"... Someone still loves you"

It was one of the most sublime moments in '80s music: A sold-out Wembley Stadium falling in love again with Queen during the band's 1985 Live Aid Performance. The highlight of their short set -- "Radio Ga-Ga" -- the one time all afternoon when everything came together, if only for four minutes.

Whenever possible, I recommend starting your workday by playing the song. Nothing bad can happen when you start the day with an upbeat Queen song. (Better than picking "Who Wants to Live Forever" or "I Want To Break Free.")

But is "Radio Ga-Ga" just a happy phenomenon, or was it one of the truly great "anthems" of the '80s? I'm thinking of making our Sunday night chats on the blog a regular event -- what does everyone think? Maybe 8 or 9 p.m.? We'd have a topic to get us started -- I was thinking "name your favorite anthems" might be a good start. You know my feeling already ...

"You had your time, you had the power. You've yet to have your finest hour."

Aged cheese - direct from Canada

I guess in Canada, "Honeymoon Suite" is the favorite brand of cheese ... at least during our favorite decade.

This video -- for their hit "New Girl Now" -- is possibly filled with more '80s cliches than anything I've seen before. (Yes, the fake video for "Pop Goes My Heart" from the movie "Music & Lyrics" has been dethroned.) Fantastic song though.

The band was formed in 1982 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and hit pay-dirt in 1984  with their self-titled debut album. Four singles (New Girl Now, Burning In Love, Wave Babies and Stay In the Light) were hits in Canada while "New Girl Now" charted in the United States.

Honeymoon Suite is still alive and kicking -- they've got a nice official website and everything. And they're still playing gigs up north. If this video turned you on to their music, check out their 2006 two-disc set -- "Feel It Again: An Anthology."

Top 5 Van Halen videos

The nearly original lineup of Van Halen hits Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum on Monday, Feb. 18. Have your tickets already? (It's not sold out, strangely enough.)

If you're still sitting on the fence about whether to catch them live, maybe you need a little refresher course in the power of Diamond Dave and the VH boys.

Van Halen isn't a threat to win a video pioneer award during the annual MTV awards, but they had some memorable feats.

TOP 5 VIDEOS FROM VAN HALEN:

5. JUMP: Love the leopard-print jacket, Eddie. Between that and your beloved keyboard, you look like a lounge act. I'm just bitter because this video inspired me to take keyboard lessons (back then, we called them "organ lessons.") Too bad I only learned to play the theme to "Oklahoma!" (Watch it)

4. RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL: Just a straight-forward, lip-synced "stage" performance. But Dave's got his hips swaying wider than three Elvises, and it's always cheesy fun to watch Michael Anthony pick the bass line with his teeth. (Watch it)

3. PANAMA: The band in all its "1984" glory. Eddie with the sleeveless "dice" shirt, Michael with his Jack Daniels bass. Dave's goof-ball stage persona is really starting to show. "Yeah, we're running a little bit hot tonight..." (Watch it)

2. HOT FOR THE TEACHER: Early MTV at its finest. Kid versions of each band member and teachers throwing off clothing - classic. Basically a porn video for those of us in our formative years. "Sweet, sweet Waldo." I'd like to think Waldo grew up to be an 80s blogger. (Watch it)

1. RIGHT NOW: The only Van Hagar video on the list, but it's the best one. Right now, someone is agreeing with every word I'm writing. Right now, someone is deleting the "Stuck in the 80s" bookmark from their web browser. (Watch it)

10 minutes of total bliss

In a failed quest to find a trailer for the new Indiana Jones movie, I ran across this far cooler video today: A compilation of music video highlights for each year of the 80s.
Let's see the fans of 70s or 90s music come up with something that cool. Give it up, guys. It's all 80s here.

These shoulda been contenders

While compiling our list of New Year's Eve songs, one thing struck me: Why weren't more of these songs bigger hits?

No, not Sean Daly and Stephanie Hayes' picks! They went for the no-brainer tunes (and I'm still amazed that some of you out there like "Kiss" by Prince. Detestable song. And totally not a dance tune, which is it's only redeeming quality.) But songs like "The Walls Came Down" by The Call. I guess that band wasn't MTV-ready like some of the bigger names of the decade.

