Is it me or was every 3rd Toto song the name of a girl? Toto had a revolving door of lead singers, so that might explain it. Pamela reached number 22 on the charts and the video was helped by a parade of models. I guess when you throw some jazz horns behind the guitars, the sexy models become art. When the models do the same thing in a heavy metal video, their called tramps. You say tomato, I say…

WATN? Toto officially called it quits on June 5, 2008.

Trivia? Paula Abdul (then unknown) made her video debut in the Toto video Till The End.

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Oh, yeah. You’re a closet Seagulls fan. Admit it and come over to the dark side. We have cookies. This video was in heavy rotation in 1982 and scored the band their first top ten hit. (Despite their perception as a one hit wonder, they did have 2 other singles crack the top 10.) The video is a perfect time capsule of the New Wave genre (both the hair and the heavy use of synthesisers.)  We give it 5 guitars, cause we’re weird like that.

WATN? The band last toured in 2005.

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This video gets 2 guitars if for no other reason than it prevented Michael Jackson from having back to back number 1 singles. For one week in between Billie Jean and Beat It, Come On Eileen held the number 1 spot in America. The band mixes British pop, Celtic fiddle, and the worst fitting overalls to ever grace MTV. They all look like their waiting for a 100 year flood.  American singer Johnny Ray makes an appearance at the beginning of the video, but we here at Pound note think it could have been left out.

WATN? They released an album in 2007 that was mostly a rehashing of their first 2 albums.

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We had to give this video a guitar just for the dog wearing sunglasses alone! Throw in Valerie Day (who we here at Pound Note had a major crush on in the 80’s) as well as some cool special effects and you have one of the better videos of the 80’s.  The song itself hit #3 in the U.S. in June of 1986. The following year they were nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Artist Catagory (they lost to Bruce Hornsby).

WATN? After 2 albums Nu Shooz took a long hiatus. Happily, they are back as the Nu Shooz Orchestra. They’ve remade their early music with horns, strings, etc.  Look for a new disc soon.

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What the Bleep is this? That’s what longtime Scritti Politti fans had to be thinking when they saw this video. The band released Cupid & Psyche 85 in 1985 (of course) and it was a huge departure from their previous sound. Originally a post punk rock band with heavy Marxist overtones, this album was pure 80’s pop. I can only compare it to The Clash releasing something that sounds like Toto. Anyway, American pop fans took to it and Perfect Way was their first and only U.S. top 20 hit.

WATN? They toured most recently in 2006 with only one original member.

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The Hooters released their album of the eighties on this date in 1989. I’ve always felt this band was horribly underrated. Although they had other songs that were bigger hits (and we will get to them, Ket), this song is one of my favs. It’s a tune that dates back to the civil war that they remade and added lyrics that were relevant at the time (including a reference to Tienanmen Square). Sixties folk icons Peter, Paul, and Mary sing back up on the song.

WATN? The Hooters are still going strong, after a six year hiatus from 1995 to 2001. Mostly successful in Europe, they released another studio album (Time Stand Still) in 2007.

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Which all female group has the most chart entries in history? It’s not Destiny’s Child or The Go-Go’s. And, it’s not the Supremes, Spice Girls, or Pussycat Dolls.  Believe it or not, it’s these three ladies from Bristol, England.

Bananarama hit # 1 in both the U.S. and U.K. with this video. I can’t say I know why, but it has enough creepy elements to helps us coundown to Halloween. There are devils, coffins, and of course the performers themselves, who are pretty easy on the eyes.

WATN? Bananarama is working on a new album of Disco cover tunes.

TRIVIA: Victoria Beckham recorded a version of the song for her demo tape when auditioning for the Spice Girls.

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The Go-Go’s were the first all female group that wrote all their own songs and performed their own instruments to top the Billboard Album Charts. Head Over Heels, from the album Talk Show was their final top twenty single. Less than a year later, the Go-Go’s called it quits.

This was an odd entry into the their video library. Charlotte Caffey (keyboards) has a creepy sort of smile on her face at the beginning. Her eyes look like she’s trying to say, “help, I’m being held against my will and forced to play with these crazy chicks!”

Belinda Carlisle and Jane Weidlin appear to be wearing standard issue grey sweats stolen from some local high school gym class.  About 2:40 in to the video, they’re suddenly on the tarmac at LAX while a plane lands. Then they’re back in the studio. Not sure what the 5 seconds on the runway is about, but if you have a theory, do share.

WATN? The Go-Go’s are no longer touring or recording, but several members are doing solo projects.

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You probably couldn’t watch MTV for more than an hour or so in 1984 and not see this video. It broke new ground as one of the first videos to heavily use computerized effects.  The video helped push the song to #7 in the U.S. It broke ground again by winning the very first MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year.

WATN? Benjamin Orr died in 2000, ending any hopes of a reunion tour. However, several members reformed with Todd Rundgren under the name The New Cars.

Trivia: Despite a string of hit videos, it was the first and last VMA the Cars won.

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Ground Breaking Video

Update: Michael Jackson’s people got YouTube to take away the embedding feature from all his videos. Nice! You would think after living in exile, he could use the publicity. Anyway, we’re revoking his groundbreaking video status. Wankers!

Billie Jean by Michael Jackson was the Jackie Robinson of music videos. It was the first hit video by a black artist on MTV.  Although it was just the beginning of his dominance of early MTV, he had already made a ton of money from his first solo album and with the Jackson 5. So, there’s really no reason he couldn’t afford pants that fit. I do like the steps that light up when he dance/walks upstairs at the hotel. I’m thinking of installing some in my house.