15t2 g1fp1 week 08 - early 1980s - mtv and eighties pop

8/17/2019 15T2 G1FP1 Week 08 - Early 1980s - MTV and Eighties Pop

1/31

G FP

Foundations of Popular Contemporary Music

Trimester 2, 2015

LECTURE 8

Early 1980s: MTV and Eighties Pop.


2/31

Introduction

• The development of technology

• The development of the music video

• The spread of television

• The new ‘MTV’ stars

• Early and mid 1980s pop


3/31

MTVVideo killed the radio star(well, not really, but …)


4/31

Introduction to the Music Video

• Music videos are different to films withmusic

– In a film with music, the music is written to the

film.• Name any Hollywood Blockbuster and you'll get the

idea.

– In a music video, the film is created to themusic.

• MTV

• Fantasia


5/31

Introduction to the Music Video

• The music video today is an extremely

powerful promotional tool.

– Often it the visual aspect of a music video canbe more important than the music

– Today, we're going to look at the history of the

music video, where it came from and discussthe form.


6/31

The rise of the music video1920-1980

• Music videos date back to the 1920s – The Visual Music of Oskar Fischinger

– The follow-the-bouncing-ball Screen Songs of Max Fleischer

– The Silly Symphonies of Walt Disney


7/31

• Video jukeboxes haveexisted since the 1940s

– 1940s - Panoram visual

jukebox• Jukeboxes that would show a

promotional film of a band

• Usually just short films of a band

playing a number on a stage

• These were called "Soundies"

• Thousands were made (mostly of

jazz musicians)



8/31

• The Beatles began releasing feature films early intheir career – "Hard day's night" (1964) – "Help!" (1965) – "Magical Mystery Tour" (1967)

• Also released promotional clips for broadcast anddistribution in other countries – primarily the USA – sothey wouldn't have to film live appearances – Early videos were simply filmed performances

• "Paperback Writer "(1966)

– Later ones are much more sophisticated• "Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967)• "Penny Lane" (1967)



9/31

• The Byrds also adopted this approach with

their video of "Set You Free This Time" (1965)

• The concept was also adopted by The

Monkees in the US.



10/31

• Music clips became increasinglyimportant in the late 60s/early 70s

– "Dead End Street" (1966) by The

Kinks

• The first "plot" promo clip.

• This is a small comic-movie where the

band members are undertakers in

London streets

• Unusually, there was no lip-sync at all

• The BBC reportedly refused to play it

citing bad taste.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-

N3UYE


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-N3UYEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-N3UYEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-N3UYEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-N3UYEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WPC-N3UYE


11/31

• “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen – This was a pivotal video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ • Established several of the conventions of music

videos• Established the practice of creating music videos for

releases of all major releases of artists – Created on a tight schedule

• Filmed in the same day.• Edited in 5 hours.• All special effects were achieved during the recording

• A 2007 poll rated this video as the greatest British musicvideo of all time


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ


12/31

Changes in Music Video 1980s

• Two key innovations were needed to allow thedevelopment of the modern music video

– The development of relatively inexpensive and

easy-to-use video recording and editing equipment – The development of a number of related effects such

as chroma-key.

• This enabled many pop acts to produce

promotional videos quickly and cheaply, incomparison to the relatively high costs of usingfilm.


13/31

Countdown

• Countdown (1974-1987)

– Hugely popular music television show

– Featured large amounts of Australian content

– Performances

• Majority of performances were lip-synced

• However, it was the first music

television show to includepromotional music videos

• Paved the way for MTV


14/31

Top of the Pops (UK)

(1964-2006)

• Show featured acts

• Both up and coming and established

• Like Countdown, most acts lip-synced.

• Success extremely difficult in Britain

without TOTP exposure


15/31

MTV

• Cable TV started in the US in the 1970s – Cable TV as a necessity

• In areas where antenna transmission was unsatisfactory• Hilly or mountainous areas

• An alternative to broadcast television

– Specialty channels appeared• 24-hour channels devoted to specific concepts• First focus was on recent movies broadcast without commercials

• Cable providers expanded the programming spectrum – More specialty channels to add to

their roster

• Sports• News• Weather

– MTV was the music channel concept


16/31

• MTV had many problems at the beginning – Many of the first music videos were shot on shoestring

budgets

– Cable television was not yet widely available

– MTV had its biggest audience wherever HBO and otherpremium channels succeeded• Mainly in the Midwest

• MTV played videos by white mainstream rock artists

– MTV did sell advertising

• Their programming was directed atadvertisers' target audience

• For its first couple of years, MTV'smain audience was teenagers inthe Midwest

MTVThe Early Years


17/31

• Record companies soon considered videos tobe crucial promotional tools

– MTV began to rival FM radio as the place to makeor break hit records

• MTV became an important aspect of thepopular-music business during the 1980s – The principal criticism: MTV

favored artists' visual aspectsover their musical aspects

– Consequently poor musicalquality was overlooked (or ignored)