So here's the idea. Let's build our own list: Songs that should have been bigger hits in the 80s.

Obviously, there are some small qualifications we should agree to. Like, the song HAS TO BE BE FROM THE 80s! Also, while it's OK to have been a marginal hit, obviously anything too high in the charts is a hit already. Just trust your instinct and start leaving comments with your picks. Here are some of mine.

STEVE'S LIST OF SHOULDA-BEEN 80s HITS:

"We Close Our Eyes" (Oingo Boingo): Not my favorite song from one of my favorite bands, but easily the most radio-friendly of the bunch. Listen. ("I looked death in the face last night. I saw him in a mirror. And he simply smiled. He told me not to worry. He told me just to take my time.")

"Don't Let's Start" or "She's An Angel" (They Might Be Giants): One poppy and one not-so-poppy pick from the two Johns, possible the most under-appreciated act of the 80s.

"Straight to Hell" (The Clash): One of the most perfect songs from the "Combat Rock" album. ("Lemme tell ya 'bout your blood, bamboo kid. It aint Coca-cola ... it's rice.") Overshadowed by "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

"Ghost Dancing" (Simple Minds): It charted only in the UK, and still well below other tunes on the "Once Upon a Time" album. Listen to a live version though. Brilliant. ("If these old city walls should crash, amid the rubble you'd find us breathing.")

"Bittersweet" or "Like Wow - Wipeout" (Hoodoo Gurus): Two great cuts from the damn-nearperfect "Mars Needs Guitars" album. If you don't own that disc from '85, you're letting the best of life pass you by. ("Tears so bittersweet fill my eyes whenever we meet.")

Share your list and tune back in soon for a compiled and ranked list as well as a podcast.

Martha Quinn doesn't let the 80s down

When you're an 80s addict, is there anyone you'd rather talk to than Martha Quinn?

One of MTV's original veejays 26 years ago, today Quinn is back in the news, lending her name and chicness to a new computer trivia game called "The 80s Game with Martha Quinn." She also hosts a weekly show on the Sirius satellite radio network called "Martha Quinn Presents Gods of the Big 80s."

Now 47 years old, she has not surprisingly tapped into the Dick Clark Fountain of Youth, retaining her pixie, girl-next-door looks and friendly yet frisky voice. (Click here for her official website, with her own podcast.)

She recently chatted with Stuck in the 80s to promote her trivia game. While Times pop critic Sean Daly flattered her non-stop, I chatted her up about her love of Bon Jovi, one-hit wonders and today's celebrity gossip websites. Here are some highlights from the interview. (Click here to listen to the full interview with Martha Quinn. Or click here to subscribe to all our podcasts for free on iTunes.)

Stuck in the 80s: Martha, your voice is essentially ingrained in our DNA. You must have guys coming up to you all the time expressing their love to you.

Martha Quinn: "No, this is what happens, and it's always a double-edged sword to me because I know people are trying to be nice. . ... Someone will say 'Oh Martha, I used to have the biggest crush on you.' I'm like, 'Oh you used to? Who do you have a crush on now.' Typical female.

When MTV started 25 years ago, did anyone at the network envision you'd became the face of the music television revolution?

"You're the first person to ever ask that question. ... You know it's funny, every once in a while, I'll read an article and if they talking about the 80s, I've actually seem them to refer to those as the 'Martha Quinn Years.' And I'm like, 'Oh my god, that's incredible.' No, I'm quite sure that nobody had any idea because, you know, I was just some goofy kid off the street basically. It just worked out that way. I can't explain it. ... It worked out great and I'm honored.

Is it a burden to have that responsibility fall on you?

"Well, I try not to drive and drive so that I don't let the 80s down. You know how I feel about it? It's so great that I do the Sirius show right now. ... It's totally reconnecting me with this group of people who I really feel like we came to age together."

Why are so many people still infatuated with the decade?

"I'm not sure. People are passionate about the 80s. It's really wild. I look back on it -- there was Reaganomics and the Reagan years and there was a lot going on in the world.  There was also a lot of real hard-core optimism. Everything from Garbage Pail Kids to the Smurfs to the Safety Dance. ...""

