It was the first, but it certainly wasn’t the best. Midnight, August 1st 1981, MTV launched and this was the first video they aired.  Ironically, video didn’t kill the radio star, rather turning the artists who grasped the power of MTV into mega radio stars.  This one gets in on a technicality, though. It was originally recorded and released in 1979. It hit #1 in the U.K., but the band didn’t have enough material for a full album. It was included in the 1980 release, The Age of Plastic.

As for the video, it’s the classic low budget fair that dominated the early videos. I have to say the back up singers creeped me out. They look like the kids from Village of the Damned.

WATN? Who cares. People were asking that about 6 months after MTV launched.

Rating: