Rockwell’s hits with Michael Jackson: 1.  Rockwell’s hits without Michael Jackson: 0.

Kennedy William Gordy had two very well known childhood friends: Michael and Jermaine Jackson. It also didn’t hurt that his sister married Jermaine when it came time to ask the two Jacksons to sing backup on his one and only hit. The video itself is a creepy nightmare about, well you can probably guess what it’s about.

WATN? Who knows? This guy is so WATN that WATN can’t find him.

Trivia: His half sister is the daughter of Diana Ross.

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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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The lads released their landmark documentary, This is Spinal Tap, in 1984, and the American “mockumentary” was born! This video was in regular rotation on MTV and many people didn’t realize they weren’t really a band! This team went on to create the comedy classics Waiting for Guffman, Might Wind, Best in Show, and For Your Consideration.

WATN? David St. Hubbins achieved immortality by uttering the following,

“Well, I don’t really think that the end can be assessed as of itself as being the end because what does the end feel like? It’s like saying when you try to extrapolate the end of the universe, you say, if the universe is indeed infinite, then how – what does that mean? How far is all the way, and then if it stops, what’s stopping it, and what’s behind what’s stopping it? So, what’s the end, you know, is my question to you.”

Trivia: The butler in the video is the same butler from Ratt’s Round and Round video.

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This video gets 5 guitars if for no other reason than I said so! Round and Round is a classic 80’s rock/hairband/whatever you want to call it song. Ratt is often mislabeled as a one hit wonder, but they managed to release three subsequent albums that sold over a million copies each.

My one beef with the video is that the band is playing in the attic, but the album is called Out of the Cellar. Picky maybe, but it always bothered me.

WATN? After breakups, reunions, line-up changes, and the death of Robin Crosby, the band is back together and touring. Look for a new album in 2009.

Trivia: Comedian Milton Berle appears in the video. Warren DeMartini actually jumped through the ceiling himself. They couldn’t afford a stuntman.

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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