"People always love the period of time they grew up in before they took on adult responsibilities. You always love those years. But I do think that people who grew up in the 80s are more passionate about the 80s than any other decade. When the 50s came back, it was kind of a kitschy, cute revival."

The music was fun too. What did you listen to back then?

"I firmly believe there's an East Coast/West Coast divide on this. People who grew up on the East Coast are firm Bon Jovi [and] Aerosmith listeners. West Coast, Oingo Boingo [and] Depeche Mode."

"[For me, it was] Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Dexy's Midnight Runners."

Oh come on, you listened to just one Dexy's Midnight Runners song -- "Come On Eileen"!

"Yeah, but I listened to it over and over and over. That was back in the days when you could put a single on your turntable and switch the mode to repeat. ... My neighbors must have thought I was insane. I loved that song."

What interviews really stand out from your MTV days?

I interviewed Bob Dylan ... I was so frightened of this guy, and he was wonderful. I finally got to meet Paul McCartney, which was a total dream. ... I almost found that the bigger the celerity, the nicer they were. Frankie Goes To Hollywood came in -- Mark [Goodman] actually interviewed them -- and they were total d--ks. Totally! Mark actually at one point said, 'Listen, do you guys even want to do this interview?' "

"But that being said, tons of newcomers were awesome too, like the Go-Go's, whom I'm still friends with. The Stray Cats, the Red Hot Chili Peppers [too]. But you tend to be great when the camera is on."

What do you make of today's celebrity culture -- the tabloids, the gossip websites?

"I don't even go to the movies. I don't even watch TV. But I'm addicted to this stuff. It's crazy. I gotta see the latest on what's happening with Lindsay Lohan."

"I was just saying this to [former MTV veejay] Nina Blackwood: We missed the era of tabloids. If tabloids had been around back then, we would have been right there -- 'Nina Blackwood is dating who?!?' "

Click here to listen to the full interview with Martha Quinn. Or click here to subscribe to all our podcasts for free on iTunes.

Video flashback: Julian Lennon

Here's a video from the old MTV days that will surely rattle your brain cages. (Look carefully for cameos by Joe Piscopo, Jami Gertz and Michael J. Fox.)

"Stick Around" could have been Julian Lennon's biggest hit, depending on which chart you consider more important. "Too Late for Goodbyes" charted higher on the US Hot 100, but "Stick Around" was tops on the US Mainstream Rock chart. Go figure.

Julian was the first son of Beatle John Lennon, and it was his childhood watercolor painting of a girl in his class that inspired the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." (And after his parents divorced, it was Paul McCartney who wrote "Hey Jude" -- originally "Hey Jules" -- to console young Julian.)

Julian's music career didn't survive the '80s. But rumor has it that he's working on a new album for release this year. Check out his myspace.com page for some song samples.

And now we meet in an abandoned studio...

There's not another song on the planet that captures the beginning of the 80s like the gem from The Buggles -- Video Killed The Radio Star. By now, most fans know it was the first video to air on a then-unknown cable network in suburban New Jersey called MTV back on Aug. 1, 1981. The opening notes of the tune still give you chills.

Here's a rare LIVE version of the song performed in 2004:

Some more trivia about the band and song:

• While The Buggles are largely thought of as Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, "Video" was composed largely by the band's third member, Bruce Woolley.
• Woolley left the band before the release of the song to form Camera Club (with Thomas Dolby and Hans Zimmer). That band also released a version of the song, which became a hit in Canada.
• The 2004 performance of the song -- part of the Prince's Trust concert series in England -- reunited Horn, Downes and Woolley along with the original female background singers.
• Another classic tune from the 80s that laments the demise of the radio's role in culture -- Queen's Radio Ga-Ga.

And just so you don't think that video has the last word in the battle, remember you're enjoying this walk down Amnesia Lane on the Web. So tip your cap and enjoy this parody: Internet Killed The Video Star.

