MTV anniversary: A look at the first five music videos

Saturday marks the 34th anniversary of the launch of MTV, which, kiddies, originally stood for Music Television because the channel played a round-the-clock diet of a then-revolutionary art form called music videos. So let’s travel back to Aug. 1, 1981, and recall the first five videos that launched a revolution. The Buggles, “Video Killed the Radio Star.” The British duo’s 1979 international hit was, of course, an absolutely bril- liant choice to kick off the channel at 12:01 a.m. Pat Benatar, “You Better Run.” The shag-haired star rocked out with a cover of the Rascals’ 1966 hit in a performance video. Rod Stewart, “She Won’t Dance With Me.” Clad in a lime-green jumpsuit open to his navel, Rod prances around the stage as his band lays down some very Rolling Stones-ish licks. The Who, “You Better You Bet.” A black-and-white performance clip of the song that reached No. 18 the previous spring, the last top 20 hit the band would have. Ph.D., “Little Susie’s on the Up.” An otherwise-obscure British electro-pop band earned the coveted fifth spot with this concept video whose three minutes featured butchers, blow dryers and ballroom dancing. (And in case you were wondering, the band’s name had nothing to do with members’ academic credentials; rather, it was reflecting the first letters of the trio’s surnames.)