MTVThe Early Years


18/31

The New Elite

• The development of MTV, Countdown andother video shows promoted the developmentof musicians who were – Visually "marketable" and

– Had a sense of the theatrical

• Two musicians in particular became the elite of

this – Michael Jackson

– Madonna


19/31

Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009)

• Jackson earned the title "King of Pop"

– Jackson sold tens of millions of records for Epic

– He won numerous awards

– Enormous dancing skill• Continued the choreography tradition of the Temptations

– Became the biggest star in popular music duringthe 1980s

– Jackson was perfect for the newly emergingvideo age of pop


20/31

• At around the same time as "Billie Jean"Michael Jackson embarked upon a hugemusic video project.

• “Thriller” – Most expensive music video of its time ($500 000)

– Most successful music video (selling 9 000 000

copies)

– More of a mini-movie rather than a music video

Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009)


21/31

• Depended as much on the visual aspect of her music asthe sonic dimension

• Appeal was almost exclusively to white audiences

• Worked as a dancer in New York with professional dance

troupes – Pearl Lange

– Alvin Ailey

• First recordings were successful in the New York dance-

club scene• Signed with Sire records: one of the most important labelsin New York new wave

Madonna (1958)(Madonna Louise Ciccone)


22/31

• Madonna's music – Often driven by a dance beat – Strong evidence of her dance-club background – "Like a Virgin"

• Cheerful repeating bass line• Layers of synthesisers provide the accompaniment

– Madonna expanded her stylistic range• Moodier songs such as "Papa Don't Preach"• Sensual songs like "Justify My Love" (the video was

banned on MTV) – Madonna has played an active creative role on

many of her albums• Songwriter credits• Production credits

Madonna (1958)(Madonna Louise Ciccone)


23/31

The Madonna Image

• One of the most commercially successful artists in the

music business

• Relentlessly challenged her perception of society's

troubling issues• Madonna put on the role of “boy toy” sex object in

order to call it into question

• She can be linked to previous figures who adopted

personae e.g, Jim Morrison, Alice Cooper, David

Bowie, KISS


24/31

The Madonna Image

• She has explored many social issues – Sexual conduct

– Racial issues

– Women's roles

– Spirituality• Reactions:

– Detractors have accused her of seeking publicity throughtitillation

– Supporters have praised her methods of bringing important

social issues up for debate• Her videos have been studied for their symbolism

and profound juxtapositions


25/31

Other significant musicians

• US successes

– Prince

– Cyndi Lauper

• British successes

– Duran Duran

– Culture Club

– Eurhythmics

– Tears for Fears


26/31

• In December 1992, MTV began listing directors with theartist and song credits, reflecting the fact that music

videos had increasingly become an filmmaker's medium.

• Directors included

– Michel Gondry

– Spike Jonze

– Mark Romanek

– Hype Williams• Some of these directors, including, Gondry, Jonze and F.

Gary Gray, went on to direct feature films.

MTV1992 - 2004


27/31

Australian music in the 1980s

• The 1980s were a boom period for Australianmusic.

• While the US and UK were moving towards the

new romantics and synth pop, The Australianlocal pub rock scene was thriving.

• A unique and independent music scene wasdeveloping which would later influence the riseof grunge and indie rock worldwide (see week10).


28/31

1980s Australian Rock Hits the Big Time

• Australian rock bands have chart successin the US and the UK:

• Little River Band

• Men at Work

• AC/DC

• INXS

• Midnight Oil• and later Crowded House


29/31

1980s Australian Rock Hits the Big Time

• Including international hit singles:• Real Life with "Send Me an Angel”

• Divinyls with "Pleasure and Pain”

• Big Pig with "Breakaway” • Rick Springfield with "Jessie's Girl”

• Moving Pictures with “What about me”

• Jimmy Barnes and Michael Hutchence with "GoodTimes" a song by the Australian songwriting duoVanda & Young, it was included on The Lost Boyssoundtrack.


30/31

1980s Australian Pop

• Australia had it own thriving popular music market inthe 1980s.

• Bands and artists could have a decent career withoutmaking it overseas: – The Models

– Sunnyboys

– Hunters & Collectors

– Johnny Diesel

– Hoodoo Gurus – Mental As Anything

– Eurogliders

– Icehouse

– Boom Crash Opera

- Do Ré Mi- Rockmelons- Paul Kelly- Jenny Morris- The Triffids

- The Choirboys- Redgum- Goanna- 1927- Noiseworks

- The Black Sorrow


31/31

Conclusion

• The 1980s introduced a variety of musicthat remains popular and important today.

• The beginning of the rise of the video

(YouTube, et cetera)

• The shape of today’s music

15t2 g1fp1 week 08 - early 1980s - mtv and eighties pop

Documents