Rare Police video unearthed

Exclusive video of The Police on youtube.com:

OK, so maybe it's not "The" Police.  The band's name is actually Dog Police. And this video was a favorite back in the day of MTV's Basement Tapes. The band released a self-titled album in 1983 -- the same year as The Police's last album, Synchronicity.

A coincidence? Yes, totally.

My review of The Police's actual reunion performance on the Grammys Sunday night: Ehh, okay, I suppose. At least they were well-rested. Or as former Times TV critic and Stuck in the 80s contributor Chase Squires said via e-mail: "Ack, that sucked."

Totally Awesome? It better be

VH1 is airing an original movie about the 80s on Saturday night, Nov. 4 -- "Totally Awesome" starring Ben Stein ("Ferris Bueller"), Mikey Day, Dominique Swain ("Girl") and Chris Kattan ("Saturday Night Live"). Check your local listings for airtime.

The movie is a satire on the 80s and is directed by Neal Brennan ("Chappelle's Show"). The website for the movie includes video trailers and a contest. If you can actually get the trailers to work on your computer, let me know how they look. VH1's Cold War era technology isn't working well here on my Commodore 64, the official computer of Stuck in the 80s.

I'll withhold judgment until I see the movie, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Teen movies in the 80s (and 90s) were ridiculed with brilliance in "Not Another Teen Movie." I'd rather see another "Wedding Singer" type of movie, where the action merely takes place in the decade, rather than mocking my precious memories.

Little pink candles, babe, for you and me

John Mellencamp turns 55 today. That's Johnny Cougar for those of us who enjoyed the EARLY part of the 80s. (After his hit 1982 album American Fool, he was able to reinstate his real last name on future bodies of work.)

I gotta admit I was never a huge fan of Cougar/Mellencamp, but he had the best MTV contest of the early years. Remember those? Back when MTV still needed to build an audience, the network was the undisputed king of beyond-belief contests. In once contest, the winners got to see Asia in concert in Japan ("Asia in Asia"). In other, The Cars did a show for you and your friends.

And my favorite: The winner got a pink house in Indiana and a private concert by Mellencamp. Rumor has it the original house MTV had bought for the contest was located on a toxic waste dump, and -- under orders from Mellencamp -- the network bought another house and quickly painted it pink. The contest winners lived in it for two days before selling it.

Stuck in the 80s co-host and Times pop critic Sean Daly has a great story about the rock icon. Back in 2004, when Daly was still working for the Washington Post, he interviewed Mellencamp in Bloomington, Ind., for a big piece in the newspaper. (Click here to read it.) Before making the long drive back to the airport, Daly needed to use the star's bathroom. An hour after saying goodbye, the sudden fear hit him: Did he forget to flush the toilet? He didn't have the nerve to find out. The mystery endures.

Happy birthday, Mr. Mellencamp from the Stuck in the 80s gang. Here's a top 5 list for you to help forget the whole toilet fiasco.

Top 5 favorite John Cougar Mellencamp songs:
5. I Need A Lover: "I'm not asking to be loved or be forgiven"
4. Jack and Diane: "Dribble off those bobby brooks. Let me do what I please"
3. Pink Houses: "The simple man, baby, pays for the thrills, the bills and the pills that kill"
2. Ain't Even Done With The Night: "I don't know no good come-ons. And I don't know no cool lines"
1. Small Town: "Another boring romantic that's me"

Adam Curry interview online

Hey 80s addicts, our latest episode of Stuck in the 80s, featuring an extensive interview with former MTV veejay and current podcasting god Adam Curry, is now online. Click here to listen or click here to subscribe to the series for free on iTunes.

If you're not already listening to Adam's Daily Source Code podcast, you're missing out. Go to dailysourcecode.com to hear it. (And again, it's available on iTunes.) He's also begun experimenting with video podcasts lately.

In our interview, Adam shares stories from the old days of MTV, dishing dirt on how the network was run. He also recounts his visit to Red Square with Skid Row, an encounter with the Moscow Hell's Angels, a fight with Richard Marx, and a story about Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon that will make you miss the 80s even more.

