythmics rose to fame thanks to hits such as their single Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).
While In the Garden was somewhat disappointing for them as a debut album, it did contain one gem: All the Young (People of Today). This hypnotic electronic track features blank-eyed vocals and served as a precursor for their more angular approach on later albums such as Right by Your Side and Here Comes the Rain Again which both reached #1 in charts while 1984’s Touch cemented them as major talents and cutting-edge musicians.
Rockit video may not have become as iconic as its song itself, but it certainly remains one of the most memorable rock videos from the 80s. Directed by David Mallet – later responsible for Queen and Visage music videos – this eerie, futuristic piece from David Mallet features crash test dummies, mutilated mannequins and bizarre technological entities all dancing and thrashing to its rhythms – an influential model which helped establish art-house style video production that flourished with MTV later that same decade.
Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses were an integral part of the ’80s musical landscape, thanks to both their massive hits and controversial antics. While their debut album Appetite for Destruction was an immediate hit, subsequent albums didn’t do as well due to alternative rock’s rise and conflicts between Rose and his bandmates, including drummer Steven Adler’s death as well as their messy break-up in 1987 which left the group without an official frontman.
After they reunited without guitarist Izzy Stradlin’s departure in 1994, the band continued making music until 2008 when Rose made the decision to complete Chinese Democracy as his magnum opus. Although still touring and performing today, Rose decided this project should no longer be considered mainstream act.
However, they remain one of the most iconic rock band music videos ever created. Sweet Child O’ Mine became the first from the ’80s to surpass one billion views on YouTube; and other classic clips can be seen below from Use Your Illusion era.
Dancing In The Street
At the dawn of the 80s, music videos had emerged as an invaluable way for artists to establish or break themselves. With MTV becoming the center of pop culture, musicians were free to experiment both musically and visually with video production; sometimes creating offbeat visuals or even humorous ones!
Martha And The Vandellas’ Dancing In The Street stands out amongst rock music videos from the 80s for being an unusual blend of popular 80s tropes such as political commentary, animation and melodramatic acting. Although strange by modern standards, Dancing In The Street became an instantaneous classic during its day and still makes for a compelling musical video today.
Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer video was an iconic MTV hit when it debuted, featuring eye-popping claymation animation that had viewers gasping at its beauty. Although somewhat outdated today, this production stands as one of the best music videos from the 1980s.
Tina Turner made history when her hit song and performance, “Hypnotically Catchy Hooks and Sexy Performance”, were released in 1984. Although its video may have been less dramatic than other 80s rock music videos, this memorable classic remains fun and enjoyable viewing.
Run-DMC & Aerosmith
Run-DMC was an ascendant hip hop group at that point while Aerosmith were experiencing gradual success but now beginning their decline. That year, however, they came together and created one of the most iconic rap-rock songs ever: “Walk This Way”. Song producer Rick Rubin heard Run-DMC’s version on radio and saw its potential. So he gave its opening beat directly to Joseph Simmons and Darryl McDaniels from Run-DMC without knowing it was taken from Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith from 1975!
It was an unprecedented collaboration, combining genres in ways never seen before and helping hip hop break into mainstream culture and revitalizing Aerosmith with hits like 1987’s Permanent Vacation following shortly afterwards. It marked an historic turning point.
Herbie Hancock rocked music with his sci-fi video for “Rockit,” his groundbreaking techno-funk single. Directed by Godley & Creme, it featured crash test dummies, mutilated mannequins and weird technological creatures all moving to the beat of the song – including crash test dummies! This viral clip became an instant classic and won five MTV awards that year; its success could even be considered as foreshadowing today’s video gaming craze that would later take over in later decades!
Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper of Brooklyn-born singer Cyndi Lauper became one of the defining forces in new wave music during the 80s with her groundbreaking hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, one of MTV’s first breakthrough hits and its powerful message about women liberation from oppressive forces that was as influential as her song itself.
Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking hip-hop/techno-funk video for “Rockit,” with its sci-fi-influenced imagery of crash test dummies and disfigured mannequins, set the standard for futuristic music videos of the 80s. Its use of page-turning transition effects and exoticism foreshadowed the numerous videos released later using similar visual aesthetics.
Lauper’s video for “Sweet Child O’ Mine” disproved any stereotypes about what girls were supposed to be like, while her video for “Hey Now” became a touchstone in feminist critique of rock music. Lewis notes how by placing words into her father (wrestler Captain Lou Albano) while he lip-synches along to the song, Lauper effectively mocked both his authority and patriarchy itself. Additionally, this video effectively leveraged gender multiplicity – chorus members were not limited by age or biological gender either! Furthermore, Felicia Collins’ performance as the guitar-playing nun marked yet another rejection of stereotypical masculine roles.
Duran Duran
Inspired by David Bowie and Roxy Music, school friends Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (guitar) formed Duran Duran in 1978 along with bassist Simon Colley and vocalist Stephen Duffy. Inspired by Roger Vadim’s psychedelic sci-fi movie Barbarella, their debut album Rio was met with critical acclaim but ultimately disappointed their listeners. Following this failure they placed an advertisement in Melody Maker to find new vocalist Simon Le Bon from punk group Dog Days as drama student at Birmingham University who auditioned by singing like an old rock star!
Le Bon was an ideal addition, not only as frontman but also from a songwriting perspective. He brought a more melodic tone to their groove-based melodies and helped propel their soaring pop songs upward.
Director Russell Mulcahy oversaw most of Duran Duran’s iconic videos. From performance clips shot slickly-for cinematic style, to epic on-location epics shot cinematically – these videos transcended promotional use into works of art. Duran Duran were perhaps the first band to truly become household names due to MTV airing their clever cinematic clips like Rio and Hungry Like The Wolf.