Some more show notes:

-- We recorded this week's show earlier than usual, so we didn't have a full list of Name That 80s Tune winners to announce. But come on -- it was TOO easy anyway. Our new batch of prizes should be arriving on my doorstep anytime, so hopefully we can make good for all our listeners.

-- Don't forget to call our toll-free phone number and leave us messages and greetings to use on the show. We do it all for you. The number is 866-371-9605. Anyone who leaves a greeting gets on the show and gets a prize mailed to you.

-- We're trying to line up a few more special guests for interviews in the coming weeks. No hints yet, but we're stalking some recording artists as we speak.

Enjoy the show!

Five more truly awful videos

There's something perverse yet oddly satisfying about scouring the early days of MTV and looking for the worst music videos ever made. Like sneezing into your hand and afterward checking the color of the offensive phlegm. Or trying to make an overly intoxicated friend throw up by simply describing your favorite breakfast sandwiches from McDonalds.

And so we give you another group of some of the worst music videos of the 80s. (Click here to see the original batch of offenders.)

FIVE MORE AWFUL MUSIC VIDEOS:

Rock Me Tonite, Billy Squier: I apologize for not including this is the original list, because it's truly horrific. Billy flops around like the love child of Mark Goodman and Paula Abdul. You'll want to hunt me down and shot me if you click on the view link. And that's OK by me. (view)

Why Can't I Be You, The Cure: Some people love it when Robert Smith dresses up in a big bear outfit or in black-face. Others just find it creepy. Even by Cure standards. After a few shots of Jagermeister, it's a great video. But after tonight's two caffeine-free Diet Cokes, not so much. (view)

The Warrior, Scandal: Remember "Staying Alive?" The sequel to Saturday Night Fever where John Travolta gets a starring role in a Broadway musical? A real suck-fest. If you want to see the four-minute version of it, featuring an Edward Scissorhands wannabe tearing up Patty Smyth's clothes, here's your chance. (view)

Obsession, Animotion: It's like Fetish Night at Caesar's Palace in Vegas. Or a Saturday Night Live sketch of Caligula, 80s style. This band played for free at my Grad Night 1985 at Disney World, and I still didn't go see them. (view)

Do You Wanna Touch Me, Joan Jett: What's not to like about a bikini-clad vixen spanking herself while an oiled-up guy flexes his pecs to the beat of a rock anthem? And that's just the first 30 seconds. (view)

[Publicity photos; click to enlarge at your own peril]

MTV episode finally online

After a couple of technical snafus, our latest episode of Stuck in the 80s is now online. Click here to download it, or for the love of all that's holy, just go to iTunes and subscribe for free.

Meanwhile, thanks to a tip from former Times TV critic Chase Squires, we found out that the Denver Post today wrote a story about how 80s fashion is back! (Click here to read it.) According to the article, parachute pants are one of the fads that didn't make a comeback -- thankfully.

Here's Chase's description of his own fashion back in the golden decade: "Hair bleached white with polka dot black spots, a leopard skin jacket, spiked bracelet, and an upside-down cross earring .... I looked like Billy Idol's dorky little brother, pissed off at the world and driving daddy's Volvo."

Chasie, I can't even picture that. Send us a photo!

Demand your MTV

Our epic MTV episode of Stuck in the 80s is almost online. This is one you'll want to cherish because in it:
-- Sean Daly confesses his lust for Boy George;
-- Steve Spears explains why Madonna would never date him (as if);
-- Listener "Six" shares her story of the 1984 MTV Rockin' New Year;
-- Cathy Wos holds it all together and keeps the boys from sobbing.

We had our big interview with former VJ Adam Curry today. He's the man. Rather than cut any of his great stories out, we're going to run his full interview in next week's show. Because he's the Podfather. And he deserves the spotlight to himself.

So stay tuned. This week's show should be online soon.

Waiting on Adam Curry

This week's Stuck in the 80s podcast is gonna be a little bit late. Our special MTV episode is ready to go, but we're waiting til Friday so we can snag a live interview with former VJ and podcasting guru Adam Curry. That's right, the Podfather has agreed to grace us with his wisdom and wit for this special show.

If you have any questions for Adam, drop me a comment and I'll squeeze them in. And look for the show to appear live sometime late Friday afternoon.

Thursday night update: I'm sitting at home, listening to Adam's "Daily Source Code" podcast on podshow.com, and I'm trembling in cosmic awe. It's fantastiche! And, of course, it makes our Stuck in the 80s podcast look like early Simpsons animation. Doh!

[Publicity photo; click to enlarge]

The Thrill isn't gone: Top 10 videos of the 80s

Finally, our top 10 list of best music videos of the 80s. (Click here to see 11-20, 21-30, 31-40 and 41-50.) While there's no real drama behind our top pick, some of the other top 10 videos might surprise you. Feel free to share your darts and laurels in the comments area.

Best videos of the 80s:

10. True Faith, New Order (view): So very, very French. Cirque du Soleil-ish long before the weird theatre troope became a household image. Directed by Philippe Decouflé, who also produced the inauguration ceremonies of the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.

9. Legs, ZZ Top (view): The best of the Texas band's "hot girls" videos also features the ultimate 80s movie theme: triumph of the nerds!

8. Money For Nothing, Dire Straits (view): The only No. 1 single for the British band; also the first video to be aired on MTV Europe. Video used then-new art form of computer animation. Sting's "I Want My MTV" crooning was an afterthought.

7. Eat It, Weird Al Yankovic (view): Weird Al probably deserves a half dozen spots on this list. However, we save his ultimate 80s parody for the top 10. Video featured many of the same actors as Michael Jackson's "Beat It" video.

6. Hungry Like The Wolf, Duran Duran (view): Filmed in Sri Lanka with one of the largest budgets at the time for a music video, this one made Duran Duran a household name.

5. Bastards of Young, The Replacements (view): The ultimate anti-MTV video. The network didn't appreciate the joke and rarely aired the video. But hardcore "music" fans, growing weary in the late 80s as MTV's cool factor started to disintegrate, consider this video their holy grail.

4. Rock It, Herbie Hancock (view): Godley & Creme, who have the #17 video, directed the video, featuring robots moving in time to the Hancock's only pop hit.

3. Take On Me, a-Ha (view): Incorporates rotoscoping special effects into dramatic storytelling; same effects revived again for the video "Sun Always Shines on TV," but the marriage of style and video is forever associated with "Take on Me."

2. Sledgehammer, Peter Gabriel (view): Swept the MTV Video Music Awards in 1987; using 3-D animation, it raised the bar for all videos that followed.

1. Thriller, Michael Jackson (view): The home video for "Making of Thriller" actually outsold the album "Thriller." Cherish it as a time capsule of the Michael Jackson in the early 80s ... before things went very, very wrong.

Personal fave: I love every one of the top 10 -- with the possible exception of "Rock It," which gave me nightmares as a kid. But Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" is truly golden. You can watch it 100 times and see something new each time. So enjoy the memories, because I doubt any videos after 1989 can compete with these 50 pieces of high art.

 

[Video images; click to enlarge]

No Confusion here: All these videos rock

We've reached the top 20 of the best music videos of the 80s.  Today, we take a look at 11 through 20. (Click here to see Nos. 21-30, 31-40 and  41-50.) Time to honor the obvious (another Duran Duran video) and some of the not-so-obvious (Art of Noise, Godley & Creme, Sigue Sigue Sputnik).

Best music videos of the 80s:
20. Land of Confusion, Genesis (view)
19. Don't Come Around Here No More, Tom Petty (view)
18. Walk This Way, Run-DMC and Aerosmith (view)
17. Cry, Godley & Creme (view)
16. Love Missile F1-11, Sigue Sigue Sputnik (view)
15. Touch of Grey, Grateful Dead (view)
14. Close to the Edit, Art of Noise (view)
13. Rio, Duran Duran (view)
12. Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads (view)
11. You Might Think, The Cars (view)

Most disturbing: Probably Land of Confusion. The puppets give me nightmares. But so does the little punk rock girl in Close to the Edit.

Cheesecake/beefcake: No-brainer here ... Rio by Duran Duran. (Roger gets the crabs.)

Personal fave: We're in the top 20, so they're all exceptional. Just enjoy all the warm, chewy goodness.

[Video image; click to enlarge]

Best videos: Frankie still royalty in Hollywood

The march through the best videos of the 80s resumes today. Here are nos. 21-30. (Click here to see Nos. 31-40 and  41-50.) Say what you like about Frankie Goes To Hollywood, but the lads from Liverpool knew how to make a video -- especially the type to get banned. Their original version of the Relax video, which was nixed by MTV and the BBC, was replaced by the one shown below (adapted from the movie "Body Double.")

Likewise, the version of Blue Jean below isn't the one we're honoring. There's an extended version out there with the whole back story of "Screaming Lord Byron." The edited version will stir your brain cells for now.

Best music videos of the 80s:
30. My Philosophy, Boogie Down Productions (view)
29. Blue Jean, David Bowie (view)
28. Where the Streets Have No Names, U2 (view)
27. It's the End of the World, R.E.M. (view)
26. The Reflex, Duran Duran (view)
25. Relax, Frankie Goes To Hollywood (view)
24. It's My Life, Talk Talk (view)
23. Night of the Living Baseheads, Public Enemy (view)
22. Ana Ng, They Might Be Giants (view)
21. Material Girl, Madonna (view)

Personal fave: I'm a Frankie fan from the early days, so I'm gravitating toward Relax, the epic song that helped me and group of mates win the Lip-Synch '85 competition at Countryside High School back in my senior year. (We beat out U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" -- monumental upset). But for the true flavor, try to find the "live" version.

[Publicity photo; click to enlarge]

Radio, someone still loves you: Best 80s videos

The countdown of the best music videos of the 80s continues today with Nos. 31 to 40. (Click here to see Nos. 41-50.) A quick reminder that if you click to view a particular video, you'll be taken from this place to the dilithium mines on the penal asteroid of Rura Penthe, there to spend the rest of your natural lives.

Or, more likely, you'll be taken to a site like youtube.com to view to full video. Some of the original versions of the video had adult content, so the edited versions are linked from here. (Good luck finding an edited version of Girls on Film.)

Best music videos of the 80s:
40. Can You Feel It?, The Jacksons (view)
39. Come On Eileen, Dexy's Midnight Runners (view)
38. Voices Carry, 'Til Tuesday (view)
37. Photograph, Def Leppard (view)
36. Our House, Madness (view)
35. Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A. (edited version)
34. Girls on Film, Duran Duran
33. You Got Lucky, Tom Petty (view)
32. Atmosphere, Joy Division (view)
31. Radio Ga-Ga, Queen (view)

Personal fave: Queen's "Radio Ga-Ga." Anyone else remember how they rocked Live Aid? Click here to see again the best 4 minutes and 48 seconds of the best concert of our lifetimes. Fantastiche!

[Publicity photo; click to enlarge]

Best music videos of the 80s: Nos. 41-50

It's MTV's 25th anniversary this week, so time to take the ole time machine back and enjoy the best music videos of the 80s. How did we compile the list, you ask? You did it for us with your e-mails, comments, mental telepathy and that brick with an attached note that someone threw my bedroom window last night at 2 a.m.

Today, we're uncovering videos 41 through 50. We'll count down another 10 each day. Feel free to debate the merits. Don't get too caught up in the actual ranking among each grouping. It's all about the love, baby.

Top music videos of the 80s:
50. Just a Gigolo, David Lee Roth (view)
49. She Blinded Me With Science, Thomas Dolby (view)
48. Leave It, Yes (view)
47. Safety Dance, Men Without Hats (view)
46. Always Something There To Remind Me, Naked Eye (view)
45. Don't Dream It's Over, Crowded House (view)
44. I Ran, A Flock of Seagulls (view)
43. Hot For The Teacher, Van Halen (view)
42. Shock The Monkey, Peter Gabriel (view)
41. Don't Answer Me, Alan Parsons Project (view)

My personal faves: "Shock the Monkey" -- a taste of the creative Peter Gabriel to come -- and "Safety Dance" -- as if the movie "Willow" was a musical. Instead of another Val Kilmer bomb. Ouch.

[Photo: Video image]